Head to head
Gehl R105 against Bobcat S70
The Bobcat S70 saves $5,488; the Gehl R105 carries 290 lb more once both are rated the same way; the Gehl R105 moves 6.1 GPM more through the auxiliary circuit.
| Spec | Gehl R105 | Bobcat S70 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $35,000 | $29,512 |
| Rated capacity, as advertised | 1,050 lbs | 760 lbs |
| Rated at | 50% of tipping load | 50% of tipping load |
| Tipping load | 2,100 lbs | 1,520 lbs |
| Capacity at its class convention | 1,050 lbs | 760 lbs |
| Engine power | 35 hp | 23.5 hp |
| Engine | Yanmar 3TNV88C | Bobcat (model not published) |
| Auxiliary flow | 15 GPM | 8.9 GPM |
| Lift height | 107.5 in | 94.5 in |
| Operating weight | 4,200 lbs | 2,892 lbs |
| Lift path | Radial Lift | Radial Lift |
| Rubber tracks | No | No |
| High flow available | No | No |
| Enclosed cab available | Yes | Yes |
| Two-speed travel available | No | No |
| Self-levelling available | No | No |
| A/C and heat available | No | No |
| Warranty | 2 yr / 2,000 hr | 2 yr / 2,000 hr |
What owners say about each
Gehl R105
- At roughly 4,200 lbs it tows behind a half-ton pickup on a modest trailer, which owners call the single biggest reason they bought it.
- The 34.7 hp Yanmar 3TNV88C stays under the emissions threshold that triggers DPF and complex aftertreatment, keeping the engine dead simple to maintain.
- One of the lowest purchase prices of any diesel skid steer, undercutting a Bobcat S450 by a meaningful margin.
- The radial boom digs and scrapes well at ground level, ideal for the manure scraping and stall cleaning it's often bought for.
- Light footprint and turf-friendly tire options do less damage to lawns and finished surfaces than heavier machines.
- Shares parts with the Manitou 1050 R, so components move through both Gehl and Manitou dealer channels.
- A 1,050 lb rated capacity fills up fast, and owners report it struggles with heavier round bales and full pallets of feed.
- The 15 GPM hydraulics limit attachments to light-duty augers, brooms, and grapples - no high-flow tools here.
- The 107.5-inch hinge pin height is too short to load taller trucks and mixers, capping its material-handling usefulness.
- The small operator station is tight for bigger operators, especially entering and exiting past the T-bar controls.
- Gehl's limited dealer network makes service tricky in areas where the brand has little presence.
- Resale value is modest, and the small-frame diesel segment competes against cheap used mid-frames that do more.
Bobcat S70
- At $29,512 it is by a wide margin the cheapest machine Bobcat sells, roughly half the price of the next model up, the S450.
- A 2,892 lb operating weight means a half-ton pickup and a light trailer move it, so no second truck is needed to get to the job.
- An enclosed cab is still on the options list at this size, so it is not restricted to fair-weather work the way most mini loaders are.
- It is part of the 2026 Classic line rather than a leftover, so parts, attachments and dealer support come from the same network as the full-size machines.
- 760 lb of rated capacity will not lift a full pallet of pavers or sod - this is a bucket-and-broom machine.
- 8.9 GPM of auxiliary flow with no high-flow option rules out mulchers, planers and most hydraulic attachments outright.
- It is the only Bobcat loader with no two-speed option at all, so moving between work areas is slow.
- The 94.5 in lift height is more than a foot short of the S450's, which puts loading a tall dump truck out of reach.
- 23.5 hp is a fraction of a mid-frame machine's output, so sustained production work belongs on a bigger loader.