It wasn’t that long ago that supervisor Kevin Fernandez had just a simple tractor for routine grounds maintenance projects at the White Bear Lake Schools in Minnesota. Today, three Toolcat 5600 utility work machines, including a new D-Series model, are making life easier for Fernandez, who maintains 19 locations in the suburban city northeast of St. Paul.

Fernandez said he has definitely seen an increase in productivity since the school district first purchased a Toolcat utility work machine five years ago.

“The fact that I can have an attachment on the front of the machine and a cargo bed in the back — it’s like an all-terrain vehicle,” Fernandez said. “I can easily haul materials and maneuver, and still have the power to dig into a pile and get a job done.”

The cargo bed is particularly useful for Fernandez and the 20 employees who work for him.

“We previously needed someone to transport tools and supplies with a pickup, but with the Toolcat cargo bed, that’s not a problem anymore,” Fernandez explained. “I can send guys onto a ball field to collect trash and maintain fence lines with the Toolcat 5600. I couldn’t do that with a tractor.”

Getting Back to Work Sooner

Eager to get back to work after any rain, Fernandez said the Toolcat machines enable him to spend less time waiting and more time working.

“The tractors we used were much heavier than the 5600s,” he said. “The Toolcat 5600 is a lot lighter, especially with turf tires. I can take the 5600 out a day or two after it rains and run an aerator or spreader. With a tractor, I had to wait a lot longer.”

Attachments keep the three Toolcat 5600s at White Bear Lake Schools running year-round.

“In the winter months, we use a snowblower, angle broom and light material bucket for snow removal,” Fernandez said. “In the summer, it’s endless. We use the machines for maintaining ball fields, working on light construction projects, hauling materials and trash, sweeping grass from trails and parking lots or simply getting from point A to point B.”

Fernandez said that since purchasing the snowblower attachments, the school district has saved thousands in contractor fees previously paid to haul snow away from fence lines.

“I can easily blow the snow 40 or 45 feet over the fence with the 5600 and snowblower attachment,” he said.

Grounds maintenance professionals like Kevin Fernandez rely on Toolcat utility work machines because of their versatility, according to Bobcat. When school districts are looking at ways to cut expenses, Toolcat 5600s provide an option for reducing equipment fleets with one machine that combines the benefits of a tractor, utility loader and pickup truck.

For more information, visit www.bobcat.com/toolcat.

This article was reprinted with permission from Bobcat WorkSaver magazine.

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