Caterpillar vs. Bobcat: What To Know When Choosing An Excavator

Excavators are iconic tools on construction sites, and they're often the best heavy equipment for clearing away earth, mulching, and even small-scale demolition work. But when it comes to Caterpillar and Bobcat, two of the most popular brands, what are the differences?

Weight Class

The biggest difference between the two is weight class. Excavator sizes range from one-ton machines that can dig small trenches quickly, to enormous digging machines weighing nearly 100 tons designed for heavy-duty earth removal. Bobcat excavators focuses on the smaller end of the spectrum, while Caterpillar offers machines in all weight classes, but tilted more towards the heavier end of things. Simply put, if you need a smaller, nimbler excavator, you're going to have more options if you go with Bobcat. If you need a bigger, more powerful machine, Caterpillar will be your best choice.

Digging Depth

You don't want to rent more excavator than you need, for the sake of your budget. Keeping track of digging depth is important, and depending on how deep you need to go, you may be limited in your options. For example, between six and ten feet digging depth, almost all of your options will be from Bobcat. Caterpillar's smallest excavator doesn't quite dig six feet deep. Anything above fifteen feet will be almost entirely Caterpillar-built machinery. And between ten and fifteen feet will be where you have the most choices.

Excavators are far more than just the buckets at the end of their arms. Most excavators can easily have their buckets swapped for augers, rippers, hammers, claws, grippers, and more. That said, Caterpillar and Bobcat have different approaches to their attachments. Bobcat tends to offer more of a workplace "Swiss Army knife," with attachments ranging from air-powered hammers to chainsaws that make it more useful in that capacity. Caterpillar tends to focus on more traditional equipment such as rakes and multi-processors. Before renting either, you should look closely at what attachments you'll need on your excavator and whether the model you're considering will be able to accept that attachment. If a few attachments can cut down on rentals elsewhere, it's a useful way to spend your budget.

Options

A final factor to consider is the options that each brand comes with. Caterpillar is best known for its uncomplicated, straight-ahead construction equipment. If you've spent a little time away from the bucket seat, you'll be able to climb right into a Caterpillar and know how to use it. Bobcat is a bit more interested in bells and whistles such as depth-finders, and has technology designed to make switching between hydraulic attachments a bit less of a task. Both Bobcat and Caterpillar excavator rentals with get the job done in most cases but it's worth taking a little time and going to try out both to see which is better for your work site. If you're using several attachments on a smaller excavator, for example, Bobcat might be a better option for saving time instead of hearing the whistle blow while you're still struggling to swap out a bucket.

Still not sure if you need Caterpillar or Bobcat? Contact us and we'll guide you to the best choice.