Bobcat Product Launch Day Four: Attack of the Attachments
Tool carrier applies to almost any machine that Bobcat makes — mini excavator, skid steer, track loader, telehandler and compact tool carrier — all wield multiple implements like breakers, brooms, buckets, backhoes and blades (and that’s just the Bs). Besides engineering and manufacturing machines that take attachments, Bobcat also has one of the biggest ranges of on/off machine tool offerings in the industry. Just check out its attachments page online, which carries almost any implement you need.
At its recent 2010 product press launch in Atlanta last week, Bobcat released two new attachments into its growing roster of tool carrier solutions — new planers and rock buckets. I’ll first detail the former: Two New Bobcat 18- and 24-in. wide planer attachments are offering increased torque and horsepower for improved performance compared with the models they replace.
The New Planer Range 
Planer attachment are ideal for milling potholes, alligator cracks and frost heaves, creating cuts for recessed lane markers, milling around manholes, matching uneven pavement surfaces, cutting drainage in parking lots and tapering the edges of roadways. They are also ideal for cleaning up around larger milling machines and working in places where size and weight do not allow dedicated planers to work, such as on bridges and walkways.
There are some cool technologies on these Bobcat planers; cutting drums can be unlocked to allow oscillation up to 15 degrees in either direction. As a result, surface tracking is optimized even when the loader is operating on a rutted or potholed surface. New on the 18- and 24-inch planers is increased down force to help keep the drum in the cut during operation. In addition, units have been redesigned so that the left ski is now visible to the operator. This allows the planer to be kept closer to the center of the carrier, which makes it easier to control the path of the machine.
Hydraulic side shift on both planer models has been increased from 26 to 29.8 in. Side shifting permits milling outside the width of the carrier so it is possible to work close to walls and curbs. Cab-controlled hydraulic cylinders raise and lower the independently adjustable skis, cutting depth can be adjusted from 0 to 6 in. and depth and oscillation gauges allow the operator to confirm the correct cutting depth and angle of the planer without having to move from the seat. For more information, surf over to Bobcat’s website.
Buckets Built for Tough Soils 
The new Bobcat rock buckets make quick and easy work of removing objects from the dirty and are ideal for contractors and landscapers preparing or clearing land or for farmers and homeowners working on their property. The Bobcat rock bucket is designed to last in tough working conditions. The tines are fully gusseted on each side and interconnected to one another to provide strength and durability. The skeletal design of the rock bucket means the cutting edge of the attachment is always visible to the operator.
The buckets are easy to use — operators simply submerge the tines below the grade and object. When the bucket is raised back up, the object stays in the bucket while the loose material falls through the tines, causing minimal disturbance to the ground. Bobcat rock buckets are available in four sizes: 62-, 68-, 74- and 82-in. widths. The rock buckets are approved for use on Bobcat skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, all-wheel steer loaders, Toolcat utility work machines and the V417 VersaHandler telescopic tool carrier.For more info on the rock bucekts, click over to Bobcat’s online portal.
