The Bobcat S66-2 deserves a place on a Canadian farm or contractor shortlist when the job calls for a wheeled loader with useful pallet and bucket capacity, but access and attachment requirements do not justify moving into a larger machine. The important buying question is what the extra capability will actually change in your day. More engine horsepower is not automatically more auxiliary flow, and a rated bucket capacity is not a promise that every pallet can be lifted to every height.

This guide covers the North American S66-2 Pro model. It is a specification-based buying assessment, not an owner review or a hands-on test. Treat an advertisement for an older S66 as a separate machine until its generation, serial number and equipment have been established.

Where the S66-2 fits

Start with the work that happens most often. A livestock operation may need to move feed, clean concrete areas, handle bedding and clear approaches. A landscape contractor may spend more time transporting loose material and placing pallets than running a demanding hydraulic tool. In both cases, the right loader is the one that completes the normal cycle without creating a new access, transport or attachment problem.

The S66-2 is worth considering when you want more engine output than the smaller Bobcat S64-2, while remaining in a similar lift-height and auxiliary-flow category. If your reason for upgrading is a particular snowblower or cutter, however, compare the attachment requirements first. Buying an engine number and discovering later that the auxiliary circuit is still the limiting factor is an expensive way to specify a loader.

North American specification snapshot

Item	S66-2 published specification
Engine output	74 hp
Rated operating capacity	2,400 lb
Tipping load	4,800 lb
Operating weight	7,046 lb
Auxiliary flow	17.6 US gpm standard; 26.9 US gpm optional high flow
Hydraulic system pressure	3,500 psi
Width / cab height	67 in. / 80.5 in.
Height to bucket hinge pin	120 in.

These figures come from Bobcat’s North American S66-2 page, checked on September 29, 2026. Bobcat’s Pro loader brochure identifies a vertical lift path. Installed equipment and the approved attachment determine the specification that matters for a particular machine.

Turn the capacity figure into a loading decision

For this model, the published ROC is half the published tipping load. That relationship explains the rating basis; it does not make the larger number an operating target. Nor does it establish the permitted load on a fork attachment. Aglist’s guide to ROC and tipping load explains why those figures must remain separate.

Build a load list using actual weights. “A pallet of supplies” is too vague: the goods, pallet, wrapping and any irregular projection all matter. Record where the load’s centre will sit on the forks and how high it must go. Then obtain the approved capacity information for the machine and fork combination. If the paperwork does not cover the intended arrangement, the headline ROC alone cannot answer the question.

For loose materials, a bucket that looks conveniently large can produce very different loads as material changes. A practical purchasing exercise is to list your common materials, the bucket used for each and the measured or reliably documented weight of a normal load. Do not assume a full bucket of dry bedding and a full bucket of wet aggregate represent comparable work. The aim is a repeatable loading plan, not finding the heaviest load the hydraulics will move.

Why engine power and attachment power need separate checks

The S66-2 can look like the obvious upgrade if you are comparing engine badges. For attachment selection, write a separate specification sheet. Bobcat’s attachment-matching guidance makes hydraulic compatibility a distinct choice. Flow, pressure and the required connections have to suit the particular attachment.

Imagine two hypothetical tools. Tool A permits 15–20 US gpm; Tool B permits 25–30 US gpm. Those ranges are examples, not specifications for a real product. Tool A would prompt a standard-flow compatibility check, while Tool B would prompt investigation of the high-flow configuration. Neither decision is complete until the attachment manufacturer’s pressure, return, drain, electrical and carrier requirements are checked. “It has high flow” is not a universal compatibility certificate.

For snow removal, consider where the snow must go. A bucket, pusher and blower solve different problems. The purchase case for a blower may be strongest where snow cannot simply be piled beside the route. That makes the blower’s exact hydraulic and control requirements an early purchasing input, rather than an accessory decision after the loader arrives. For occasional hydraulic tools, compare rental availability and the cost of specifying the loader around a tool that may run only a few days a year.

Keep a one-page attachment register with model, serial number, weight, width, allowed flow range, maximum pressure and required connections. Aglist’s standard versus high-flow guide provides the broader selection method. Here, the key is to make that register specific to the S66-2 you are considering.

Will it fit the yard, building and truck?

Measure the route as a system. The narrowest opening is only one checkpoint; a right-angle turn after the opening may be more restrictive. Include the installed bucket or attachment, door hardware, protective posts and the space needed to approach the job squarely. A width printed in a machine table should never substitute for checking the actual attachment envelope.

Overhead clearance deserves a separate drawing. Record the lowest doorway, lighting, pipes and any area where arms might be raised. Hinge-pin height is a geometry reference, not usable dump clearance. To evaluate a truck or spreader, you need the selected bucket’s clearance and reach in its discharge position. A demonstration should use the receiving body or a faithful mock-up, on an appropriate level surface, under the operator’s manual and demonstration provider’s procedures.

For transport planning, start with the actual machine configuration, then add the transported attachments, spare items and securement equipment. Compare the resulting load with the trailer’s available payload and the ratings of the complete towing combination. The operating-weight entry is a planning input, not a weigh ticket. A different bucket, tyre package or added equipment can make a previously comfortable transport plan less comfortable.

Three useful Canadian work scenarios

A mixed livestock yard

Map the clean and dirty work zones, the attachment changes between them and the time spent travelling empty. If the loader can handle the required materials but repeatedly needs to change tools across the yard, workflow may offer a bigger improvement than another size class. A sensible demonstration follows the real sequence: collect the attachment, approach the work, manoeuvre, unload and return. Include the operator’s view of the working edge and nearby obstacles.

A landscape business moving between sites

Transport and access can dominate this decision. List the gates and trailer combinations you actually encounter, not just the largest site on the calendar. Consider whether one larger job can be rented out or subcontracted rather than forcing every routine job to carry the overhead of a larger loader. Conversely, if your normal pallet work sits outside an approved attachment rating, renting occasionally is not a substitute for buying adequate everyday capacity.

A property with year-round snow and material handling

Specify the winter task with as much care as the summer task. Identify where visibility is restricted, where snow storage reduces manoeuvring space and which surfaces must remain undamaged. Assess the actual tyre choice and winter attachment, cab heating and defrost operation, lighting and storage arrangements. Do not assume a wheeled loader will have the same grip on packed snow that it demonstrates on dry gravel.

Compare the S66-2 with the right alternatives

The S64-2 is the useful comparison when your work is already within its approved capacity and attachment envelope. Ask what recurring task would become easier with the S66-2, and seek a demonstration of that task. If no job changes, the lower-capacity option may deserve equal attention, depending on the actual quotations and equipment.

The S76-2 belongs in the comparison when the problem is lift capacity, taller loading or greater auxiliary-flow requirements. It should not be treated as a cost-free next step: recheck access and transport. For a used-machine comparison, the S650 is another distinct candidate, but age, condition, equipment and service records may matter more than a tidy comparison of brochure figures.

If soft-ground work is what limits your current operation, compare a track loader as a separate ownership decision. The skid steer versus compact track loader guide frames that choice. Moving to tracks changes the undercarriage, transport and surface-care questions; it does not remove the need to check loading geometry and attachment compatibility.

Inspecting a demonstrator or used S66-2

Begin with identity and equipment. Photograph the identification plate for your records, reconcile it with the sale documents and establish which hydraulic package and counterweights are installed. Do not let a generic advertisement become the specification for the machine in front of you. Obtain the relevant operating and attachment documentation before deciding what a demonstration may safely include.

Inspect tyres as a matched set, look for damage around attachment connections and examine the coupler and attachment interface. Have a qualified inspection address lift-arm pivots, structural repairs, hydraulic leaks and abnormal movement. These are general inspection priorities, not reported S66-2 failure patterns. Service history should show what was done, when and at what hours; a clean exterior is not a maintenance record.

During an authorised demonstration, evaluate low-speed control, sightlines and the transition between driving and working the attachment. Test relevant cab functions and displays. Record observations in plain language—hesitation during a specific manoeuvre, an obscured edge, a control that needs explanation—rather than giving the machine an unsupported overall score.

Ownership costs worth putting on paper

Compare written quotations with the same equipment, attachments and delivery assumptions. Separate purchase price, finance terms, scheduled maintenance, tyres, attachment wear parts, transport and an allowance for unscheduled downtime. Do not use a guessed Canadian market price or a promised fuel saving to make one option win.

For your own operation, divide the annual ownership and operating estimate by productive hours under a stated scenario. Then try a lower-use year. A loader that seems inexpensive when used daily can look different if its work is seasonal. Keep the calculation transparent enough that you can replace each assumption with an invoice, service quotation or actual hour record later.

Questions that settle the purchase

Can the S66-2 replace a forklift?

Only evaluate the specific handling task against approved fork and machine information. Pallet handling does not make every forklift task appropriate for a skid steer. Placement height, load centre, visibility, surface and the intended operating environment all need assessment.

Should I order high flow for resale alone?

First price its value to your own attachment plan. A claimed resale premium needs local evidence, not an assumption. If your existing tools require standard flow, high flow should not be treated as permission to supply them more oil.

Is vertical lift enough to guarantee truck-loading suitability?

No. The selected bucket, receiver height and required reach still decide whether the complete loading cycle works. Check the discharge position, not just the highest point the empty arms can reach.

What should be written into the quote?

The exact model generation, hydraulic package, tyres, cab equipment, attachment models, approved counterweight configuration and supplied documentation. These details make competing offers comparable and help prevent a feature discussed during a demonstration from disappearing in the delivered specification.

Who should keep looking beyond this model?

Buyers whose routine work requires a larger approved load envelope, more hydraulic output, a different ground-contact system or access that this configuration cannot provide. Choose from the job backwards; an attractive engine rating cannot solve the wrong size, geometry or attachment match.