Bobcat skid steers show up on more North Dakota job sites and tree lines than almost any other single machine, and for good reason. They're compact enough to work tight spaces, powerful enough to run heavy attachments, and versatile enough to move between forestry mulching one week and site grading the next. But not every Bobcat skid steer is built the same way, and picking the wrong size or spec for your work can leave you underpowered on tough jobs or overpaying for capability you don't need.
As an authorized Bobcat dealer serving Jamestown and Casselton, we spend a lot of time helping customers work through exactly this decision. Here's how to think through a Bobcat skid steer purchase for forestry and construction work, along with what's changed in Bobcat's current lineup that buyers should know about.
Start With the Work, Not the Machine
Before comparing models, get honest about what the machine will actually spend most of its time doing. Forestry mulching, land clearing, and heavy brush work put very different demands on a skid steer than general construction tasks like grading, material handling, or loading. Mulching in particular requires strong hydraulic flow to keep a mulcher head spinning at full capacity, along with enough weight and stability to stay planted while working through dense vegetation and stumps.
Construction work tends to prioritize different things: lift height and reach for loading trucks, breakout force for digging and grading, and maneuverability for tight urban or residential sites. If your work mixes both, which is common for a lot of our North Dakota customers running land-clearing jobs alongside general site work, you'll want a machine with hydraulic flow strong enough for heavy attachments but still compact enough to stay versatile on smaller lots.
Understand Bobcat's Current Lineup
Bobcat significantly reworked its skid steer lineup in 2026, moving away from the older M-Series and R-Series naming and organizing its current models into two families: Classic and Pro. The Classic lineup, which includes models like the S70, S450, S590, S650, and S770, keeps the same straightforward, dependable operation that longtime Bobcat owners already know and trust. The Pro lineup, including the S64-2, S66-2, S76-2, and S86-2, is built around the most advanced operator experience Bobcat currently offers, with updated controls and cab technology aimed at operators who want the newest available features.
The practical takeaway for buyers is this: if you value simplicity and the kind of controllability you're already familiar with, the Classic lineup is worth a close look. If you want the latest in operator comfort, visibility, and control technology, and you're willing to pay for it, the Pro lineup is the newer, more feature-rich option. Neither is objectively better. It comes down to how you and your crew prefer to work, and what kind of budget you're working with.
Sizing It Right for Forestry Mulching
For dedicated forestry mulching, sizing matters more than almost any other decision. Larger, high-flow machines in the 96 to 100 horsepower range are generally recommended for full-time mulching work in dense hardwoods, since anything smaller can struggle to keep a mulcher head running at capacity through thick material. Bobcat's larger compact track loader models are frequently cited as strong choices specifically because of their hydraulic flow and relatively compact footprint compared to competing brands, which helps them maneuver through tree lines and uneven terrain without sacrificing power.
If your mulching work is lighter duty, clearing smaller lots, fence lines, or less dense brush, a mid-size machine can handle the job without the higher purchase price and fuel costs that come with the largest units in the lineup. This is exactly the kind of decision worth walking through with your dealer rather than guessing, since oversizing and undersizing are both expensive mistakes in different ways.
Hydraulic Flow Is the Number That Matters Most for Attachments
Whether you're running a mulcher, auger, grapple, or brush cutter, hydraulic flow is the single most important spec for making sure an attachment performs the way it's designed to. Standard-flow machines work fine for lighter attachments like buckets and pallet forks, but heavy-duty attachments like forestry mulchers and high-torque augers need high-flow hydraulics to operate at full capacity. Buying a machine without enough hydraulic flow for the attachments you plan to run is one of the most common and costly mistakes we see, since it leaves the attachment underperforming no matter how good the machine itself is.
Before you finalize a purchase, make a list of every attachment you expect to run, now and over the next few years, and confirm the machine's hydraulic flow rating supports all of them. It's a lot easier to plan for that upfront than to discover a mismatch after you've already bought the equipment.
Attachment Compatibility and Versatility
One of the biggest advantages of building a fleet around Bobcat is the sheer range of compatible attachments available through the standardized quick-attach system. Buckets, grapples, augers, mulchers, brush cutters, pallet forks, and dozens of other attachments can all run on the same base machine, which means a single skid steer can shift between forestry work, site prep, material handling, and general construction tasks without needing a separate machine for each job.
That versatility is a major reason skid steers remain such a practical investment for smaller crews and diversified operations. Rather than buying specialized equipment for every task, one well-specced skid steer with the right attachment lineup can cover an enormous range of work across a season.
Cab Comfort and Operator Experience
It's easy to focus purely on power and hydraulics and overlook the cab, but operator comfort has a real impact on productivity, especially on long forestry or grading days. Features like joystick controls, improved visibility, and reduced vibration cut down on operator fatigue, which translates into fewer mistakes and more consistent output over a full shift. This is where the difference between Bobcat's Classic and Pro lineups becomes most noticeable, since the Pro models are built specifically around delivering a more refined, technology-forward operator station.
If your crew runs a machine for eight or more hours a day, it's worth spending time in the cab before you buy, not just reviewing the spec sheet. A machine that looks similar on paper can feel very different after a full day of real work.
Weigh Total Cost of Ownership, Not Just Purchase Price
A lower upfront price isn't always the better deal once you factor in fuel efficiency, expected maintenance costs, attachment compatibility, and resale value. Machines with strong hydraulic systems and durable undercarriages tend to hold their value better and require less unplanned maintenance over time, which matters if you're running the machine hard across forestry and construction work in the same season. Before deciding, it's worth comparing not just the sticker price between models, but the realistic cost of owning and running each one over several years of your actual workload.
New or Used: Both Are Worth Considering
Depending on your budget and how soon you need the machine, a new Bobcat skid steer isn't your only path to getting the right capability on your job site. A well-maintained used unit, especially one that's gone through a proper dealer inspection and service history, can deliver strong performance at a meaningfully lower entry cost. The right call depends on your utilization, your timeline, and how much risk you're comfortable carrying on machine condition, and it's a conversation worth having honestly with your dealer rather than defaulting to one option out of habit.
Why Buy Through an Authorized Bobcat Dealer
Choosing where you buy matters just as much as choosing which machine to buy. As an authorized Bobcat dealer with locations in Jamestown and Casselton, Bison Machinery carries current Classic and Pro lineup inventory, backed by a service department staffed with factory-trained technicians and a well-stocked parts inventory. That local support matters enormously once the machine is actually out working, whether you're running a mulcher through a dense tree line or grading a job site under a tight deadline. Having a dealer who can get you the right part or the right technician quickly is often the difference between a short delay and a lost week of productivity.
