When the crews at Affordable Septic Service in Statham, Georgia, face an earth-moving challenge, there’s one piece of equipment they want on the flatbed trailer: a Takeuchi excavator. They are loyal to the brand and own three Takeuchi excavators.

For small jobs in restricted spaces, there’s the TB016 that can reach almost 8 feet and weighs a scant 3,500 pounds. For jobs with a little more space there’s the TB135, which can reach past 11 feet. For the biggest jobs, Affordable Septic has a TB250. It weighs in at about 12,000 pounds but can dig more than 12 feet.

The reason for this devotion to Takeuchi is clear: they keep running.

“We’ve tried other machines. I’ve had my 135 since 2004, and I haven’t had to replace anything but one track and a couple of hoses,” says Allan Leist, who co-owns the company with his stepson James Brooks.

Backhoes are too large for much of the company’s specialized site work, Leist says. Residential lots in the Atlanta area are tight, leaving little room to work a tractor. But with the Takeuchi excavators, an operator can take a bite of earth and spin the machine around without moving it at all. The tracks on the excavators provide two advantages over the tires on a backhoe, he says. They provide more traction than tires, but more important, they do less damage to a customer’s property.

Along with the standard bucket, Affordable Septic bought detachable boring equipment from Takeuchi that allows technicians to dig beneath driveways and sidewalks without disturbing pavement. Other manufacturers offer similar equipment, but Leist says, “I have never found other boring equipment to be as strong, or as versatile in its ability to move forward and backward, left and right.”

In Georgia, the construction season is long, and Affordable Septic is constantly on the go. Its equipment must be ready, too. “We’ve found the Takeuchi to be a machine that you just can’t tear up,” Leist says. 

Check out a full profile about Affordable Septic Service.