Bobcat Training Courses Make Good Sense for Safety and Profits

Jeff Alley

Training operators in proper and safe procedures for operating and maintaining Bobcat® equipment does more than promote jobsite safety. It can also promote healthier profits by improving efficiency and productivity when working with the equipment.

Bobcat Company offers a number of training courses that provide comprehensive classroom and hands-on instruction for operating and servicing Bobcat skid-steer loaders, compact excavators, telescopic tool carriers and backhoe and planer attachments. In addition to teaching new operators (including rental customers) and service technicians the fundamental rules and procedures, they offer good refresher training for experienced employees, notes Tom Ihringer, Bobcat product safety manager.

“These courses are recommended by insurance companies and encouraged by safety organizations,” he says. “They make a trainer’s job easier by providing a consistent message for all who take the courses. They were developed by Bobcat specialists who know more about our equipment than anyone.”

The materials in each course kit include a video tape, administrator’s guide, five course handbooks and attendance certificates for five students, and, if applicable, an industry safety manual.

Currently, the following training kits are available:

• Skid-steer loader training (includes all-wheel steer and compact track loaders) (English and Spanish)

• Compact excavator training (English and Spanish)

• VersaHandler telescopic tool carrier training

• Backhoe attachment training

• Planer attachment training

• Safety video for rental operations (skid-steer, all-wheel steer and mini track loader, excavator and loader backhoe versions)

• Service safety training for skid-steer loaders

• Service safety training for compact excavators

You can view a sample of each course online at www.bobcat.com. Click the Training Resources link. You can order from BobcatStore.com or contact your local Bobcat dealer.