Martyn Wright has expanded his company’s fleet of Bobcat excavators in the same year as Bobcat celebrates 25 years of success in the compact excavatormarket. From what began as an important diversification for Bobcat as the premier manufacturer of skid-steer loaders, has produced a range of compact excavators that today sets the standard worldwide for performance, quality, reliability and durability. The Bobcat range currently comprises 13 different models of compact excavators with operating weights from 1-8 tonne, including both conventional and zero tail swing designs. 
Martyn uses the Bobcat E26, E10 and 335 excavators in every area of his business including the recycling and waste handling work carried out at the company’s facilities at Islip near Kettering. He generally works within a 20 mile radius of Kettering, but the transportabililty and high performance of the new E26 model will be very advantageous for an upcoming project requiring construction work across the country.
Martyn Wright said: “The relationship with AMS Bobcat has been superb. We have been looked after throughout the duration by Clive McQuinn from the company, who has stopped at nothing to ensure that we get the best possible sales and service support.”
Martyn runs a fleet of attachments with the excavators including Clamp and Auger products from Bobcat. The Clamp attachment is very useful in the timber side of the business and, mounted on the E26 and 335 excavators, is used to harvest trees from local woodland for log splitting and sawing back at the yard. The Auger attachment is ideal for posthole work on local farms and properties. 
Martyn Wright commented: “The E26 continues the trend set by the E10 and the other E Series machines, which I believe offer a more refined design than other machines on the market. Powered by reliable Kubota diesel engines, Bobcat mini-excavators have always offered smooth controls and the latest generation has taken this to another level. For example, the boom swing on the E26 is controlled by a thumb wheel located on the left joystick, instead of the pedal control used on many competitive machines of this size. This feature improves controllability (metering) of the boom swing function and provides more floor space in the cab.”
Martyn continued: “I have purchased the optional long arm version of the E26 which extends the working range and increases productivity. The inherent stability of the E26 mini-excavator ensures that the long arm version does not require an additional counterweight. As well as increasing the working range, the cabbed long arm version of the E26 still has a weight of only 2700 kg, allowing it to be transported by trailer.”
Stability in the E26 is increased by using a 4-plate box design which reduces weight in the workgroup and, together with weight being added at the back of the excavator, has made it possible to move the centre of gravity towards the rear of the machine. In addition, the 4-plate box design for the workgroup, high resistant DCPD covers and ‘quick lock’ hydraulic connections all contribute to the high reliability of the E26 mini-excavator. 
Aimed at the 2-3 tonne market segment, the E26 offers all the advantages of the new E-generation of excavators from Bobcat launched over the last two years, namely high reliability, exceptional operator comfort, smooth workgroup operation and superior hydraulic performance. In addition, the E26 offers increased stability, optimised operating weight for towing and low noise and vibration, complemented by new features and technologies that are not yet available in many mini-excavators on the market.
An important achievement in the cab version of the E26 mini-excavator is the successful integration of the same cab used on the Bobcat excavator models in the 3-5 tonne segment. Even though the E26 has a zero tail swing design, the cab offers the highest comfort, visibility and space standards, with heating and radio/MP3 readiness as standard. The cab offers easy entry and exit for the operator and the design allows the door to be fully opened within the width of the upper structure. This reduces the possibility of damage to the machine and the surrounding environment.
The E26 is equipped with the 15.5 kW Kubota D1105-E2B-BCZ-2 diesel engine and has a new air intake, cooling and exhaust system, helping to reduce noise for both the operator and bystanders (operator noise level is 77 dBA and bystander noise is 91 dBA). The sealed floor plates and isolation on the inside of the engine panel behind the operator’s seat reduce undesired heat in the cab.
