plant hire brand
Bobcat
The brand that turned into the generic word for a skid-steer. Hire customers ask for "a Bobcat" when they mean the machine class, which is exactly the kind of brand recognition that drives search volume whoever ends up supplying the machine.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026
Built in
United States
UK availability
Good UK dealer coverage
Widely available through UK dealers and common in hire fleets.
What Bobcat builds
Bobcat model ranges
| Range | What it is |
|---|---|
| Skid-steer loader range | The machine the brand name became a byword for |
How Bobcat compares
These are the makes buyers actually cross-shop against Bobcat.
Bobcat vs Kubota
The mini excavator most hire fleets standardise on. Reliability and the zero-tail-swing U series are the reasons - on a domestic driveway or a garden job, the ability to slew without catching a wall is worth more than extra breakout force.
Bobcat vs JCB
The default British plant make and the one hire customers ask for by name. Fleets buy JCB because operators already know the controls, parts turn up quickly and residual values hold, which matters more to a hire business than any single spec on the sheet.
Bobcat vs Takeuchi
Credited with building the first compact excavator, and still a specialist rather than a full-line manufacturer. Operators tend to rate the hydraulics, and fleets buy them where a machine will be worked hard all day.
UK companies hiring and selling Bobcat
No listed company has told us they carry Bobcat yet.
That does not mean nobody near you does - most plant hire firms carry several makes and list none of them. Start with the companies covering your area:
Browse plant hire companiesOther makes
GetBrent is an independent directory of UK hire and sales companies. We are not a Bobcat dealer and have no affiliation with, or endorsement from, Bobcat. The Bobcat name and model names are trademarks of their owner, used here only to identify the products they refer to. Specifications vary by model year and market - always confirm weights, dimensions and towing limits with the supplier before hiring or buying.