History Of The Skid Steer Loader

The very first three-wheeled, front-end loader was invented in 1957 by brothers Cyril and Louis Keller in their machine blacksmith shop in Rothsay, Minnesota. The Kellers built the loader to help a nearby farmer, Eddie Velo, mechanize the process of cleaning turkey manure from his two-story pole barn. The light and compact machine, with its rear caster wheel, was able to turn around within its own length, while performing the same tasks as a conventional front-end loader.

The Melroe brothers, whose Melroe Manufacturing Company was accross the boarder in Gwinner, N.D., purchased the rights to the Keller loader in 1958 and hired the Kellers to continue refining their invention. As a result of this partnership, the M-200 Melroe self-propelled loader was introduced at the end of that year. It featured two independent front-drive wheels and a rear caster wheel, a 12.9-hp engine and a 750-lb. lift capacity.

Just two years later, they replaced the caster wheel with a rear axle and introduced the M-400, the first four-wheel, skid-steer loader. The M-440 was powered by a 15.5-hp engine and had an 1100-lb. rated operating capacity. Skid-steer loader development continued into the mid-1960s with the introduction of the M600 loader.

The "Bobcat" name was added in 1962 to describe the key attributes of the machine: tough, agile, and quick. The term "Bobcat" is sometimes used as a generic term for skid-steer loaders. Today there are several Companies that produce Skid Steer and Multi Terraine loaders using a similar design as the Bobcat Skid Steer Loader.

The Bobcat skid-steer loader has experienced quite a few changes since it's inception, including the development of a hydrostatic drive system, rollover protective cab structures, radius and vertical path lift-arm configurations, deluxe instrumentation and heating and air conditioning.