The Bobcat 863 is an 800-series skid-steer loader built by Bobcat Company, an American manufacturer of farm and construction equipment based in West Fargo, North Dakota. The 800 series is the heavier family of loaders in the Bobcat range.
Bobcat 863 at a glance
| Maker | Bobcat Company |
|---|---|
| Type | skid-steer loader |
| Series | 800 |
| Headquarters | West Fargo, North Dakota |
| Original works | Melroe Manufacturing, Gwinner, North Dakota |
| First four-wheel skid-steer | Melroe M400, 1960 |
| Bobcat name | since 1962 |
| 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 863
The idea of a small loader
In 1956 Eddie Velo, a turkey farmer near Rothsay, Minnesota, asked Louis and Cyril Keller for 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 machine and delivered it on 4 February 1957; a patented clutch-based transmission followed in 1958 and became the basis of the Melroe M60 loader.
Melroe and the Bobcat trade name
Melroe Manufacturing of Gwinner, North Dakota, showed the loader at the 1958 Minnesota State Fair and launched the four-wheeled M400 Skid-Steer Loader in 1960. In 1962 the Bobcat name was applied to the 440 loader; Les Melroe and the advertising agent Lynn Bickett chose it, and the slogan was “tough, quick, and agile”. Later 800-series machines such as the 863 carried the design into heavier work.
Changes of owner
Clark Equipment Company bought Melroe in 1969, Ingersoll Rand bought Clark in 1995, and in July 2007 Ingersoll Rand sold the construction equipment group to the Doosan Group of South Korea for US$4.9 billion. Bobcat’s European headquarters moved from Waterloo, Belgium, to the Czech Republic in 2017.
Design and features
- Heavier family: the 800 series sits above the 700 series in size.
- Skid-steer drive: the machine steers by running its left and right wheels at different speeds.
- Built to load: the name Bobcat is attached to loaders used for lifting, carrying and cleaning on farms and building sites.
- A registered trademark: Bobcat Company owns the name in markets worldwide.
Bobcat 863 versions
- Bobcat 843: the earlier 800-series machine.
- Bobcat 873: the next number up.
- Bobcat 773: the largest 700-series loader listed here.
See the Bobcat 843 and the Bobcat 873, or every machine in the Bobcat collection.
Video: Bobcat 863 loading
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Bobcat Company, English Wikipedia: company history, product range, ownership
