Bobcat 610 Specifications

The Bobcat 610 Skid Steer Loader was a popular model of its class from 1972, when it was introduced, to 1982, when its manufacture was discontinued. Collectors and those interested in the history of the construction industry are often interested in the Bobcat 610 model and its specifications.

The Bobcat 610 was one of many models in the 600 series released by the manufacturer, which in turn had already established itself as a force in the industry well before the soon-to-be-venerated Bobcat 610 came along,

If you've ever seen these sleek and efficient machines in action in the hands of a skilled operator, you may have wondered: Just how wide is a Bobcat machine? How much horsepower do they generate? How much do they weigh? If so, you're in the right place to start digging.

What Is a Skid Steer?

A skid steer can do almost anything if you have the right add-ons and the ability to handle it properly. Renowned for its maneuverability, the skid steer (properly termed a skid steer loader) can be thought of as a more surgical version of larger earth-moving and grading equipment, as it can reach relatively small areas its more sizable counterparts cannot.

The smallest types of skid steer loaders are often used for underground construction, landscaping, and construction within existing buildings and other compact places where tight turns may be required. Medium-sized skid steer loaders trade a little maneuverability and access for the capacity to handle more attachments, while the largest skid steer loaders are used for road-building and excavating.

History of the Bobcat

Keller Manufacturing, which incorporated in Minnesota in the United States in the 1947, started to make the machines that would become known as skid steers as a result of a request for a piece of custom equipment. In 1957, the company began rolling out a few machines and sold them to poultry farms, but they could not successfully market the machines and did not wish to part with the patent.

Soon, a company in nearby North Dakota called Melroe persuaded the Kellers to allow them to mass-produce the machines and share in the profits. A mutual need was met, and by 1962, the company had introduced the name Bobcat to describe some of the machines in its M400 series.

Bobcat 610 Specs

The Bobcat 610 was made over a period spanning eleven years, 1992 to 1982. It had an engine rated at 30 horsepower, or hp. Given that 1 hp = 746 watts (W), this equivalent to 22,380 W or 22.4 kW.

• In physics, the watt is the standard unit of ‌power‌, or work done per unit time. In general, more powerful machines require more fuel to operate.

The Bobcat 610 boasted a bucket width of 54 inches (in), or 137 centimeters (cm). This is 4 1/2 feet. Its reach was rated at 18 inches; its tipping load was 2,100 pounds (lb), slightly in excess of 1 ton. The breakout force of its bucket was rated at 1,000 pounds.

At its pin, the Bobcat 610 stood exactly 9 feet (108 in) tall. It had a wheelbase of 35 in (just under 3 feet) and a weight of just over 3,800 lb, just under 2 tons. It used regular gasoline in a four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 108 in³ (1.8 liters).

Other Bobcat M600 Specs

While the specs of the Bobcat 610 are interesting in isolation, you can see how they compare to other Bobcat machines in the M600 class, or to machines in different classes as well. A link to this information from the corporate site is in the Resources.