Early years of the skidsteer.

[risingsun]

I came across this and thought it was interesting. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m...S&cvid=3a3725bd3f254bbeb38ca1bd6cb5411f&ei=16

 

[lunkerslayer]

I to have watched that YouTube video on bobcat and the Keller brothers, very good article

 

[Davey Crockett]

I have a 444 that was built in 63 , I half ways restored it in the mid 90s and re-painted it but like a dumb ass I used yellow paint. I have a snow bucket and still use it for moving snow in the winter. They are almost bulletproof if you take care of them

 

[LBrandt]

My uncle was one of the first guys to build the Bobcat. LB

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Darn good machines.
Have owned quite a few back in the day and operated many more in construction.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Darn good machines.
Have owned quite a few back in the day and operated many more in construction.

No wonder you have a broken back . I can't run them like I used to, I have to go slow and steady or the bouncing around turns my back into a hurting unit for a couple of days. I use it sparingly and pile the snow close to the house . when I start getting a mess I have a 510 JD loader backhoe that is an animal for moving snow, I can run it hard all day and be ready to do it again the next day. The heated cab actually makes moving snow a fun job .

 

[lunkerslayer]

The crazy thing is and this is just my own personal opinion that bobcat of old are the worse to work on I'm not sure if that has to with deterring owners or a designer issue. Kind of like the 3/4 ton ford's needing to take of the cab to work on the motor
For example the Case 1845 by comparison is simpe to work on compared let say the 763 bobcat which I admit the old school bc had the tuff as nails deutz perkins motor which has been around longer then just about every other motor maker in the world,compared to the bobcats now that have Kubota which in itself is a great motor that I'm not familiar with.
All i know is that case designed their skid steer to be easy to maintain, with the Cummins tried and true to the access covers that are made so that you don't have to pull the cab to adjust linkage for the drive system.
And the price even for the older bc is crazy expensive compared to the case where both machines for the avg joe would be more then capital to do snow or dirt work for years.
Just saying bobcat is the innovator when it comes to the skid steer design and they produce some nice machines but can they justify the prices they want especially when things need to be maintained you need to bring it is because they design them that way. JMTC

 

[1lessdog]

I have a 1989 642 Bobcat. I had Swansons in Detroit lakes work on it this summer. They fixed the exhaust manifold gasket and replace the distributor and points and it runs great now. I have bucket and snow pusher and grapple fork that I use a lot. I also built a 10 foot boom with a 55 gallon drum for someone to stand in a cut down big branches. I don't know how I got along with out a skidsteer. They are so handy with pallet Forks.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Once you have one, you always wonder, how you got along without one.

 

[Auggie]

I toured the factory in Gwinner a few years ago. Wow was that cool. I thought it would mostly be an assembly line, whereas they haul in by train, rolls of bulk steel and make most of the parts right there. Things like a bobcat arm are cut out by a super heavy duty cookie cutter that shakes the floor.

 

[johnr]

Cant beat a CAT.

that is all

 

[1lessdog]

Cant beat a CAT.

that is all

What kind of Cat? Bobcat or Caterpillar?

 

[Zogman]

Caterpillar

 

[johnr]

What kind of Cat? Bobcat or Caterpillar?

There is only one CAT, and it cant be beat...haha

 

[risingsun]

There is only one CAT, and it cant be beat...haha

Oh yes it can. If you pet it nice, then stroke it for starters, it gets worked up and then you can beat it up.

 

[NDbowman]

 

[eyexer]

Cant beat a CAT.

that is all

100% agree. I own a bobcat and we use one daily at work. They’re decent machines for sure. Just don’t make the mistake of running a Cat and you’ll continue to think fairly highly of your bobcat.