Bobcat regrets the death of the inventor of the compact loader

Bobcat company has dressed in mourning to pay tribute to Louis Keller, the co-inventor of the first compact loader, on the occasion of his death at the age of 87 on July 11. Along with his brother Cyril, Keller invented the first compact loader, which was based on a loader of tricycle that developed to a Turkey farm in 1957 near Rothsay, Minnesota.

Rich Goldsbury, President of Bobcat Americas and Oceania, issued a statement which said: "We has saddened the news of the death of Louis Keller, one of the inventors of the compact machine of three-wheel that led to the development of the first compact loader of the brand Bobcat." Louis was among those to those who worshipped in 2004 when Bobcat was awarded ASAE 'Milestone': a recognition reserved only for the most important agricultural innovations in the history of America. "In addition, two years ago, during the 50th anniversary of Bobcat, we celebrate the achievements of Louis and his brother along with all those who have helped make Bobcat a success over the last five decades".

The Keller loader had two-wheel transmission and an adjustable rear wheel, and the brothers built half a dozen more during the first year. In September 1958, the Melroe brothers hired the Keller brothers in the Melroe Manufacturing company, located in Gwinner, North Dakota, which later became Bobcat. Using the design of the brothers, Melroe presented the self-propelled loader M60, and in 1960, Keller added the rear driving axle, from which resulted the M400 model, which was the first genuine compact loader on a global scale.