Melroe M-970 "Big Bob" '1970–74

The Bobcat® M970 was a groundbreaking invention. With a one-yard bucket and 3,000-pound rated operating capacity, the machine known as “Big Bob” was the largest skid-steer loader ever built. More important, the Big Bob introduced several industry firsts the world continues to benefit from:

- First use of hydrostatic drive;

- First use of the Bob-Tach® system;

- First skid-steer loader with a standard cab.

Designed in 1969–1970 by chief engineer Jim Bauer, with engineers Gus Wallace and John Heggen, the M970 became the first skid-steer loader to incorporate hydrostatic drive.

The Big Bob invention was significant for another important reason. It was the first to be equipped with an attachment mounting system called the Bob-Tach system. To date, loader attachments were pin-mounted to the lift arms, so changing attachments was a time-consuming chore. The patented Bob-Tach system allowed an operator to change attachments in a minute or two, making it practical to shift from one attachment to another — then back again — all day long.

Several Big Bob model updates were made: fewer than 600 of the 970s were built (Continental gas, but mostly Perkins diesel) between 1970 and 1974. In 1975, it was replaced by the 974 and 975 (with Perkins and John Deere diesel engines) with a 3,700-pound rated operating capacity, which remained in the lineup until 1990. The last of this frame size was the 980, built in between 1986 and 1994, with a Cummins engine, planetary axles and 4,000-pound rated operating capacity.

https://blog.bobcat.com/2016/02/throwback-thursday-development-of-the-bobcat-m970-big-bob-1970/nggallery/thumbnails