Bobcat Advantage - Bobcat Company

Posted: 01/01/2016

Stronger Slewing

When you’re digging on a slope, slew force is the power you need to swing your excavator. It also determines how quickly you can move material back into your trench. Bobcat® compact (mini) excavators are designed to deliver the most slewing force. Caterpillar®, John Deere®, and Kubota® try to match it, but they fall short. Only Bobcat delivers the industry’s best slewing force. Watch the test to see for yourself.

Stronger Slewing Overview

Slew force is the power you need to swing your excavator. If your excavator can’t produce enough of it, you’ll find yourself working more slowly and completing fewer cycles. For you, that could mean the difference between making or missing an important deadline.

Watch the Full Test

Which brand of compact (mini) excavator delivers the industry’s best slewing force? We put each machine under a load cell test to find out. If you think most brands deliver similar amounts of slew force, you might be surprised with the results. Watch the test to find out.

Bobcat vs. Other Brands

Test Results

By securing a load cell between a floor anchor and each excavator’s bucket, slewing force could be accurately measured. The Bobcat E35 compact (mini) excavator delivered the most slewing force at 735 lb., followed by the Bobcat E35i with 695 lb. Kubota delivered 561 lb. of force, while Caterpiller measured at 541 lb. John Deere disappointed with just 504 lb. of slewing force. Overall, Bobcat excavators measured 24-46 percent more slewing power than other brands.

Powerful Hydraulics

Bobcat compact excavators have more engine horsepower than other brands of the same size. More power means more performance under load. This performance advantage is easily measured in increased slew torque, faster cycle times and maximum auxiliary hydraulic performance. The end result is more work per hour in the toughest conditions and increased attachment performance.

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Predictable Controls

Bobcat compact excavators deliver the house, boom, arm and bucket control you expect in the most challenging work environments. It’s the confidence in these precise movements that determines whether you complete the job using your machine, or with two workers and a pair of shovels. This predictable control is delivered through exclusive control valve systems and torque-limiting piston pumps that match force with demand.

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How We Test Equipment

When you’re shopping for a new machine, it’s easy to compare specs. After all, that’s the best way to compare machines, right? Not quite. With specs, you’re only getting part of the story. They don’t measure real performance on your jobsite and that’s what matters most. It’s the reason we put top brands through the paces with fair, accurate, and repeatable tests. Watch to see how we developed the tests.