Bobcat sizes up with largest excavator ever

When you think of a Bobcat, a 19-ton machine is not going to come to mind, but that is exactly where the company has gone with its latest excavator introduction, the E165. This is the second Bobcat excavator introduced in the past year that challenges the perception of the company as a manufacturer of truly compact equipment. The introduction of the 16-ton E145 in September 2019 and now the E165 move the company into all-new territory – the largest Bobcat machine prior to the introduction of the E145 was the 8.6-ton E85.

Jason Boerger, marketing manager for Bobcat Company, says that this addition to the traditional compact Bobcat line addresses an opportunity the company was seeing in industry data with the company's market research suggesting that there are many compact equipment customers in need of a 10- to 19-ton machine. This research was reinforced by the requests of Bobcat customers needing a larger machine but wanting to stick with the same brand and the same dealer and service relationships. 

"We've been growing with our customers," Boerger said. "In the last six months we've had a lot of product expansion, a lot of products come to market, and even some that are still yet to come to market. . . we're following our customers where they're going with the work."

Following their customers includes getting plenty of input on the features they need. "We do extensive voice of customer research," added Boerger. "We get the product in their hands, they can tell us, even down to individual components on the machine: A versus B, which did you like better?" 

According to Boerger, the key features that Bobcat customers appreciate in its excavators include the automotive-style features in the cab, including lots of space, heat and air conditioning, the heated seat option, and standard rear and side-view cameras on some models, including the E165.

The 131-hp E165 is designed for heavy digging and lifting applications with high lifting capacity, more slew torque, advanced hydraulics and powerful pumps.

"We're looking at this machine for the commercial construction, residential construction, utilities and infrastructure applications. . . there are some key performance features that stand out," noted Boerger.

"The controllability or versatility of the power that you have at your fingertips with our machines is something that I like to point out to our customers. And that comes in the form of our four power modes."

Those four power modes on the E165 are: Power+ mode for top work group speed or sustained peak performance; Power mode for tough digging, quick loading, heavy lifting and fast travel; Standard power mode for balanced performance and reduced fuel use in routine digging, lifting and grading; and Economy mode for optimizing fuel use when power demand is low or during precise digging and fine grading.

Boerger added that the E165 also has four selectable work modes for managing RPM and increased fuel efficiency: digging, lifting, breaker and shear.

The E165 has a range of additional features to boost productivity. Smart Power Control matches load to engine rpm, hydraulic pump torque and engine response, for an improvement in efficiency in any of the excavator's four power modes while in digging work mode. Variable Speed Control automatically reduces engine rpm during low workload requirements, such as the slew portion of the dig cycle, for an improvement in fuel efficiency of up to 5 percent. Pump Torque Control prevents engine overload by matching the hydraulic demand with available engine horsepower. Auto Idle idles the engine automatically when machine movement stops for several seconds and auto Shift improves machine responsiveness and controllability by shifting to low range automatically when the load is high and back to high range when the load diminishes.

The X-frame undercarriage on the E165 has sloped surfaces to reduce material buildup and time spent cleaning out the undercarriage; this design also increases ground clearance and maneuverability in softer ground conditions.