Bobcat
Bobcat S650
The bright segment is what Bobcat S650 is rated to carry; the grey run past it is the rest of its tipping load. Bar length is tipping load drawn to the same scale on every machine on the site, so a short bar is a smaller machine and not a conservative rating.
One caveat on this machine: we could not find a published tipping load for it, so the figure above is its advertised capacity divided by the fraction its maker rates at. That makes the grey run arithmetic rather than a measurement, and it is the number worth asking a dealer to confirm.
The wheeled half of Bobcat's 650 frame, with 74 hp, 2,690 lb of rated capacity and a 23 GPM standard circuit that already runs most attachments. It is the Classic-line workhorse for contractors who want the T650's capability without tracks.
Suits: Contractors on hard surfaces who want 650-frame capacity and would rather buy tires than tracks Its vertical lift path reaches highest at full extension, for loading high-sided trucks and stacking.
Lifting and reach
- Rated operating capacityWheeled rating convention
- 2,690 lbs
- Tipping loadDerived from the advertised capacity, not published
- 5,380 lbs
- Lift height to hinge pin
- 124 in
- Lift path
- Vertical Lift
- Operating weight
- 7,901 lbs
Power and hydraulics
- Engine power
- 74 hp
- Engine
- Bobcat (model not published)
- Auxiliary flowStandard circuit
- 23 GPM
- Flow type
- Standard
- Warranty
- 2 yr / 2,000 hr
Fitted or available
What this machine can be ordered with. Some of these are standard and some cost extra, and which is which moves between trim levels, so check them against the quote rather than against this list.
What owners report
Summarised from the sources listed below. Nothing here was tested by us.
Few skid steers have as long a service record in North America as this one, and owner feedback reflects that - the sentiment is less enthusiasm about features than confidence that the machine will start and work. It sits in the Classic line now, which is Bobcat's way of saying it is the proven, familiar configuration rather than the technology showcase: selectable joystick controls, two-speed travel, automatic ride control, keyless start, a deluxe display, and no touchscreen to learn.
The hydraulics are the standout. At 23 GPM standard, it runs attachments that force smaller machines into an extra-cost circuit, and owners who have run older Bobcats notice the difference immediately. The complaints are consistent and worth taking seriously: rear visibility is poor enough that operators ask for a camera by name, hose routing invites chafe, and fuel consumption rates poorly in owner feedback. At higher hours the failures that show up are hydraulic - internal pump wear that leaves lift and tilt weak under load, and boom-cylinder seals letting fluid into the chain case. Final drives on this family reward the two cheap habits: hub bearing oil around every 500 hours, and replacing the inline case drain filter with the other hydraulic filters.
Surfaces that can take tires, capacity rather than gadgets, and the $13,000 saved over the tracked version going into attachments instead: that is the contractor it is for. Dealer coverage is dense and support rates well in owner feedback, which is a genuine part of the value. Before signing, add the rear camera to the build rather than regretting it, ask whether the high-flow circuit is fitted, and on any used example pull the chain case dipstick and watch lift and tilt under a loaded bucket rather than an empty one.
What owners like
- Owner feedback on this machine comes back unusually loyal - operators running several of them describe machines that keep working with little babysitting, and one 25-year Bobcat owner said flatly that he would not own another brand.
- 23 GPM of standard auxiliary flow is generous for a wheeled machine this size; a landscaper summed it up by saying the standard hydraulics are close to what high flow used to be, and a roughly 30 GPM high-flow option is there for planers and mulchers.
- At $61,101 published it lands about $13,000 under the tracked machine on the same frame, which is the clearest illustration in the Bobcat line of what rubber tracks actually cost you up front.
- 2,690 lb of rated capacity and a 124-inch hinge pin height cover full pallets of block and sod and clear a tandem's sideboards, and counterweight options push rated capacity a little higher for the occasional heavy lift.
- The Power Bob-Tach system draws specific praise in owner feedback for how quickly and safely attachments swap, which matters on a machine that changes tools several times a day.
- As a Classic model it keeps two-speed travel, automatic ride control and keyless start but skips the touchscreen and drive modes - a deliberately simpler machine, which is exactly what rental fleets and owner-operators who wrench their own iron are after.
What owners complain about
- Rear visibility is the most repeated complaint in owner feedback, with operators explicitly asking for a camera; on a Classic machine the integrated rear camera is an option on the deluxe display rather than standard equipment.
- Hose routing takes real criticism from owners, who report chafe and premature wear, and hydraulic fluid working past tired boom-cylinder seals into the chain case is a documented higher-hour failure that leaves the arms unable to work under load.
- Fuel economy scored among the lowest marks in owner survey feedback, which adds up on a machine that idles through a working day.
- The 2-year/2,000-hour warranty is short against what the machine costs, and owners say so directly.
- Battery and several service points are awkward to reach because the frame is packed tight, so routine jobs take longer than they should.
- Bobcat publishes a horsepower figure but not the engine model for this machine, so that spec cannot be verified against the maker.
- At 7,901 lb it is real trailer weight, and being wheeled it gives up all of the flotation that the tracked machine on the same frame brings to soft ground.
Drawn from equipmentexperts.com, heavyequipmentguide.ca, info.texasfinaldrive.com, equipmentjournal.com.
What buyers ask
Do I need the high-flow hydraulic option on an S650?
Why is the S650 rated at 2,690 lb when the tracked machines show lower numbers?
What breaks on a high-hour S650?
Is the S650 a Classic or Pro model, and what am I giving up?
How does the S650 compare on price to the tracked version?
Put the Bobcat S650 against
Machines in the same range
The rest of the Bobcat line
Bobcat
Bobcat S64-2
$62,918
- Engine
- 68 hp
- Aux flow
- 17.6 GPM
- Weight
- 6,855 lbs
Entry point to Bobcat's Pro line, a 68 hp vertical-lift skid steer carrying the same premium cab, drive modes and integrated tech as the bigger -2 machines. It suits operators who want the Pro cab and controls in the lightest, cheapest frame that offers them.
Full sheet & owner reports
Bobcat
Bobcat S66-2
$66,049
- Engine
- 74 hp
- Aux flow
- 17.6 GPM
- Weight
- 7,046 lbs
Unveiled at ConExpo 2026 as part of Bobcat's nine-model loader refresh, the S66-2 is the second-generation Pro version of the mid-frame S66. It keeps the proven 74 hp D24 engine and 2,400 lb vertical-lift platform but adds a redesigned electrical system, an 8-inch touchscreen with infotainment, four drive modes, and available camera- and radar-based object detection.
Full sheet & owner reports
Bobcat
Bobcat S590
$53,934
- Engine
- 68 hp
- Aux flow
- 17.1 GPM
- Weight
- 6,649 lbs
A 68 hp vertical-lift skid steer that sits between the S450 and the S650 in Bobcat's Classic line, with 2,000 lb of rated capacity and a 26.7 GPM high-flow option. It is the value pick for landscapers who need vertical lift but not a 74 hp frame.
Full sheet & owner reports