Bobcat Compact Loader Creators Inducted into the United States’ National Inventors Hall of Fame

Posted: 26 January 2023

Cyril and Louis Keller, the brothers who invented the world’s first compact loader (later named the Bobcat skid-steer loader), have been selected as 2023 inductees for the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) in the USA. The NIHF annually recognizes inventors, promotes creativity and advances the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.

How it all began

In the 1950s, brothers Cyril and Louis operated a small machinist-blacksmith shop in Minnesota, USA, together, building and repairing machinery for local farmers. A farmer approached them with a need for a self-propelled loader light enough to be lifted to the second floor of a turkey barn and small enough to clean around the barn’s upright poles. In response, in 1957, the Kellers built a three-wheeled loader with two drive wheels in front and a caster wheel in the rear – the predecessor to the modern skid-steer loader.   

The loader came to the attention of Melroe Manufacturing Company (now Bobcat), which invited the Kellers to demonstrate their invention in their booth at the Minnesota State Fair in 1958. After a successful demonstration at the fair, the Melroe Manufacturing Company was awarded exclusive manufacturing rights to the machine on a royalty basis and hired the Keller brothers to refine the design and put the machine into production.

World’s first true skid-steer loader

To improve on the design of the loader, a second set of drive wheels was added to the back of the loader in 1960. With this four-wheel drive, the M400 became the world’s first true skid-steer loader. ‘Skid-steer’ describes the unique steering system, which enables the machine to turn within its own length. Later, the Bobcat brand name was established because of the machine’s toughness, quickness and agility.   

Joe Keller, son of Louis, said, “The Bobcat loader has positively impacted the lives of thousands of employees who have worked for the company, dealers who sell the machines, and customers who use the equipment every day to build their livelihood. While we may not always realize its impact, it is an integral part of our everyday life—from supporting farm operations that result in food on our tables to hauling materials around a jobsite building our homes and offices.” 

Sixty-five years later

As Bobcat celebrates 65 years since the invention of the machine that created the compact equipment industry, it has continued to forge the future of the industry through innovation and forward-thinking.   

Bobcat now offers more than 100 products in the compact, grounds maintenance and industrial equipment industries, and produces more than 150 families of attachments.

Other awarded inventors

Other NIHF 2023 inductees include Rory Cooper, who invented wheelchair technology; Luis von Ahn, who co-created the website security program reCAPTCHA; Angela Hartley Brodie, who discovered and developed a class of drugs called Aromatase Inhibitors that stop the production of hormones that fuel the growth of cancer cells; and 14 other innovation pioneers. This year marks the 50th anniversary event of NIHF’s founding in 1973, when Thomas Edison was the sole inductee.  

Acknowledging the award on behalf of his father and uncle, Joe Keller said, “This recognition is a great honour to dad and Cyril’s families, but it is not just for us. It is a recognition for all of the early and current Bobcat employees who have helped bring our little ‘Keller loader’ to be the Bobcat machine it is today. It has been a great honour to have had a front-row seat watching this invention revolutionize the way work gets done around the world.”

READ MORE

View all
  • The Bobcat cleans hen houses The Bobcat cleans hen houses

    The Bobcat cleans hen houses

    16 December 2024

    Daniel Jaffré from Gourin, Morbihan, France, was the first French Bobcat customer to buy a machine for a neighboring agricultureal activity when he bought his first Bobcat loader in 1986 to clean his wife's hen houses.
  • Bobcat R-Series Waste Expert Telehandlers Show Their Mettle in Waste and Recycling Markets Across EMEA Bobcat R-Series Waste Expert Telehandlers Show Their Mettle in Waste and Recycling Markets Across EMEA

    Bobcat R-Series Waste Expert Telehandlers Show Their Mettle in Waste and Recycling Markets Across EMEA

    10 December 2024

    Bobcat Waste Expert telehandlers are more than proving their worth, providing outstanding material handling performance for the most demanding applications in the waste and recycling industries.
  • Bobcat Telehandler Saves Time & Money in Manure Handling Bobcat Telehandler Saves Time & Money in Manure Handling

    Bobcat Telehandler Saves Time & Money in Manure Handling

    15 November 2024

    An investment by David Derenne, a poultry farmer in Finistère in France, in a new Bobcat TL30.60 compact telehandler for manure handling and loading batches of chicks and chickens, has allowed him to optimise his working time and to no longer need the services of contractors.
  • Bobcat Offers Even More Snow Clearance Solutions Bobcat Offers Even More Snow Clearance Solutions

    Bobcat Offers Even More Snow Clearance Solutions

    29 October 2024

    Bobcat has announced an even wider choice of snow clearance solutions, probably the largest on the market.
  • New Bobcat Fleet for Renewable Energy and Drainage Projects New Bobcat Fleet for Renewable Energy and Drainage Projects

    New Bobcat Fleet for Renewable Energy and Drainage Projects

    22 October 2024

    PSR Turnkey Solutions Ltd, based in Rotherham in South Yorkshire in the UK, has purchased new Bobcat mini-excavators and a new Bobcat compact track loader for use on the company’s renewable energy and drainage projects across the UK.
  • Doosan Bobcat Employees Give Back to Communities Across EMEA Through Volunteer Time Doosan Bobcat Employees Give Back to Communities Across EMEA Through Volunteer Time

    Doosan Bobcat Employees Give Back to Communities Across EMEA Through Volunteer Time

    30 September 2024

    In 2024, Doosan Bobcat employees around the world – including throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) – are giving back by volunteering in their communities.
  • Bobcat - Creating The Best Match of Carriers & Attachments Bobcat - Creating The Best Match of Carriers & Attachments

    Bobcat - Creating The Best Match of Carriers & Attachments

    18 September 2024

    Bobcat is dedicated to enabling its customers to carry out all their work quickly and efficiently. That is why the company offers not only an ever-growing selection of compact machines, all of which are intended as tool carriers, but also an extensive and continuously developing range of attachments to be used on these machines.
  • Bobcat Equipment Helps Safeguard Bagheria Beach in Sicily Bobcat Equipment Helps Safeguard Bagheria Beach in Sicily

    Bobcat Equipment Helps Safeguard Bagheria Beach in Sicily

    29 July 2024

    On the coast of Bagheria (PA) on the island of Sicily in Italy, the accumulation of seaweed on the beaches, if not managed properly, can cause inconvenience to the local community and tourists.
  • Bobcat Breaks Ground for Mexico Manufacturing Facility Bobcat Breaks Ground for Mexico Manufacturing Facility

    Bobcat Breaks Ground for Mexico Manufacturing Facility

    17 June 2024

    Bobcat, a global equipment, innovation and worksite solutions brand, held a ceremonial groundbreaking on 13th June 2024 for its new 280-million EUR manufacturing facility in Mexico.
  • Bobcat on the Front Line in Works for the Jubilee in Rome A group photo featuring three men, one woman, and two male operators in the Bobcat S530 and E17z, with the pillars of a colosseum in the background.

    Bobcat on the Front Line in Works for the Jubilee in Rome

    17 June 2024

    There is great expectation among the faithful around the world, for the Jubilee 2025, renamed the Jubilee of Hope, an event held every 25 years to mark a Holy Year of grace and forgiveness.