Why I’d Rather Buy a Bobcat Today Than a ‘Better’ Machine Next Month

I think the industry is wrong about what makes a good skid steer loader.

I've managed procurement for a mid-sized sitework contractor for over six years. Our fleet is mostly compact equipment—skid steers, mini excavators, we do a lot with attachments, you get the picture.

And I've made plenty of mistakes. The most expensive one was chasing specs and ignoring everything else. I'll explain why.

It took me 18 months and two near-shutdowns to understand that a machine is only as good as its parts network.

I assumed that if a skid steer loader was rated for similar performance, the operating cost would be comparable. That's a dangerous assumption. The first time we had a hydraulic line blow on a Friday afternoon, I learned the hard way.

We had a machine that was technically 'better' on paper—more breakout force, slightly higher flow rate. But the dealer couldn't get the replacement hose until Tuesday. That's a lost weekend. Couldn't run the compressor we needed for a demo, couldn't move material, had to rent a straight truck to stay on schedule. The rental cost more than the repair itself.

Now, with our Bobcat T770, the parts diagram is online, the dealer stocks most common wear items, and I can have a critical part in-hand within 24 hours. That's not a minor advantage—that's the difference between a 2-day delay and a 2-hour delay. And in construction, time is the only resource you can't buy back.

"It took me 18 months and two near-shutdowns to understand that a machine is only as good as its parts network."

The attachment system is where Bobcat wins. And most people overlook this until it bites them.

I was talking to a colleague the other day about what is a crane versus what is a skid steer attachment. His fleet has eight different coupler systems across six machines. That's a logistical nightmare. You're constantly swapping plates, ordering non-standard pins, and praying the hydraulic hookup matches.

Bobcat's attachment system isn't the most advanced on paper. But it's the most standardized. We run a variety of buckets, an auger, a grapple, a sweeper—and every single one fits every Bobcat we own. We don't need six different quick-attach plates. That's a small saving on the purchase order, but a huge saving on the jobsite. When the operator jumps out of a T770 and into a smaller model, the attachment just works. No fumbling, no 'is this the right pin size?'. That's a real productivity gain.

The dealer relationship is worth more than the purchase price.

I've negotiated with a lot of vendors over the years. I've learned that the cheapest quote on the day of purchase is almost never the cheapest over the ownership cycle. This is especially true for compact equipment.

When we were looking at a straight truck for material hauling, I got bids from three dealers. The lowest was 8% below the Bobcat dealer's quote. Almost went with it. But I took a step back and looked at TCO. The cheaper dealer had a 45-minute lead time on service calls—that's what they said. In practice, it was more like 'we'll get to you when we can.' That's a hidden cost. We went with the higher initial bid, and over three years, our total cost (including service, parts, and attachments) was nearly 15% lower because of better support and faster turnaround.

The same logic applies to Bobcat. Their dealer network is one of the densest in the industry. That means I'm never more than an hour from a parts counter. When a compressor goes down and I need a specific fitting, I can get it same-day. The cost of that convenience is hidden in the purchase price—but it's real savings on the P&L.

I'm not 100% sure if this is true for every region, but in our area (Midwest US), the dealer support for Bobcat is head and shoulders above the alternatives. That's not marketing fluff—it's logged in our maintenance system.

But wait—what about the cheaper machine? Isn't it a better value per dollar?

I can hear the objection already: "You're paying more for a brand name." And yes, if you just look at the spec sheet and the list price, there are skid steer loaders at a lower price point. But here's the thing I've learned: the measured specs are important, but the unmeasured ones matter more.

Things like dealer service capacity, parts inventory depth, how long the common wear items are stocked. How quickly can you get a Bobcat T770 parts diagram online or through your dealer? That's not a spec that gets quoted, but it's a spec that costs you money when it's bad.

I've been burned by assuming 'same specifications' meant identical results across vendors. It doesn't. The cheaper machine might have a slightly higher flow rate, but if the dealer doesn't stock the filter for it, you're waiting a week. That's a $1500 delay in lost production, easily.

So no, I don't think paying for a lower initial cost is the smart move. Not for our operation. The upfront savings are wiped out by the first surprise downtime.

I believe in buying the machine that keeps you running. Not the one that looks better in a brochure.

After 6 years and hundreds of purchase orders, my view has evolved. I used to optimize for the lowest bid. Now I optimize for the lowest total cost over the first ownership cycle. That means prioritizing parts availability, standardizing on a single attachment system, and paying for a dealer network that can get a mechanic to you within hours, not days.

Bobcat isn't always the cheapest option. But I've tracked the data—it's almost always the most economical option when you include everything. The TCO doesn't lie. And that's what I'd tell anyone asking about skid steer loaders today.