Machine Theft: How Common Is It?

A Jacksonville, Florida, equipment rental operator (@StanleyEquipmentCo) is out $40,000 and short one machine after a man contacted him on Facebook to rent a Bobcat MT100 mini track loader.

What Is a Bobcat MT100 Mini Track Loader?

The MT100 is Bobcat’s flagship mini track loader. It’s a compact, stand-on machine designed to reach tight spots that large equipment simply can’t get into. These units are just 35.6 inches wide with standard tracks, offer a 1,000-pound rated operating capacity, an 80.9-inch lift height, and fast hydraulic cycle times.

How Did Florida Man’s Bobcat MT100 Go Missing?

The TikToker started, “I just had a $40,000 piece of equipment stolen from our fleet, and I’m gonna tell you exactly how it happened and what I plan to do in the future so it doesn’t happen again.”

The tale becomes a warning about what to do if you’re renting out heavy equipment.

“As with anything, it started out just like a normal rental,” he said. “Had a guy reach out on Facebook, looking to rent my Bobcat MT100 for a couple of days with the grapple. So, I went ahead and plugged them all into my software, got all of his info, and then got him set up for that rental that started this past Monday.”

Then, he admits a crucial point: “Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or crazy as I was dropping it off. I didn’t meet the guy in person. Sometimes I do; sometimes I don’t. Now, that’s gonna be one of my policies. I have to see you and meet you in person if it’s my first time renting to you.”

He goes on to say he dropped it off at a place where the renters were allegedly doing some work. He was supposed to pick it up on Wednesday, January 28, and was told it would be ready at noon.

“So, I went back today, this evening, around 8 p.m.,” he continued. “And the machine was gone. He had texted me around noon that it was in the driveway, ready to go.”

The Turn

He immediately realized something was amiss and even talked to the neighbors to confirm his suspicion. They told him someone picked up the Bobcat earlier that morning.

“I call him two or three times, goes to voicemail,” he said. “[I messaged] him on Facebook, tried to get him in contact there. Texted him several times. No response on anything. And then, within about five minutes, he had blocked my number. His Facebook page and account [have] disappeared.”

At this point, he’s realized the Bobcat had been stolen. He also checked the GPS tracker on it, and it had been disabled. He submitted a police report and said he would go back to talk to the neighbors to see if they had any security footage, perhaps from a doorbell camera.

Alas, some neighbors did have footage. In a follow-up video, he showed the Bobcat moved from a driveway to the side of the house. He said he got confirmation from several neighbors that a truck with a trailer had loaded the Bobcat and taken it away.

In another follow-up, he said his insurance company had taken care of him, as he had no luck locating the machine.

The Peanut Gallery Weighs in on Bobcat MT100 Theft

One commenter said, “Need to put a GPS or an Airtag on it.” The poster replied, “I had one in there, and they ripped it out.”

Another person believed it would be a lost cause anyway: “File an insurance claim and replace it. You don’t want it back. They will have trashed the wiring looking for trackers.”

After another commenter said they had suffered a similar theft, he responded, “It seems to be a pretty common occurrence on these mini skids.”

‘Stop! Thief!’

Apparently, what happened to this man isn’t a novel tale. First, the suspect exploited gaps in the owner’s rental verification process. The owner did not complete a full ID check from a Facebook-only contact profile.

The type of theft executed here is a textbook example of what the National Equipment Register calls conversion theft. It is where equipment, often for construction, is obtained through a seemingly legitimate rental transaction and never returned.

Per the 2023 report, National Equipment Register (NER) statistics showed rental machinery theft nearly doubled year over year. Also, just like in this situation, recovery is rare: across all construction theft targets, the recovery rate is estimated at less than 7%, according to one study.

For this owner/operator, though, having a rental punch list confirming key information and actually meeting the renter would probably have saved him a headache. Either the renter would have produced the information or blown off the fake rental.

AllHipHop reached out to the TikToker via email and to Doosan Bobcat via email. We will update this story if either party responds.

@stanleyequipmentco I had a machine from my rental fleet get stolen! #equipment #rental #business #bluecollar #entrepreneur ♬ original sound – StanleyEquipmentCo

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