The Bobcat VersaHandler is a line of telescopic handlers from Bobcat Company, an American manufacturer of farm and construction equipment based in West Fargo, North Dakota. The video on this page shows a VersaHandler V417 in a demonstration.
Bobcat VersaHandler at a glance
| Maker | Bobcat Company |
|---|---|
| Line | VersaHandler |
| Model in the video | V417 |
| Machine type | telescopic handler |
| Headquarters | West Fargo, North Dakota |
| Brand origin | Melroe Manufacturing, Gwinner, North Dakota |
| First skid-steer | Melroe M400, 1960 |
| Owner | Doosan Group since 2007 |
| Source | English Wikipedia, Bobcat Company |
The VersaHandler line and the V417 model are known from the accompanying video; the rest of the page is based on the single Wikipedia source on Bobcat Company.
History of the Bobcat VersaHandler
Bobcat before the VersaHandler
The company began with Louis and Cyril Keller of Keller Welding and Repair near Rothsay, Minnesota. In 1956 the turkey farmer Eddie Velo asked for a machine small enough to work inside a pole barn and light enough for its upper level; the brothers delivered a three-wheeled, belt-driven machine on 4 February 1957 and patented a clutch-based transmission in 1958, which became the basis of the Melroe M60 loader.
Melroe and the M400
Melroe Manufacturing of Gwinner, North Dakota, marketed the machine and exhibited it at the 1958 Minnesota State Fair. Its four-wheeled M400 Skid-Steer Loader of 1960 fixed the layout of the modern skid-steer, and in 1962 the Bobcat trade name was applied to the 440 loader, with the slogan “tough, quick, and agile”. The VersaHandler line belongs to the much broader range Bobcat sells today.
Ownership today
Clark Equipment Company bought Melroe in 1969 and Ingersoll Rand bought Clark in 1995. In July 2007 the construction equipment group was sold to the Doosan Group of South Korea for US$4.9 billion, and the business trades as Bobcat Company. Its European headquarters moved from Waterloo, Belgium, to the Czech Republic in 2017.
Design and features
- Telescopic handler line: VersaHandler is Bobcat’s name for its telescopic handlers, machines built around a telescopic boom.
- V417: the model shown in the demonstration video on this page.
- One company, many machines: Bobcat also sells skid-steer loaders, compact excavators, side-by-sides, compact tractors and mowers.
- Compact-equipment roots: the company’s first product was a loader small enough to work inside a barn.
Bobcat VersaHandler versions
- Bobcat S300: the largest skid-steer loader in this collection.
- Bobcat 873: the biggest 800-series loader listed.
- Bobcat 322 and 325: the compact machines of the range.
The Bobcat S300 and the Bobcat 873 are the largest loaders here; the rest are in the Bobcat collection.
Video: Bobcat V417 VersaHandler demonstration
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Bobcat Company, English Wikipedia: company history, product range, ownership
