I'm here today at our Acceleration Center
with Joe Miller, product manager of Bobcat excavators,
to tell you about an exciting, new revolutionary
machine that we have.
Joe, tell me about this machine and what it will be called.
Sure. This will be our R-Series line of excavators.
It's a replacement for our current M-Series line.
It really is meant to bring Bobcat
quality and performance into the future.
And Joe, what models will be available
to customers right away?
To start this, Bobcat will be launching in
the three to four ton size class,
which is the largest segment of the customer market
in excavators.
And this one will specifically be replacing
our E32 and E35 models. the exterior of
The exterior of this machine certainly looks different.
What can you tell me about it?
The R-Series is a full redesign of the
exterior of our current M-Series model.
We really focused on delivering improved quality
from our current machine
through improving the rigidity of our panels
improving the quality of our latches
to deliver not only a good look,
but also long-term performance from reduced vibration,
and then keeping those latches working long into life of the machine.
Joe, let's talk about performance.
Tell me about the biggest
performance improvement on this machine.
Sure. With R-Series we went to a
dual-flange roller system
versus our current single-flange on M-Series.
That's gonna probably be the biggest performance
feature that customers are gonna notice.
How do the dual-flange rollers work?
With the single flange,
the flange runs down the center of the track.
Dual flanges allows us to widen
the overall undercarriage of the machine by pushing
those flanges out to the edge of the track more.
So we're able to keep the same width of the machine
while delivering a little bit different tipping point.
What will customers notice
about the dual-flange rollers?
One of the biggest things
that customers are gonna notice
is an improved over-the-side lift capacity.
We've improved lift capacity
over the side up to 15 percent on these machines.
They're also going to notice a
much more balanced machine.
So transitioning from digging over the side
to over the front to over the front to over the side,
the machine is going to feel more balanced
and customers are gonna be more productive.
Will customers notice anything else?
Dual-flange rollers are also gonna
deliver a smoother ride.
So, by changing from a single-flange to a dual-flange,
we've changed our track system overall a little bit
so customers are going to notice when traveling from
point A to point B, a much smoother ride.
And in conjunction with the covers
we talked about earlier,
overall vibration of the machine's
going to be down considerably.
I also see some additional tie-downs.
We've added tie-downs to both sides of the machine.
When talking to customers,
getting on and off their trailer quickly is important,
so we want to make it easier for them to tie down.
And this also meets DOT regulations?
Yes, it does.
Operators know and understand
the importance of a blade on an excavator.
Through feedback from our customers,
they were looking for
increased downward angle of their blade
to better balance their machine.
So what we've done here with the R-Series,
is we increased our downward angle 33 percent.
So again, to make it so it's easier for customers to
balance the machine and perform better.
Numerous changes have been made
to the cab with this machine
to improve upon its comfort.
Yeah. So, right away when the customer
gets up to the machine,
They're going to notice the physical size
of our door's gotten larger.
So it's easier to get in and out of the machine.
They're also going to notice as they crawl into it
that the overall machine is just wider.
And what other options are available to customers?
Sure. With the R-Series,
we've added a couple additional optional features.
First is an industry exclusive auto HVAC system,
which is very similar to in your vehicle.
So you can set your temperature and forget it.
Your machine will maintain
a constant temperature throughout the day for you.
Additionally, we've added an optional heated seat
to add comfort on those cold days.
So tell me about the space inside the cab.
Sure. Inside the cab,
the first thing customers are going to notice
when they're crawling in is our floor space.
We've increased this floor space by 29 percent.
Additionally, we redesigned our travel pedals
to be fully folded out of the way
similar to our M-Series design,
but optimized – again – to maximize your foot room.
And then when we talked about the
overall size of the cab getting wider – and larger –
our seat's gotten wider.
So now customers have a more comfortable place
to sit down.
They got a more comfortable place to put their feet.
And then overall, their shoulders, knees –
every place has a little bit extra room.
Let's talk about controls.
Sure. From a control standpoint
with R-Series we've done a couple things.
First, we've moved our pattern control selector outside
outside of our storage compartment,
so that you can easily
switch between your control patterns.
This is especially important
on jobsites with multiple operators
who have different control patterns.
Additionally, we've done some things with our joysticks.
One is we've improved our material
to make it more comfortable and last longer.
And then we moved our boom offset
as well as our secondary auxiliaries
off of a rocker panel switch, right into the joystick.
So now you don't have to remove your hand from the
joystick when switching between those functions.
With an entirely new cab, we need to talk about visibility.
Yeah, Jason, with the R-Series we've done a
few things to improve visibility.
One of the things that we've done
is reduce the pillar size on the machine
By reducing the pillar size,
it's allowed us to put more glass into the machine,
allowing you to see better to your cutting edge
and your workgroup area.
Additionally,
we've increased the size of our right-hand windows.
By doing that, you can see down your right-hand blade
and out the right-hand side of the machine better.
And tell me about the new top window.
Yeah, our top window, we've done a couple things
to improve it.
One, is we made it level one certification
from a fob standpoint.
So now you no longer have to bolt any optional kits on
to receive level one fob certification,
as well as we've improved the visibility
of the front and top of the machine
so when working above you, you can see better.
We've moved to the back side of this machine,
and I've noticed the integrated counterweight
looks different.
Yeah, we've optimized our rear counterweight
to improve the machine's center of gravity.
And that delivers improved performance when digging
as well as overall machine stability.
Access to routine maintenance items is important.
Yes, and the R-Series delivers
class-leading serviceability.
With a full open rear hood,
side hood and removable panels,
you can easily access those daily
and long-term maintenance items
so that you keep your machine up and running.
Well, Joe, thank you for taking a moment
to tell us about the new revolutionary
R-Series excavators.
Where can customers go to
learn more about the new features?
As always,
customers can go to their local Bobcat dealer
to get more information on our R-Series
or any of our other excavators.