A-1 Construction and Peterson Tractor know what it takes to dominate their markets — the best people and the best products. Partners Bob Piddock, Joe Madison, and Jack Shane Jr. are enjoying great success with A-1. What started out as a small septic business back in 1953, by Jack’s father, has grown into a flourishing underground and site-prep/improvement, winning small sub-division projects throughout the Bay Area simply by referrals. “We’ve got a great team at A-1. Joe does the estimating. I do the grade work, and we’ve got some of the best operators around,” says Bob Piddock, Managing Partner.

In addition to top-notch people, A-1 Construction recently strayed from their competitive loyalties and decided to give Peterson Tractor Co. and Caterpillar a test run, resulting in a new Cat 420E Backhoe Loader and 257B Multi-Terrain Loader. “It was just time to try something new. Our fleet of Case Backhoes and Bobcat machines were getting old,” says Bob. And there have been no disappointments with the new Cat machine purchases! “We recently had our Bobcat and Cat loaders on the same job. The guys liked the controls and stability of the Cat machine much better. Cat is just a smoother ride, and when you’re in a machine all day, that is very important,” Bob says. Plus, the anti-stall feature on the Cat loader puts the Bobcat out of contention.

"The Cat is a smoother ride, and that's

very important when you're in a machine

all day long."

- Bob Piddock, co-owner, A1 Construction

“The main difference between the Case and Caterpillar backhoes is the fuel consumption. I recently did a calculation of  hours per day versus fuel consumption and cost of diesel per gallon on the 420E and competitive machines. The results were astounding. It was literally double the amount of fuel per day to run the Case machines versus Cat. The money we save in fuel helps us offset our monthly payment,” Bob concludes.

A-1 Partners Bob and Joe work closely with their Peterson Tractor Sales Representative. “If we need anything, we call Ryan, and he handles it all. Dealer support is so important in our industry. We cannot afford downtime.” To keep A-1 Construction production at its peak, Peterson recently welded a set of forks to the 420E backhoe over a weekend. A grateful Bob explained, “It’s nice to know we have a dedicated partner in Peterson Tractor!”

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