Kubota SSV65 vs. Bobcat S66: When the Numbers Aren't Actually Close

Most head-to-head equipment comparisons end in a genuine trade-off -- one machine wins on capacity, the other wins on footprint or price, and the right answer depends on the buyer. The Kubota SSV65 and Bobcat S66 are an honest exception worth calling out plainly: at nearly identical operating weight, the Bobcat simply outmuscles the Kubota on both horsepower and rated capacity. That doesn't make the SSV65 a bad machine -- it makes this a useful comparison for understanding what you're actually trading when you choose a lower-output skid steer, and where that trade genuinely pays off anyway.

The Numbers, Without Sugarcoating Them

The Kubota SSV65 runs a turbocharged Kubota V2607-CR-TE4 diesel rated at 64 gross horsepower (SAE J1995), at an operating weight of 7,054.8 lbs, with a rated operating capacity of 1,950 lbs.

The Bobcat S66 runs 74 horsepower -- a full 10 hp more -- at an operating weight of 7,154 lbs, just 100 lbs heavier than the Kubota, and rates for 2,400 lbs of operating capacity: roughly 23% more than the SSV65 on essentially the same footprint. Bobcat achieves that with a vertical-lift-path design, two-speed travel, and Super Float tires aimed at keeping traction consistent as load increases.

Put plainly: if you put these two machines side by side and asked which one does more work per pound of steel, the Bobcat S66 wins clearly. That's a real, honest finding, not a hedge -- and it's worth stating directly rather than manufacturing a false trade-off that doesn't exist in the specs.

So Why Would Anyone Still Choose the Kubota?

A capacity gap on paper doesn't automatically decide a purchase, and there are legitimate reasons a contractor still lands on the SSV65. Kubota's engine reputation is built on decades of diesel engineering the company also uses across its agricultural and utility tractor lines, and a lot of rural and semi-rural Florida operations already run Kubota equipment elsewhere in the fleet -- shared parts knowledge, a familiar dealer relationship, and a technician who already knows the platform are real, if less glamorous, reasons to stay in the Kubota family rather than chase the bigger number.

A lower-output engine also typically means lower fuel burn across a full day of lighter-duty work -- material handling, snow work, or general property maintenance that doesn't consistently demand peak breakout force. For a contractor whose work doesn't regularly max out either machine's capacity, that fuel and long-term maintenance cost difference can matter more over five years of ownership than the spec-sheet gap does on day one.

When the Capacity Gap Actually Matters

The calculus flips fast for a contractor doing genuinely heavy daily material handling -- landscape supply yards, demolition cleanup, or hardscape crews moving pallets of block and stone all day. For that work, the Bobcat S66's extra 450 lbs of rated capacity and 10 additional horsepower aren't a marginal upgrade -- they're the difference between finishing a load in three passes instead of four, which compounds into real time savings over a ten-hour day. If your work regularly pushes either machine toward its rated limit, the S66 is the more defensible buy on capability alone.

Attachments and Hydraulic Considerations

Both machines run the standard auxiliary hydraulic circuit common to this size class, supporting the usual range of buckets, pallet forks, brooms, and light grapples. The Bobcat S66's extra horsepower gives it slightly more reserve capacity running hydraulically demanding attachments -- a brush cutter or a heavier grapple -- without bogging down, while the Kubota SSV65 handles the same lighter-duty attachment range comfortably but has less headroom for attachments that push toward the upper end of what a machine this size can support.

Dealer Support and Resale

Bobcat's dealer network is the largest and most established in the compact equipment industry, which translates into strong resale value and a deep used-equipment market if you plan to trade the S66 within a few years. Kubota's dealer network, while smaller in pure compact-equipment count, benefits from significant overlap with Kubota's agricultural and utility tractor dealers -- valuable specifically for Florida operations already running Kubota tractors elsewhere in the fleet, where service relationships and parts inventory carry over directly to the SSV65.

Financing Either Machine the Right Way

Whichever machine fits your work, renting a mid-size skid steer repeatedly instead of owning one is the costlier choice over any real stretch of time -- rental invoices don't build equity, and a crew that depends on rental availability is at the mercy of whatever the yard has on the lot that week. Equipment financing through BFC is built for contractors who don't fit a conventional bank's standard checklist -- newer businesses, seasonal cash flow, and operators who need a second machine financed while a first loan is still active. Down payments scale with credit profile rather than a fixed wall, and a well-qualified buyer can sometimes get moving for the cost of a first payment rather than a large cash outlay up front.

Fuel Burn Across a Full Season

The SSV65's lower horsepower engine generally burns less fuel per hour than the S66's higher-output engine, which adds up over a full season of daily use -- a genuine, if modest, operating-cost advantage for the Kubota on lighter-duty work where the Bobcat's extra capacity goes unused most days. But that math flips when the S66's extra capacity means finishing the same job in fewer cycles: burning somewhat more fuel per hour while working fewer hours to complete the same task can net out close to even, or even favor the Bobcat, on genuinely capacity-constrained work. The honest takeaway is that fuel cost alone shouldn't decide this purchase -- total job-completion time matters more.

The Bigger Picture on Brand Loyalty

This comparison is a good example of why brand ecosystem sometimes legitimately outweighs a capability gap. A contractor with zero existing equipment and a pure capability question should lean Bobcat here -- the numbers are clear. But a contractor with an existing Kubota relationship, whether from tractors, mowers, or other equipment, has a real, quantifiable reason to accept less capacity in exchange for fleet simplicity: fewer dealer relationships to manage, shared parts inventory, and a maintenance technician who already knows the platform. Neither factor should be dismissed in favor of the other without weighing your specific situation.

Tire Options and Surface Protection

Both machines accept a comparable range of tire configurations, from standard traction tires to turf-friendly and solid flat-proof options. A landscape supply yard or hardscape operation working repeatedly on gravel, mulch, and paved surfaces has different tire needs than a property maintenance crew working manicured lawns, and that decision matters more for surface protection and long-term tire replacement cost than the brand choice between the SSV65 and S66 themselves.

Solid, flat-proof tires are worth the added cost for any operation regularly working sites with construction debris or other puncture hazards -- the downtime and labor cost of a flat tire on a revenue-generating machine typically outweighs the extra upfront cost within the first year, on either brand.

The Bottom Line

This is one of the more honest comparisons in the compact loader class precisely because the numbers don't require much interpretation -- the Bobcat S66 is simply the more capable machine on paper, and the Kubota SSV65 earns its place through reliability reputation, fuel economy, and fleet-consolidation value rather than through matching the S66 spec for spec. Knowing that going in lets you make a clear-eyed decision instead of assuming both machines are roughly equivalent.

A Real Jobsite Scenario

Consider a property maintenance company in rural Palm Beach County that already runs two Kubota tractors for mowing and land maintenance. Adding an SSV65 to the fleet means one shared parts inventory, one familiar dealer, and a technician who already knows the hydraulic system -- real operational simplicity, even with less raw capacity. Now picture a hardscape supply yard loading pallets of paver and block onto delivery trucks all day: the Bobcat S66's extra capacity means fewer cycles per truck and a faster loading dock, and that throughput difference is worth more to that business than fleet commonality ever would be. Buy toward the job you actually run every day, not the brand loyalty or the biggest number on the page.

For more on right-sizing a mid-frame skid steer before you commit, see our guide to wheeled skid steer size classes, and if fleet growth is on the horizon, our piece on scaling a landscaping or hardscape business past one skid steer is worth reading next.

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