The Bobcat 763 is a skid-steer loader of the 700 series built by Bobcat Company, an American manufacturer of farm and construction equipment based in West Fargo, North Dakota. Bobcat sells skid-steer loaders, compact excavators, side-by-sides, compact tractors and mowers.
Bobcat 763 at a glance
| Maker | Bobcat Company |
|---|---|
| Type | skid-steer loader |
| Series | 700 |
| Company base | West Fargo, North Dakota |
| Skid-steer ancestor | Melroe M400, 1960 |
| Name introduced | 1962, on the 440 loader |
| Former parent | Ingersoll Rand, 1995-2007 |
| Present owner | Doosan Group |
| Source | English Wikipedia, Bobcat Company |
Model-specific specifications are not covered by the available source, the English Wikipedia article on Bobcat Company; the page is based on that single source.
History of the Bobcat 763
A machine born of a barn
In 1956 a turkey farmer, Eddie Velo, told Louis and Cyril Keller of Keller Welding and Repair near Rothsay, Minnesota, that he needed a machine small enough to manoeuvre inside a pole barn and light enough to operate on its upper level. The Kellers built a three-wheeled, belt-driven machine and delivered it on 4 February 1957, then patented a clutch-based transmission in 1958.
Melroe and the four-wheel loader
Melroe Manufacturing of Gwinner, North Dakota, took the machine to market after the Kellers’ uncle, an equipment dealer, suggested it, and exhibited at the 1958 Minnesota State Fair. The four-wheeled M400 Skid-Steer Loader arrived in 1960, and in 1962 the company began using the Bobcat trade name on the 440 loader. The early slogan was “tough, quick, and agile”. The 700 series, with the 763 in it, is the later expression of the same formula.
Ownership and factories
Clark Equipment Company bought Melroe in 1969; Ingersoll Rand bought Clark in 1995 and sold the construction equipment group to the Doosan Group of South Korea in July 2007 for US$4.9 billion. Bobcat’s European headquarters moved in 2017 from Waterloo, Belgium, to the Czech Republic, where the company runs one of its European plants.
Design and features
- Skid-steer traction: the 763 turns by driving its two sides at different speeds and needs no steering axle.
- Compact size: the whole point of the original design was to work where larger loaders cannot fit.
- Attachment carrier: Bobcat loaders are sold to carry buckets and other working equipment.
- A long family line: the 700 series follows the M400 and the 440 that established the brand.
Bobcat 763 versions
- Bobcat 743 and 751: earlier 700-series machines.
- Bobcat 773: the next number in the series.
- Bobcat 863: a larger loader of the 800 series.
Neighbouring models are the Bobcat 753 and the Bobcat 843; the full line is in the Bobcat collection.
Video: Bobcat 763 with a backhoe attachment
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Bobcat Company, English Wikipedia: company history, product range, ownership
