Gulf Construction Online - Bobcat focuses on manoeuvrability

Loaders

Bobcat focuses on manoeuvrability

01 April 2004

Bobcat has revealed the next phase in the evolution of the company’s mini track loader with the launch of its new MT52 model.

It has an all-new hydrostatic transmission and track drive system, providing smoother operation and excellent manoeuvrability.
“The compact size, versatility and productivity of the MT52 makes it an attractive machine for the equipment rental industry,” says a company spokesman.
The new loader also has a revised control system, together with an optional standing platform at the back of the machine, for enhanced operator comfort.
The MT52, with a rated operating capacity of 252 kg, a tipping load of 720 kg and a pushing force of 1,130 kg, has a height to hinge pin with the arms in the fully raised position of 1,810 mm and a dump height of 1,265 mm.
“With an overall width including bucket of just 914 mm, a length of 3,031 mm (with standing platform) and a height of 1,235 mm, the MT52 is suited for mechanising manual work in confined areas where larger machines cannot go,” he says. “It is therefore ideal for digging, loading and clean-up applications (both indoor and out) on construction and demolition sites and in any limited access areas, where it is not possible to use conventional equipment.”
The MT52, which has a maximum forward travel speed of 5.6 kmph and 2.3 kmph in reverse, has a rubber-track undercarriage which distributes the loader’s operating weight of 1,137 kg over a large area, thereby reducing ground pressure and minimising disturbance to landscapes and other established surfaces. The tracks also provide superior traction and flotation.
With a 15 kW liquid-cooled Kubota diesel engine and 45.4 litres/min of auxiliary hydraulic flow, the MT52 has the power needed for optimum performance with more than 15 different types of attachment, most of which can also be used on the Bobcat 463 skid-steer loader, he says. Changing attachments is fast and easy via the Bob-Tach attachment mounting system, which the MT52 shares with the rest of the Bobcat range of tracked and wheeled loaders.
Says the spokesman: “Thanks to the wide variety of attachments available and its low ground pressure, the MT52 is an ideal machine for landscape contractors, eliminating much of the hand labour normally found in earthmoving and fencing applications.”
The attachments for the MT52 allow contractors to move dirt, landscape, install fences, plant trees, drill post holes, install sprinkler systems and much more.
“The MT52 is easy to operate. It has an instrument panel that is fitted with simple, low effort controls – the direction and speed of the machine is controlled by one multi-function handle. A single hand-lever controls the lift-and-tilt hydraulic functions. The front auxiliary hydraulics for the attachments is controlled by the fore/aft movement of this hand lever.”
Safety features on the Bobcat MT52 mini track loader are comprehensive and include a reverse-travel stop panel, a parking brake, neutral start interlocks, a lift and tilt lockout system, a lift arm bypass and a lift arm support device.