The Bobcat 873 is a skid-steer loader of the 800 series built by Bobcat Company, an American manufacturer of farm and construction equipment based in West Fargo, North Dakota. It is the largest of the 800-series models covered here.
Bobcat 873 at a glance
| Maker | Bobcat Company |
|---|---|
| Type | skid-steer loader |
| Series | 800 |
| Headquarters | West Fargo, North Dakota |
| Brand origin | Melroe Manufacturing, Gwinner, North Dakota |
| Skid-steer landmark | Melroe M400, 1960 |
| Bobcat name | since the 440 loader of 1962 |
| Owner | Doosan Group since 2007 |
| 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 873
A loader for a barn
Louis and Cyril Keller of Keller Welding and Repair near Rothsay, Minnesota, built their first compact loader for the turkey farmer Eddie Velo, who in 1956 described the need for a machine small enough to work inside a pole barn and light enough to use on its upper level. It was delivered on 4 February 1957; the clutch-based transmission patented in 1958 became the basis of the Melroe M60 loader.
Melroe makes it a product
Melroe Manufacturing of Gwinner, North Dakota, took the machine to the 1958 Minnesota State Fair and in 1960 introduced the four-wheeled M400 Skid-Steer Loader. The Bobcat trade name came in 1962 with the 440 loader, and the first advertising slogan was “tough, quick, and agile”. The 800 series, of which the 873 is the largest model in this listing, is its heavier descendant.
Ingersoll Rand and Doosan
Clark Equipment Company bought Melroe in 1969 and Ingersoll Rand bought Clark in 1995. In July 2007 Ingersoll Rand sold the construction equipment group to the Doosan Group of South Korea for US$4.9 billion. The company trades as Bobcat Company; its European headquarters moved from Waterloo, Belgium, to the Czech Republic in 2017.
Design and features
- Largest of the 800 series here: the 873 tops the 843 and 863 in size.
- Skid steering: no steering axle; the machine turns by varying the speed of its two sides.
- Compact footprint: still small enough for yards and narrow sites, which is the point of the Bobcat range.
- American engineering: designed and sold by a company headquartered in West Fargo, North Dakota.
Bobcat 873 versions
- Bobcat 863: the model below it in the 800 series.
- Bobcat 843: the first 800-series machine in this collection.
- Bobcat 773: the largest of the 700-series loaders listed.
The Bobcat 863 and the Bobcat 773 are the closest models; see the Bobcat collection for all of them.
Video: Bobcat 873
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Bobcat Company, English Wikipedia: company history, product range, ownership
