"We looked at many different ideas, including articulated loaders and various other concepts. What we ended up with was really two machines in one. If you have situations where you''re in very tight quarters and need that skid-steer function, they have that option. When you want to be out on grass or some other surface that you don''t want disturbed, you can switch into all-wheel steer mode. There is so much versatility, it''s like having two machines in one.And Bobcat managed to develop two machines in one while not reinventing the wheel, according to Chuck Krause, senior development engineer, new products group. "The basic drivetrain is the same as on our 363 loader," he said. "It has the same chain case, the same drive motors, same drive sprocket, same driven sprocket. The changes all take place on getting the power from the driven sprocket out to the axle."

Low-hydrogen types. These basic-coated electrodes, EXX15, EXX16, EXX18, EXX28, and EXX48, are formulated with low moisture-retaining coatings and manufactured to contain low levels of hydrogen. Hydrogen-controlled electrodes minimize risk of hydrogen-induced cold cracking when welding high-tensile steels on restrained structures. Fabricators use these electrodes to reduce or avoid the need for pre- or postweld heat treatment to drive hydrogen from weld metal. Weldmetal diffusible hydrogen content varies from 1 to 16 ml/100 g. Optional designators H16, H8, and H4 set decreasing limits on hydrogen content in deposited weld metal. An optional electrode designator, ''R'', indicates an electrode that is moisture resistant; it will not absorb water in excess of a specified limit after exposure to humidity. Low-hydrogen electrodes should be used in dry condition and may require baking after exposure to the atmosphere.

For Lucia Colombaro, customer care manager for Tonutti, "we love American subsidies." She explained that European farmers are subsidized "not to produce crops", and that is not good for European farm equipment manufacturers. In the U.S., she said farmers are subsidized to aid them in marketing crops and that affords a better market for Tonutti equipment.Italian farm equipment is marketed in the U.S. through distributors, but many of the Italian manufacturers also have U.S. or Canadian warehouses and offices to provide quicker service and technical support.One of those is Maschio/Gaspardo, which recently opened a warehouse/technical center in Rock Island, Ill., according to Vincenzo Abate, corporate export area manager. From there, the company services seven distributors throughout the U.S., and it is looking for more distributors.

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