From the First Compact Loader to R-Series: Loader Inventor Has Seen Them All

From the first compact loader to R-Series: This inventor has seen them all 

Updated Nov. 2020: Sadly Cyril “Cy” Keller, inventor of the world’s first compact loader and former Bobcat employee, passed away on October 28, 2020. His legacy lives on at the millions of jobsites worldwide that rely on loaders to get work done. 

Cy Keller, co-inventor of the world’s first compact loader, recently had the opportunity to see one of the latest Bobcat loaders: an R-Series T76 compact track loader. The 98-year-old visited Swanston Equipment in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, for a first-hand look at the next-generation loader. 

“Man, that is a nice-looking loader,” Cy says. “I think it will do a good job.” 

Bobcat began releasing its next-generation loaders – R-Series – in February 2020. Completely redesigned inside and out, R-Series loaders are the most powerful, durable loaders Bobcat has ever built. And, thanks to Cy, Bobcat has been building them in North Dakota since 1958. 

Cy and his brother Louis developed the world’s first compact loader in the late 1950s, forever changing how agriculture, construction, landscaping, snow removal and grounds maintenance work gets done. The brothers helped launch the worldwide compact equipment industry. 

“It really fascinates me,” Cy says. “When we first started out, they were only being used for turkeys and scooping out the manure. Now they go all over and are used for so many different things.” 

Cy, who lives in Fergus Falls, occasionally visits Swanston Equipment locations for a first-hand look at recent machine releases. He also still keeps tabs on factory production. 

“Years ago, I used to travel to every state, every Canadian province and Europe setting up dealerships,” Cy says. “Bobcat is doing a tremendous job. I still talk with the factory to see how orders are.”