Boost Productivity with the Ultimate in Travel Speed Control

Boost Productivity with the Ultimate in Travel Speed Control

Speed Management Feature on Selectable Joystick Controls

Sometimes success on the road to higher profits depends less on how fast you travel than on how well you control your speed.

For example, trying to crowd too much brush into the Brushcat rotary cutter or too much snow into a Bobcat snowblower by traveling too fast can reduce the attachment's efficiency and increase the chance of stalling.

However, if you can operate your Bobcat hydraulic attachment independent of the loader's travel speed, you can reduce the chance of stalling without sacrificing attachment productivity. That's the idea behind the Speed Management feature of the Bobcat Selectable Joystick Control system. "Designed for use with many Bobcat attachments, Speed Management allows you to set the loader's maximum travel speed to achieve the sweet spot — the speed where both the attachment and the loader perform most efficiently," says Mike Fitzgerald, Bobcat loader product specialist.

No other manufacturer of compact loaders offers Speed Management. It's available on Bobcat skid-steer and compact track loaders equipped with Selectable Joystick Controls (SJC) and the A300 all-wheel steer loader.

How it Works

Simply "dial in" your required travel speed in small increments from 0 to 7 miles per hour. After selecting Speed Management mode, you can set a number that represents a percentage of top travel speed of nearly 7 mph. Say, for instance, you dial in 50. "No matter how far you move the joystick, the loader won't travel faster than around 3.5 mph, which is about 50 percent of full speed," Fitzgerald explains. "This allows you to maintain maximum driveline torque to power the wheels or tracks and full hydraulic power to operate your attachment at whatever travel speed you select. This feature is particularly useful when optimal attachment performance is required at a slow travel speed, such as planing, tilling, trenching or using the wheel saw."

A300 with Trencher Attachment

More precise movements

Moving the joystick a given distance in Speed Management mode results in a slower, smoother change in speed, direction and steering of the loader than moving it the same distance in standard mode. This makes precise control of your machine's movements much easier. Rather than having to continually hold the joystick in the same exact position to maintain a constant travel speed, you can now achieve this same level of performance at a full range of joystick motion.

This can increase your productivity where fine loader and attachment movements are required, such as hooking up attachments, working in tight areas, loading and unloading trucks or placing pallets," Fitzgerald says. "The smoother you can operate the machine the more productive you will be."

More benefits

Fitzgerald also points out that whether you're a new operator or an experienced hand, you'll also enjoy other benefits with Speed Management:

• It's simple to operate.
• It decreases your fatigue at the end of the day by reducing the amount of joystick movement needed to match the loader's speed to the attachment.
• It can improve fuel consumption by allowing you to finish a job faster.