A new Bobcat T590
compact track loader has been purchased for use in the new Project Elephant
development at Blackpool Zoo, in the very popular seaside resort of Blackpool
in the north of England.
Project Elephant is the next phase in the
ongoing development of the Zoo and the largest single investment it has ever
made, increasing its overall footprint by a further three acres and providing a
new home for elephants that secures their future at the Zoo.
Supplied by
Wigan-based Norwest Plant Ltd, the Authorised Bobcat and Doosan dealer for
North-West England and North Wales, the low ground pressure and stability of
the tracked undercarriage on the new T590 has provided the perfect solution for
working on the deep fine sand that covers much of the floor surface of the new
elephant enclosure.
Until the T590 was
demonstrated, finding the right machine for the job had proved to be a tricky
problem for the Zoo’s Head Keeper, Luke Minns and Head of Section for Mammals,
Adam Kenyan. Unlike the competitors’ machines which failed the task because
they buried themselves in the sand, the Bobcat T590 performed effortlessly and
with great results. As well as the elephant enclosure, the combination of
the T590 with several new Bobcat attachments such as a skeleton bucket, pallet
forks and a hay bale spike purchased from Norwest Plant, forms a powerful and
versatile tool to be utilised throughout the zoo.
The T590 at
Blackpool Zoo is equipped with an optional Deluxe Control panel which offers
keyless ignition starting and a keycode security system which as well as
deterring theft, provides up to eight users with their own 10-figure keycode to
start the machine and allows the zoo to monitor and record the operation of the
track loader.
In a host of
applications in construction, landscaping, forestry, agriculture, disaster
relief and many other areas, there are no other machines that offer the
combination of versatility and productivity than that provided by the Bobcat
T590 and the rest of the company’s compact track loader range. This is
due to their unique characteristics as tool carriers and the wide array of
attachments that they can work with, from trenchers, augers, graders, soil
conditioners, scarifiers and dozer blades to more specialist attachments such
as forestry cutters and stump grinders.
In the Bobcat range,
there is a choice of size and boom configurations - radial and vertical lift
path models - similar to those in the company’s market-leading wheeled
skid-steer range. There are various options for Bobcat rubber tracks with
multiple tread patterns available, so that the performance of track loaders can
be optimised by selecting a track that exactly matches the application.
