Stories from the Job Site

A John Deere 320 Skid Steer Loader

The right-field bullpen at Fenway Park was once known as "Williamsburg" after a famous Boston slugger who hit so many home runs there. The hardscape yard behind Noble Landscape and Garden Center’s corporate offices in Blaine, Minnesota, is known as "William's World," where operator Bill Sufka "goes yard" with his John Deere skid steer.

Sufka might not be able to hit a curve, but this 35-year vet can operate a skid steer loader like nobody’s business. And he’s not shy about telling you.

"Nobody can move B&B (bald-and-burlapped) trees in this sugar sand like I can," he says with a grin from behind the controls of the company’s John Deere 325 Skid Steer Loader. You believe him when you see him in action. And you won't get an argument from any of the other operators.

Sufka honed his skills on a John Deere 8875 Skid Steer Loader, a machine he was especially fond of. Nowadays he runs one of the company's John Deere 300-Series Skid Steer Loaders. During April and May, he works this machine hard, unloading over 50 semis, each carrying 20 to 40 trees.

When Sufka is not moving trees, he uses the forks to move massive fieldstone boulders or lift heavy pallets of concrete pavers and retaining-wall blocks.

Like good utility infielders, John Deere skid steer loaders are plenty versatile. Using the Quik-Tatch™ system, Sufka can quickly switch to a bucket for loading a customer's truck with mulch or to a landplane to smooth out the pathways.

The new facility reflects the impressive growth of Noble Landscape and Garden Center since it was started by owner Leo Vander Broeck 25 years ago. The company also has a burgeoning landscaping division, which does mainly commercial and Department of Transportation work, as well as residential jobs.

The company's three John Deere skid steers — two 320s and a 325 — run from sunup to sundown. When they aren't being used by Sufka, they're supporting one of six commercial and residential landscaping crews. On landscaping jobs, the skid steers help unload trees and other materials or dig holes to plant trees with a specially designed U-blade.

The power hitter of Noble’s lineup is clearly the 325. With its impressive tipping load and rated operating capacity, the 325 is perfect for unloading semis filled with heavy pallets of sod, stone, pavers, or retaining-wall blocks that weigh up to 2,000 pounds. It's also great for hauling around fieldstone boulders, some of which weigh up to 2,500 pounds.

League of their own
Like a baseball team, Wagner has nine machines in his lineup. And like a baseball manager, he likes to field the best possible lineup every day. John Deere machines fill the heart of the order, delivering superior, reliable performance, day after day.

John Deere Skid Steer Loader

"And they’re really easy to maintain — everything is easy to get at and right there in the open. I can completely service a Deere in an hour versus two or three hours on other machines."

Noble once ran two competitive tracked machines, but sent them down to the minors. "They're not even in the same league as John Deere," says Wagner. "They require too much maintenance for our guys in the field, and maintenance costs are close to $10,000 a season. That’s more than double what Deere costs."

Above all, Wagner appreciates Deere's industry-leading parts and service support. "If I need something on a jobsite, all I have to do is call our dealer. Recently we had an issue with one of our machines, and they were out here with a loaner in two hours. Deere dealer support is the best in the industry. They really stand behind their machines."

*Noble Landscape and Garden Center is serviced by Sharbers and Son, Rogers, Minnesota.

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