A mini vocation

摘要

For every job on a road- or bridge-building project, there is a piece of equipment that is perfectly sized to perform the work. A machine properly sized for a job will complete the work more efficiently, which can lead to savings in labor and operation. The Madison County, Neb., District 3 Highway Department has streamlined its operations by using a Bobcat 331 compact excavator. Madison County is located in northeast Nebraska. The county's highway department is divided into three districts. Each district is responsible for road and bridge construction and maintenance in one of three areas of the county. Overall, the highway department is responsible for 2,000 miles of roadway in Madison County. In District 3, there are 500 miles of roads and about 70 bridges. Foreman Dave Heggemeyer's crew uses the 331 excavator to replace culverts and bridges. One or two bridges are replaced each year. Heggemeyer's crew uses the mini excavator with a Bobcat hydraulic breaker to demolish approaches, beams and back walls. All culverts 24 in. or smaller are replaced by the 331 excavator. Hegge-meyer said that his crew uses a 24-in. bucket to dig the new culvert immediately adjacent to the existing culvert. Once the new culvert is in place and the trench has been backfilled, the crew uses a plate compactor attachment on the excavator to compact the trench.