West Fargo, N.D.-based Bobcat Co. last week announced it has manufactured its 750,000th skid-steer loader, reaching the milestone 50 years after the Melroe and Keller brothers partnered to introduce the Melroe self-propelled loader, later known as the Bobcat skid-steer loader. The 750,000th skid-steer loader was manufactured at the Bobcat facility in Gwinner, N.D.
Bobcat employees in Gwinner celebrated this milestone on Friday, Aug. 15, with a special assembly line ceremony. The milestone was also marked during a public celebration of the Bobcat 50th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 16, in Gwinner. That celebration included a program featuring Yongmaan Park, chairman of Doosan Infracore, the parent company of Bobcat, and other Bobcat executives, as well as North Dakota Governor John Hoeven and members of the Melroe and Keller families. The celebration also showcased the Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour, the 24th stop of a 25-city traveling exhibit of Bobcat history criss-crossing the United States and Canada this summer.
Bobcat produced its 500,000th skid-steer loader in February 2001. “It took Bobcat 43 years to produce 500,000 skid-steer loaders,” said Rich Goldsbury, president of Bobcat Americas. “It took just seven years for Bobcat to produce another 250,000 skid-steer loaders. This is a testament to the popularity and demand for our product by our customers and to the commitment of our employees to deliver this product to the marketplace.”
The commemorative 750,000th skid-steer loader was a model S205, with a rated operating capacity of 2,050 pounds. Bobcat offers 12 models of skid-steer loaders. The smallest is the S70, with a 700-pound ROC and the largest is the S330, with a 3,300-pound ROC.
Bobcat Co., headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment.
