Inventors' Hall of Fame Selects Skid Steer Creators
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).
The NIHF annually recognizes inventors, promotes creativity, and advances the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
In the 1950s, brothers Cyril (April 8, 1922-Oct. 28, 2020) and Louis (May 9, 1923-July 11, 2010) operated a small machinist-blacksmith shop in Minnesota 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 1957, the Kellers built a three-wheeled loader with two drive wheels in front and a caster wheel in the rear–the precursor 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.
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.
Source: Bobcat
About the Author
Frank Raczon
Frank Raczon has covered and influenced the equipment industry for 35 years, including 15 years as senior editor of Construction Equipment, and marketing, advertising, and public relations work with the industry's top manufacturers. In addition to authoring "Caterpillar: Modern Earthmoving Marvels" (Motorbooks, 2015), he has won numerous awards in his career, highlighted by nods from the Construction Writers Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Business Marketing Association, and BtoB magazine. Raczon has also won a number of awards from publishing peer groups such as ASBPE and TABPI.