New Bobcat Loader Developments: Auto Ride Control, Heated Cloth Air Ride Seats are just some of the new developments announced by Bobcat regarding the company’s compact loader range for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The new developments provide an increased choice of features for the Bobcat skid-steer, compact track and all-wheel steer loader ranges.

Complementing this, Bobcat has also launched the S100E model for EMEA, an updated version of the company’s popular S100 skid-steer loader that meets Stage V emissions regulations. Like the S100, the new S100E skid-steer loader meets customer requirements for manoeuvrability, size, weight, uptime protection, lift capacity and push force for this loader class. In addition, customers benefit from improvements Bobcat has made in operator comfort, ease of operation, noise levels, running costs and asset management.

These new advances come in the year that Bobcat celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the loader, forming part of a 60 year legacy in compact loaders that is second to none in the worldwide construction equipment market. Over the last 60 years, the same outstanding quality, workmanship and innovation have helped to maintain Bobcat’s market leadership, so that one in every two skid-steer loaders sold today is a Bobcat machine.

New Developments in Bobcat Loader Range 

The improvements in Bobcat compact loaders include:

• Auto Ride Control (Factory Option and Kit)
• Heated Cloth Air Ride Seat (Factory Option and Kit)
• Cloth Suspension Seat (Factory Option and Kit)
• Cushioned Cylinders (Standard)
• Auto Reversing Fan (Factory Option and Kit)
• LED Side Lights (Kit)
• Rear Camera (Kit)
• Deluxe interior foot-pad (Standard)

 Available as a Factory Option or as an Aftermarket Kit, the new Auto Ride Control system improves operator comfort when driving with a load in the bucket especially on rough terrain. This feature lets the operator lock in travel at a speed of their choice, so that they only have to think about where they are going without feeling the need to avoid bumps or any other surface level obstacles.

Benefits include reduced spillage caused by vibrations due to an uneven operating speed and/or irregular surfaces; more stability when moving up and down with a load/weight and the ability to drive faster on rough terrain. It is also an intelligent system, providing increased efficiency, performance gains and a more comfortable ride with fewer bumps, simply through the flick of a switch.

The new Heated Cloth Air Ride Seat is available on the Bobcat 600, 700 and 800 Series compact loader models. This is an alternative to the previous Air Ride Seat with a vinyl surface and further enhances operator comfort with the move to the cloth surface. It is designed to enhance comfort and productivity, particularly for customers operating loaders in cold weather.

On the 400 and 500 Series models, Bobcat has also introduced the Cloth Suspension Seat, again replacing the Air Ride Seat with a vinyl surface. The cloth surface improves the operator’s comfort all year round − in both cold and hot weather − and provides more comfortable seating on slopes and inclines.

The Air Ride Seat with vinyl surface remains available for Bobcat loader customers through the company’s Aftermarket service.

Cushioned Cylinders as Standard

 The incorporation of Cushioned Lift and Tilt Cylinders as standard offers advantages when the loader’s lift arms are lowered and/or the Bob-Tach system tilted, and the cylinders move towards the end of a stroke, by restricting the hydraulic fluid from flowing out so that the cylinder is slowed down before it fully retracts.

This slowing − or cushioning − effect increases overall performance and improves comfort, because the operator does not need to slow down the motion themselves when approaching the end of the stroke. In addition, cushioned cylinders soften the impact when the lift arms contact the mainframe − reducing noise in the workplace.

As well as being a standard, free of charge feature for the customer, this system allows the operator to work faster, with softer impacts, reducing spillage while tilting and ensures that the machine feels more stable when in use.

 The Auto Reversing Fan helps to keep the grill clean and to clear out dust that can clog the cooler. This helps improve machine uptime, reducing the need to clean so frequently and it is an automatic feature, ensuring the operator does not have to leave the cab as often.

Available in Kit form, the LED Side Lights improve the operator’s all-round visibility from inside the cab. The lights − solidly incorporated in the cab structure to ensure high reliability − help the operator work more safely and efficiently, in all environments, in minimal visibility conditions. In extremely dark conditions, and especially in tight spaces, the LED Side Lights enable the operator to see how close they are to an obstacle.

To further enhance visibility to the rear, Bobcat has introduced the new Rear Camera Kit, with the basic system combining a 4.3 inch display and a 118° tail-gate mounted camera.

The Deluxe Interior Foot-pad provides an improved foot area in deluxe interior versions of Bobcat loaders. This offers a fit and finish improvement, enhances cleaning ability and offers increased operator sound insulation.

New S100E Skid-Steer Loader

Compact dimensions – a height of 1878 mm, length without attachment of 2262 mm and width over the tyres of 1182 mm – allow the S100E to manoeuvre efficiently in confined spaces even in bad weather. Despite its smaller dimensions, state-of-the-art engineering has ensured that the S100E loader offers the power and performance expected of a bigger machine.

This is combined with the durability of a strong frame design, increased operator comfort and easy serviceability thanks to a transverse-mounted Stage V compliant Kubota V1505-T4FST5 diesel engine providing 18.2 kW of power at 2300 RPM. The S100E offers a rated operating capacity of 457 kg and a tipping load of 915 kg.

The low operating weight with bucket of just 1860 kg allows for easy transportation of the S100E on a trailer.  The engine power and hydraulic flow on the S100E are suitable for operating over 30 different Bobcat attachments.

As well as the full-comfort cab, designed to enable operators to work all day long for optimal productivity, the S100E has the most advanced electronic controls and instrumentation for this size of machine on the market, providing a new level of diagnostic capability and control.  The instrument panels and gauges are placed in convenient locations in the top left hand and top right hand corners at the front of the cab.