- Home
- News & Media
- Job Stories
- Bobcat 731, the loader in continuous service for almost a quarter of a century. Now working for the next generation
Bobcat 731, the loader in continuous service for almost a quarter of a century. Now working for the next generation
Posted: 11 April 2023
In 1999, Enrique and Valentín Mompeán’s father bought a Bobcat 731 skid-steer loader, and since then they have been working with it on a daily basis. Both have seen this machine at work in the family business since they were little and now it is them, the next generation, who are working with it.
For both brothers, this loader is not just a machine, it is part of their family. Their father, who died a few years ago, was the one who taught them to operate it, hence their emotional connection with the loader. José María Mompeán López acquired the loader as an exceptional investment at that time. With a great effort and thanks to the help of Mr. Marcos Marín, official Bobcat dealer for the region of Murcia.
Enrique and Valentín Mompeán as owners of this "historic" machine, and managers of Leñas el Malecón (Murcia), a company dedicated to the supply of firewood for homes, from fields in the region, comment: “We bought this Bobcat loader on the advice of Marcos Marín. He encouraged my father to buy it to improve day-to-day productivity and it is still doing its job 24 years later.”
This loader was the one most suited to his needs. At that time, Bobcat did not have the wide range of compact equipment that it has now. Furthermore, skid-steer loaders were associated with the construction industry, so they opened a new door to another type of application.
“With the Bobcat 731 skid-steer loader, we do all the tasks relating to the handling of the wood, such as loading and unloading of trucks, or piling up shavings and dowels. We move 400 tonnes of firewood each year.”
“Its undoubted sturdiness, its agility and its precision save us time on provisioning work and give us the option of supplying our customers with more. We use a grill bucket to handle and move the stumps of wood and another to clear and extract the earth.”
Beforehand, they used to do this manually, with hand trucks. It was hard work, and the Bobcat loader improved quality, saved them time, and was safer and more comfortable.
Leñas El Malecón has never had any other loaders. As well as its everyday tasks, it also uses it for other types of work to maintain the installations or for private jobs in the field of construction.
Bobcat original components for maintenance
Maquinaria Marcos Marín has done the servicing and tuning on this machine. It has also carried out various repairs to keep it running until today, always using original parts for its maintenance.
“We replaced some parts of the engine – you could say we gave it a new heart – to keep it going for many more years. We like its versatility," adds Enrique Mompeán.
"It has been a jack-of-all-trades. And we have never considered replacing it because it continues to work perfectly. On one occasion we were offered to buy it in exchange for a new one from another manufacturer with very good conditions and we didn't accept."
It’s our Bobcat and we have no reason to replace it
"The loader has more than paid for itself, but it is not just about economic value. We have seen the new models at trade fairs and they are impressive, a whole new level in terms of the design of the modern cab and its performance. They’re great, but we don’t need to replace ours since it does everything we need it to. It’s our Bobcat."
READ MORE
View all- Bobcat Wins Prestigious Red Dot Design Award for RogueX2 Loader Concept
Bobcat Wins Prestigious Red Dot Design Award for RogueX2 Loader Concept
Bobcat has been selected as a Red Dot Award: Design Concept winner for RogueX2, an all-electric, fully autonomous concept loader. - Bobcat Equipment Helps Safeguard Bagheria Beach in Sicily
Bobcat Equipment Helps Safeguard Bagheria Beach in Sicily
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, 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
Bobcat on the Front Line in Works for the Jubilee in Rome
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. - Bobcat Demo Days 2024 features more than 90 machines and innovations spanning manufacturer’s full equipment portfolio
Bobcat Demo Days 2024 features more than 90 machines and innovations spanning manufacturer’s full equipment portfolio
More than 700 customers, dealers, suppliers and journalists from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are heading to Doosan Bobcat EMEA’s campus in Dobříš, Czechia for Bobcat Demo Days 2024. - Bobcat debuts electric telehandler concept at INTERMAT 2024, proving sustainability and performance can go hand in hand
Bobcat debuts electric telehandler concept at INTERMAT 2024, proving sustainability and performance can go hand in hand
Bobcat is using INTERMAT 2024 as a launchpad for its TL25.60e electric telehandler concept. - Bobcat paves way for smarter, more sustainable and connected future with innovative INTERMAT 2024 equipment lineup
Bobcat paves way for smarter, more sustainable and connected future with innovative INTERMAT 2024 equipment lineup
Bobcat is showing the international construction community how it is accelerating towards a smarter, more sustainable and connected future with its innovative lineup for INTERMAT 2024. - Bobcat Launches New Family of Rotary Telehandlers
Bobcat Launches New Family of Rotary Telehandlers
Bobcat has launched a new range of Rotary Telehandlers for markets in Europe and the Middle East and Africa. - Bobcat Displays Extensive Material Handling Lineup at LogiMAT
Bobcat Displays Extensive Material Handling Lineup at LogiMAT
LogiMAT 2024 will see the first showcasing of an extensive lineup of material handling products from Bobcat. - One Year Later: Doosan Bobcat Helped to Restore 553 Local Businesses in Earthquake-affected Turkey
One Year Later: Doosan Bobcat Helped to Restore 553 Local Businesses in Earthquake-affected Turkey
Severe earthquakes that happened on 6 February 2023 in Turkey and Syria had a devastating consequence on more than 9 million people with over 240,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.