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University of Illinois:
Case Construction & Birkey's Pass With Distinction
If the University of Illinois gave grades to the Case Construction
skid steer loaders used at its facilities, the 85XT and 95XT
would make the Honor Roll for durability, and Birkey's would
receive top marks in service.
The university's Recycling Center has used Case skid steers
for many years, and has put more than 6,000 hours on a five-year-old
95XT, says Andrew Moore, an operating engineer at the university.
“It has really held together,” he says of the machine.
The Recycling Center serves as a transfer station for everything
from garbage to construction debris. It handles some 120 tons
of waste material every week. Two Case skid steers, usually
equipped with a bucket or pallet forks, are used to push and
sort the material and load it into semi-trucks.
“The Case skid steer has really proved itself in durability,”
Moore says. “Ours have solid rubber tires and we really
knock them around,” driving over a variety of waste materials.
“The 95XT is very stable and heavy for its size, and that
weight is a benefit for us.”
While the Recycling Center has put lots of hours on its skid
steers, it has experienced no major mechanical breakdowns. When
there is a problem with the machine, such as a blown hydraulic
line, the Recycling Center calls on Birkey's for repairs.
Steve Bonner, Birkey's road technician, is “a heck of
a guy. He's always willing to work around our schedules,”
says Moore. “We're on schedules working with different
crews, and Steve
will agree to be there when we're going to be on break or lunch.
We have two skid steers and if we lose one, it scares us to
death. Garbage on campus never stops. Steve is always there
fast. He's our lifeline if we have a problem.”
Moore says he has “spent a lot of quality time”
in the operator's seat of Case skid steers, and he finds Case
is one of the most comfortable machines around for his 6-foot
3-inch, 240-pound frame. “I can climb in and out easily.
It's nice and roomy,” he says.
The university's Beef Cattle Research Farm has also owned a
Case 85XT for a year, and Tom
Nash, manager of the facility, has been pleased with the machine's
durability and lift capacity.
"We use the 85XT in our everday operations for loading
feedstuff into trucks. We also use it to move material such
as dirt," Nash says.
“What attracted us to the Case is that we load off the
dock and we needed the extra reach the Case provided over competing
models.” The feed is dumped off a dock into the bed of
a truck or feed wagon, and Nash wanted a machine that extended
over the bed. “We needed a machine that will lift, reach
and not tip over. We've purchased a second, larger bucket to
carry more, and even when we load it fully, the skid steer doesn't
tip. That is very important to us for safety reasons.”
 Durability
has also been good, he adds. “It's used heavily on a daily
basis and we've had no problems with it. We do the simple maintenance
on it ourselves, but we know that Birkey's does a great job
for us, and we wouldn't hesitate to call them if we needed to.”
The Research Farm is a beef, cattle and sheep field laboratory
that opened its new facility south of Urbana about a year ago.
The Case skid steer was among the new equipment acquired when
the farm opened. The Case is “operator friendly”
and workers found it was easy to learn to operate. “Most
of the controls are in the handles, and the response time is
very short,” Nash notes.
From handling livestock to litter, the University of Illinois
benefits from the performance edge provided by the experienced
team of Case Construction and Birkey’s.
Visit Birkey’s today and see how we can take your business
to the next level!
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