Approximately 100 guests witnessed or participated in an equipment rodeo held at the Ditch Witch of Nebraska dealership on March 22. There were no wild bulls or horses involved, but there was plenty of horsepower-and some serious cowboys.

Participants from local utility and underground construction companies competed in a backhoe rodeo that involved three events and three types of Ditch Witch equipment.

In the first event, contestants boarded an XT850 excavator-tool carrier and tried to knock down three bowling pins with a bowling ball attached to the machine’s swinging bucket. Matt Jackman of Hersh Digging Inc., knocked down the pins in the fastest time –– 24 seconds.

The next event involved a heavy-duty RT90 trencher, which was used to move three basketballs from atop traffic cones to a nearby basket. Hersh Digging’s Mike Cordes won this competition as well as the final backhoe rodeo event, which required some delicate maneuvering of an MX27 mini-excavator to transfer an egg from one sandbox to another.

There also was a boring rodeo, which challenged participants to use their own equipment to make a 200-ft. bore in the fastest time, hitting four targets along the way. Winners John Schopke and Stuart Bauer, both of Bauer Underground, turned in a blistering time of 36:38. Prizes were awarded to the winners and their companies.

Two days later, the Ditch Witch of Nebraska dealership in Gering also held a backhoe rodeo. Dale Franklin of CenCon swept all three events.

The Ditch Witch organization specializes in the design and manufacture of high-quality underground construction equipment. The company is a one-stop source for trenchers, vibratory plows, pneumatic piercing tools, backhoes, electronic tracking and locating tools, vacuum excavation systems, excavator-tool carriers, mini excavators and mini skid steers.

For more information, call 308/382-1300 or visit www.ditchwitch.com.

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