Melroe M-440 Bobcat '1962

First to bear the name “Bobcat”, the M440 also had a new logo and a new white paint job. It had an impressive

1,000 pound lift capacity, but could be carted around in a pickup truck. The new Bobcat found new uses beyond

the farm, in construction, landscaping and industrial plants. Early problems with broken drive chains were solved by enclosing them and lubricating them in an oil bath.

http://thelucidword.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Bobcat-ThroughTheYears-LowRes.pdf

After a year of research and development, the M440 was nearly ready. Engineers had opened the front end to make entry and exit easier. They enclosed the drive system for better reliability and durability. And while earlier loaders had been designed to meet the needs of farmers, the new M440 was ready for heavy-duty industrial use — as it still is today.

In late 1962, the focus turned to branding. The brothers thought the name “Melroe Self-Propelled Loader” was not particularly catchy — but they liked animal names. A new color was required, as Melroe farm implements were painted red and, they warned, avoid using yellow, orange and green — the brand colors of other manufacturers.

For help, the Melroes consulted a Twin Cities advertising agency — Gould, Brown and Bickett. Lynn Bickett suggested painting it white, knowing the loader would work inside dairy barns. “Melroe red” would be the accent color. Then, looking at animal names in the dictionary, he suggested calling it “Bobcat,” after the prairie animal that was described in that dictionary as tough, quick and agile.

https://blog.bobcat.com/2016/03/m440-was-first-bobcat-loader-in-1962/

Редакт Дмитрий Лисовский

1962 - M440 is the first skid-steer loader to use the Melroe Bobcat® trademark.

https://www.bobcat.com/company-info/about/story

M440 loader when it was introduced in 1962

https://blog.bobcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/M440-Model-Shot-1962.jpg

In 1962, the M440 Melroe Bobcat®, the first model with the Bobcat name, was introduced. The updated white design had enclosed drive compartments, double acting cylinders and most importantly, the 70/30 back-to-front weight distribution required to make it turn easily, according to Joe Keller.

“Without a load, the front end skids easily and with a full load, the rear skids easily,” he said. “This made the M440 the first true skid-steer loader.”

The white color was chosen as a strategy to pursue new markets: fertilizer and dairy. White hid fertilizer dust and signified cleanliness for the dairy market. The bobcat name, originated by advertising agent Lynn Bickett, was born after he looked up the bobcat’s – the animal – description in the dictionary as “tough, quick, and agile.”

https://ironsolutions.com/agriculture-equipment-value-guides/the-first-skid-steer/