MTS Places £900,000 Order for Bobcat Compact Loaders and Mini Excavators

Wakefield-based MTS Group has placed an order with Bobcat worth around £900,000 for a mixture of compact loaders and mini-excavators for the company’s hire fleet. At the core of the new investment comprising 54 machines, is a tranche of new Bobcat skid-steer and compact tracked loaders to meet continued high demand for this type of product from hire customers.

Peter Watson, Managing Director of MTS Group, said: "Our investment in the Bobcat brand and, in particular, the company’s market-leading skid-steer and compact tracked loaders recognises the excellent returns against capital employed for these machines, even in a recession that is one of the most difficult I have known in the 22 years I have been dealing with Bobcat equipment. I think the Bobcat skid-steer loader is a necessity in every hire company’s fleet."

It is the diversity of applications in demolition, utilities, landscaping, groundcare, farming, foundry work, ship trimming and mining among many others that keeps the MTS fleet of Bobcat skid-steer and compact tracked loaders busy, with over 100 machines out on hire every day to all types of industry.

With the new order, the MTS skid-steer loader rental fleet has been enhanced with the very latest S70 and S330 skid-steer loader models. With a width of 901 mm, a height of 1814 mm, an overall length with standard bucket of 2553 mm and an operating weight of only 1291 kg, the new S70 skid-steer loader ticks all the boxes for compactness, transportability and manoeuvrability. The rated operating capacity of the S70 is 343 kg (ISO 14397-1). At the other end of the scale, the 4.2 tonne S330 is the highest performing skid-steer loader now offered by Bobcat, powered by a 62.5 kW (84 hp) Kubota liquid-cooled diesel engine and providing a rated operating capacity of more than 1.5 tonnes, or 1542 kg (ISO 14397-1).

The new ultra compact T110 compact tracked loader and the largest in the range, the T320 compact tracked loader are also now available for hire from MTS. At just 1.2 m wide and less than 2.3 m long without attachment, the new 2.3 tonne T110 will transform prospects for contractors, landscapers and a host of other users thanks to its ability to be transported on a light trailer towed by mid-sized vehicles. The T110 offers a rated operating capacity of 505 kg (ISO 14397-1) and a tipping load of 1443 kg. Driven by a powerful 67.6 kW Kubota V3800-DI-T turbo-charged, liquid-cooled diesel engine, the new T320 has the highest power-to-weight ratio in its class. The 4401 kg T320 model is a vertical lift path loader offering a rated operating capacity of 1461 kg.

Complementing the skid-steer and compact tracked loaders, MTS has the largest fleet of Bobcat attachments for hire in the UK. The MTS range covers a wide selection of Bobcat attachments from standard and 4-in-1 buckets, hydraulic breakers and road planers to stump grinders, the latest tree transplanters and snow-clearing accessories.

Peter Watson continued: "The increasing number of Bobcat attachments continues to create new opportunities for the skid-steer and compact tracked loader markets, which we intend to fully serve throughout the UK. The utilisation of our rental fleet is a testament to how bullet-proof our investment in the skid-steer market has been in the face of the toughest of recessions."
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Joining the mini-excavator fleet at MTS are the Bobcat E08 and E10 micro-excavators which, in the year since they were launched in the UK, have gained rapid market share and an enviable reputation for high performance and productivity.

The E08 micro-excavator is a conventional model with a machine weight of 1028 kg and a maximum digging depth of 1.82 m. The E10 model is a zero tail swing micro-excavator with a maximum digging depth of 1.82 m and a machine weight of 1066 kg.

Easy to transport, the E08 and E10 micro-excavators are the smallest models in the Bobcat range. Both have a retractable undercarriage that takes the width of the machine down to only 710 mm, allowing easy access through a standard pedestrian doorway for work inside buildings or entry into back yards and gardens through narrow gates. In addition, passage through low headroom openings is aided by the integrated foldable TOPS on both machines. The minimal width of the machines allows for excellent manoeuvrability in confined spaces, while the zero tail swing design of the E10 is an additional advantage when working in tight areas.

To complement the machines and attachments in the company’s hire fleet, MTS Group can offer full training for any product from the Bobcat range through its subsidiary, MTS Training. Nationally approved, MTS Training can provide training for operating Bobcat® skid-steers, excavators, compact tracked loaders and telehandlers as well as over 60 different types of Bobcat attachment for use with these machines.

The security of the equipment can be safeguarded by a satellite alarm system jointly developed by MTS, which protects the machines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Designed specifically for the plant market, the unit is very cost effective to use and is proving very popular with MTS Bobcat customers.

Mr Watson added: "This substantial investment is testimony to our close allegiance to the Bobcat brand. I believe that there has never been better value for Bobcat products on the basis of the price, reliability and the excellent residual values when you come to trade in for a new product."