Our History

Expanding Our Lineup

To help customers take on even more challenges, we engineered new products and capabilities to build out our lineup.
 
In the late 1990s, we launched our first compact excavator and Bobcat quickly became one of the industry’s leading compact excavator manufacturers. In 2002, we introduced utility vehicles. We went back to our roots on the farm with our reintroduction of compact tractors in 2019. Just a year later, we introduced a full lineup of zero turn mowers. In the same year, we also made our entrance into the large excavator market.

Building Industry Firsts

When the Toolcat™ utility work machine launched in 2002, it was the first of its kind in the industry. A cross between a utility vehicle, pickup truck and skid-steer loader, the Toolcat can lift impressive loads, handle more payload than a half-ton pickup truck and even use rear-mounted implements (5610). These machines empower customers to perform a range of chores and tasks that cannot be matched by any other compact equipment.

Improving & Innovating

In many ways, innovation and technology are at the core of everything we do at Bobcat. In 1970, when we saw a need for a system to allow customers to easily mount attachments to their machines, we created the Bob-Tach® attachment mounting system. It quickly became the global industry standard – and it’s still used today. We further improved on the original design in (1999) when we introduced Power Bob-Tach.

In the same year, we introduced the first use of a roll-over protective structure (ROPS) to keep operators safe inside the cab. It appeared in the M970 loader. By 1974 the entire compact equipment industry had adopted the ROPS as a standard operator safety feature.

Operator safety has been a high priority for decades. As safety features have evolved, Bobcat has continued to be at the forefront of the industry. In 1994, we developed the Bobcat Interlock Control System (BICS™), preventing the use of the lift, tilt and traction drive functions until the operator is safely in the seat with the seat bar lowered.

Endless Possibilities

Over time, we’ve revolutionized every aspect of our machines, including the technology. The rise of semi-autonomous equipment and electric-powered – vs. gas or diesel – machines has led to a surge in technological advancements and capabilities within Bobcat. In 2019, we brought remote operation to our machines with the introduction of the Bobcat MaxControl bundle, which allows equipment owners to operate their loaders right from their smartphone. And we aren’t stopping there. We’re just scratching the surface of the possibilities technology offers to enable customers to accomplish more.