When David Land purchased Tulsa Landscaping in 1983, the business included a fleet of trenchers and focused almost entirely on irrigation services. Today, the company offers a wide variety of landscaping and irrigation services on residential and commercial projects to meet growing industry demands. Whether Land’s crew is building retaining walls, laying sod or installing decorative concrete, efficiency is top of mind. And after more than 35 years in the industry, one thing remains the same – the key to efficiency is having the right equipment for the job.
In recent years, compact equipment became a game changer for Land and his crew. It’s helped the team conquer extensive commercial projects, such as the transformation of a 10-acre green belt into a high-end shopping center.
The 17-month long project began in June 2017 when the crew capped off irrigation. The initial work involved construction of several retaining walls but bringing heavy equipment near the walls could risk the structural integrity, and shovels were too laborious and inefficient.
The crew at Tulsa Landscape turned to their Ditch Witch® stand-on skid steer to tackle the job. Operators drove it across sod, decorative concrete and mud without getting stuck or damaging the environment on the jobsite. With a variety of attachments, the crew could also use the compact machine to trench, backfill, auger holes and even bore under sidewalks.
“It’s incredible what you can do with compact equipment like stand-on skid steers in the landscaping industry. I can’t imagine being in our business today without it,” said David Land, owner, Tulsa Landscaping. “Even a small company can justify purchasing a stand-on skid steer – especially as jobsites get tighter with more amenities. Heavy equipment simply won’t fit.”
Save Labor and Improve Productivity
As many landscapers know, one of the biggest challenges when completing a large commercial project is coordinating with other subcontractors. When Tulsa Landscape wasn’t scheduled to complete tasks on the shopping center project, the crew worked on landscaping projects elsewhere. However, Tulsa Landscape periodically performed tasks like removing a pipe so that other sub-contractors could pour concrete. Rather than reallocating an entire crew, Land sent one operator with a Ditch Witch stand-on skid steer, and he removed the pipe within a matter of hours.
“We’re always looking for ways to be more efficient and reduce strenuous labor common in irrigation and landscaping work. With our stand-on skid steer, the crew has changed the way they approach projects, becoming more efficient and making work easier on themselves,” said Land. “Even if the machine can save 10 minutes of back-breaking work – it’s worth having.”
For more information on the family of Ditch Witch stand-on skid steers, please visit https://www.ditchwitch.com/stand-on-skid-steers.
