Farm Transition Planning Can Never Start Too Early

As farm operators continue to age and the next generation prepares to take on the family legacy, farm transition planning is becoming one of the most important challenges farm families will face. The planning process covers several areas including asset distribution, operation assessment and successor development, all of which can prove to be difficult and complicated.

Improving Productivity in Agriculture with Versatile Attachments

BarnCat

Certain attachments are particularly useful in agriculture applications, and with performance abilities continuously improving, it is helpful to stay on top of the latest advancements when considering your next attachment purchase.

3 Ways to Improve Undercarriage Life

Did you know that undercarriage repair and maintenance can be as much as 50 percent of your machine’s maintenance cost over the life of the machine? While undercarriage maintenance is not complicated, track machines, which have much better flotation than wheel machines, can be managed so that the undercarriage life is optimized and owning and operating costs are reduced.

Utilizing Technology for Compact Machines on Construction Jobsites

RoyBrookhart

Running a successful construction business takes strategic vision, and advances in technology give machine owners and operators the ability to manage each aspect of the company more effectively. Everything from fleet management and preventative maintenance to jobsite productivity and sustainability standards can be implemented through specialized technology systems. I called on my colleague, Dave Stafford, our Technology Application Specialist, to help me write this post. He provided some extensive input on technology use for small and compact machines, and I’m thankful for his expertise.

Your Business Needs a Budget

From time to time, we feature experts in a particular field or specialty contracting service. Here, Mike Lysecki of The Landscape Management Network – a member-based suite of software, tools, systems and education to help landscape contractors increase productivity and profits – explains the importance of a budget to your business.

Building A Legacy: Farm Transitions

BarnCat

Think about the last farmer you interacted with – chances are, you were the younger person involved in that conversation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the United States Department of Agriculture, the average American farmer is 57 years old. In fact, over 60 percent of farmers in our country are 55 years old or older. Since more than 87 percent of farms are family owned, farm transition planning is becoming an important topic. 

How Safe Are Your Jobsites?

Machine owners and operators face pressure to complete tasks quickly on a regular basis, which can create a dangerous situation if deadlines take priority over safety. All it takes is being distracted for a fraction of a second to cause equipment damage or injury to an operator or ground personnel.

Speed Up Landscaping Jobs With The Right Machines and Couplers

GregWorley

From clearing land, to digging irrigation trenches, to drilling planting holes, to sculpting golf courses, mini excavators are utilized for a variety of jobs across the landscaping industry. While some companies focus on a specialty niche, others perform a large range of landscaping projects. Evaluating how often you have to change out attachments and researching coupler options can play a significant role in helping companies increase efficiency on the job site.

Tackle Many Jobs with One Machine: Attachments Increase Mini Hydraulic Excavator Versatility

GregWorley

For digging, lifting and clean-up on job sites with tight quarters, mini hydraulic excavators combine powerful performance with easy maneuverability. Able to go where larger machines can’t, mini hydraulic excavators are ideal for work in backyards, inside buildings and around fences. Their hydraulic systems enable them to quickly move large amounts of material, and attachments make these machines useful in many industries including landscaping, construction and agriculture.

Deciding Whether a Backhoe Loader or Mini Hydraulic Excavator is a Better Fit

RoyBrookhart

For at least 20 years, we’ve been told that the backhoe loader is on its way out. Those predicting its demise have argued that the backhoe is not valuable, and that it’s replaceable by newer machines. If that were true, why has the backhoe loader continued to earn a spot in operators’ fleets? Granted, the mini hydraulic excavator has proven a top contender for the same spot, but it’s not always a matter of which is superior to the other—it’s quite the opposite, actually. People are comparing the benefits of mini hydraulic excavators and backhoe loaders side by side to figure out which is better for their individual equipment requirements.