Tips on How to Drive a Bobcat

Learn to drive a Bobcat properly for safety and production.

Learn how to maneuver properly in a Bobcat, better known as a skid-steer, an inexpensive, small and light loading machine used for farm work, building and landscaping. The Bobcat name and slogan is taken from the North American mammal that is "tough, quick, and agile". Stay safe and save time on manual labor with tips on how to drive a Bobcat.

Bobcat Driving Tips

The quickest route between two points while driving a Bobcat is not always a straight line. Read your terrain to avoid driving over excessively rough ground and into soft, boggy areas. Going around obstacles like creeks, ravines and steep banks reduces the chance you will get stuck, mired or roll over. Speed must be adjusted to suit existing conditions and visibility. Do not stop, start or turn suddenly and always check your work area for overhead hazards, such as power lines. When dumping rubble or earth into a truck, go around rather than dump over a fence; a sudden over-balance could cause these items to push into the cab, injuring the driver. Drive up and down slopes with the bucket lowered, but never across them to avoid tipping.

Bobcat Loading Tips

To load a Bobcat, drive into the pile slowly, raising the bucket after you are in position. Tilt the loaded bucket upwards and back slowly out again. Lower the bucket for the drive to the load's final destination and only raise the bucket just before taking your position over the truck or new pile. Always be ready to lower the bucket quickly in case of any instability in the machine. Exercise great care backfilling trenches, as the machine's weight can cause trenches to collapse. Ensure you know and abide by the manufacturer's recommended maximum loads; overloading makes the Bobcat steering front-heavy, erratic and reduces stability.

Bobcat Safety Tips

Any worker standing in front of the bucket as it is raised risks injury, especially when times for raising the bucket at maximum throttle are less than two seconds. Always clear your work area, warning other workers before commencing to move or raise your bucket. Keep all safety structures, cages and screens in place; rollover is one of the most common causes of injuries and although this machine is comparatively light, an "unscreened" machine can easily crush the operator. In case of an emergency, beginner drivers should remove hands and feet from the controls until the machine stops moving.

Bobcat Balance Tips

Raising a Bobcat's arms reduces steering stability; always move with the arms lowered. A Bobcat carries two-thirds of its weight on the rear axles when empty. A full load transfers that weight and the machines balance to the front wheels. Keeping the heaviest end of the Bobcat pointing uphill while negotiating slopes reduces the risk it will turn over.

References

• Travelaus: Bobcat Backhoe And Excavator Driving Day - NSW
• Bobcat: Skid-Steer, Compact Track, All-Wheel Steer and Mini Track Loader Models
• Skid Steer History: How The Bobcatt Skid-Steer Loader Came To Be
• NASD: Skid Steer Loader Safety
• OSHA: OSHA Safety Hazard Information Bulletin on Employees' Exposure to Possible Pinch Point Hazard on Certain Models of Bobcat Skid-Steer Loaders Equipped with Either Loader or Backhoe Attachments Manufactured by the Melroe Company
• Bonneville Power Administration: Fatal Bobcat/Backhoe Accident At the White Bluffs Substation