Documenting the History of the Bobcat and Its Impact
Since 1997, Joe Keller and his sister, Marilyn Loegering, have worked to preserve their father and uncle’s role in the Bobcat’s history. They partnered with Prairie Public Broadcasting in Fargo, N.D., to produce a short (19 minute) video on the history of the Bobcat that can be found on YouTube here.
What may be as interesting as the video itself are the more that 1,500 comments from others who watched it. Following is a sampling of comments from viewers on how the Bobcat impacted them personally, their work as well as industry and mankind overall.
“It's my personal belief that these two brothers should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for this machine. If they gave that award to the man who invented dynamite that blew things up, they should very well award it to these two. The unfathomable amount of man hours and backbreaking labor this machine has saved mankind from doing is a true blessing to the human race the world over. It's an extraordinary, remarkable machine.”
“Nowadays it's hard to imagine a construction site without a skid steer, these guys truly changed the equipment industry.”
“Astounding to think of the millions of people whose backs aren't killing them due to the ingenuity and perseverance of these two Minnesotan brothers.”
“Every single skid steer manufacturer in the world owes you men a debt of gratitude.”
“I bought my first Bobcat model 743 in 1984 and owned many different Bobcats over the last 39 years. The first Bobcats were amazing machines that just got better and better each year. Making money with Bobcat allowed me to retire early and today I still have one of the best Bobcats ever made for personal use on my hobby farm. A great machine made by great men who worked hard to make things easier for all.”
“A rare breed these days. Humble. Service-oriented. Smart. And always trying to improve things. Hats off to them!”
“Boy, that was ingenuity in action. We owe a LOT to those two gentlemen.”
“What a lovely story. It is The American Dream: hard working people with the vision see the solution to an unfilled need.”
“This is amazing. These guys changed every farm, ranch, construction site since!”
“Well done boys, your engineering and ingenuity will live on forever.”
“The simplicity of the first steering/clutch system is a thing of beauty.”
“I bought my first Bobcat in 1989. It’s a used 743, that I still own today. When I bought it, it had just under 800 hours and cost me $10,000. That machine worked 3-5 days a week for about 15 years, helping produce millions of dollars. It turned into a yard machine. I keep her in great shape and will never let it go regardless.”
