New 100 HP Bobcat track loader widens scope

Lee Innes Limited, a building company based in Banff in Aberdeenshire, Scotland has purchased a new Bobcat T870H compact tracked loader from Inverurie-based Balgownie Ltd, the Authorised Bobcat and Doosan dealer for Aberdeenshire, Morayshire, Angus and for much of the Highlands and parts of Perthshire and Kinross-shire.

The Bobcat T870H loader represents a major diversification for the company to provide complementary services such as forestry mulching and snow-ploughing alongside the company’s skills in building work.

Company owner, Lee Innes, said: “Two years ago, I attended a mulching demonstration on a local estate and it struck me that this would provide an excellent sideline for our business, especially when bad weather prevents us from doing building work.

“For this purpose, I’ve had the new Bobcat loader fully road homologated for the snow ploughing and road clearance work. We’re also being asked to do site and scrub clearance work with the new Bobcat loader to pave the way for new roads. For this purpose, the loader has also been supplied with a forestry applications kit to protect it when working in undergrowth and in forests.”

The forestry applications kit on the new Bobcat T870H loader protects both the machine and the operator from flying objects and debris and includes a bullet-proof laminated polycarbonate door, which must be installed in order for attachments such as mulchers to work. A safety feature stops the attachment from working if the loader door is opened.

The innovative Bobcat Roller Suspension system is a standard feature of the T870H model and, in combination with the excellent traction and low ground pressure provided by the rubber tracks, provides improved ride quality for the operator, improved performance and productivity and better durability for a longer service life and ease of maintenance.

Lee Innes added: “Especially on very wet and muddy days, the T870H loader comes into its own, with its dedicated tracks and comfortable, warm cab allowing us to work on in conditions that would stop wheeled machines such as tractors and loaders. There is ample adjustment in the seat and suspension and the adjustable electric over hydraulic SJC joysticks are conveniently integrated on the seat arms for precise control and speed management.”

Powered by a 74 kW (100 HP) Kubota diesel engine, the Bobcat T870H compact tracked loader is the most powerful loader offering the highest lift height ever manufactured by the company. With a lift height of 3657 mm, the T870H loader is the highest lifting compact loader in the industry. The 5751 kg T870H compact tracked loader also has a rated operating capacity of 1508 kg, which is 7% more than that of the previous largest Bobcat tracked loader, the T320 model.