"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 23:57:21 -0700, "WJ" wrote:


"HaroldA102" wrote in message
...


I do not know how the bobcat works eather i seen them at the
auction
thay
look
hard to work on every thing is built in tight
thats what it looks like to me

That was sure true of the 80's Case versions that I worked on. Case
seemed
to make everything that way. I had a theory that their lead design
engineer
had something against mechanics, so he made sure everything was as
difficult
to service as possible. But I digress...

John, Every skid-steer rig I've seen was hydraulic drive, with hydraulic
motors driving the back wheels, and chains to link the wheels together on
each side. You should be able to look where the engine was, and tell
what
it was hooked up to. Even if the pump went with the engine (which is
probable ; they would be much easier to remove from the rig that way)
there
will be several hoses flopping around dripping fluid. If the pump is
gone,
I'd pass on it; new hydrostatic pumps are expensive.

The next question would be what you want to resurrect it for. It won't
be
much fun as an off-road vehicle. They are way too top-heavy and
skittish,
and they have very little ground clearance. You could high-center one on
a
speed bump. Their wheelbase is so short and they are so torquey that you
can tip one over on it's back just by throwing the controls forward
suddenly
on level ground. They don't tolerate much of a grade. They can be fun
on a
fairly level and hard surface if you just want to squirrel around...and
you
take the time to get good at it. But that beast will bounce and bang you
around in ways a quad wouldn't come close to. Bring your kidney belt,
and
make sure the seat belt's in good shape.

If you're thinking of putting the thing to work, look over the hydraulics
and the drive chains and sprockets really well. A lot of wear in these
areas will guarantee you many headaches and lots of lost productivity.
Also, you'll think you got a new hole in your wallet fixing them
Murphey's
law says that old hydraulic hoses tend to split open right where you'd
least
want a large puddle of hydraulic fluid (and a dead Bobcat).

Seriously, if you're looking at spending a lot of money, or a lot of your
valuable time on this project, go down to your local rental place and
rent
one for four hours. You could probably come up with some project you'd
need
it for. Play around with the thing to see how much you really want one.
You'll find that the guys who run them all the time are making it look
easy
and fun because they've had lots of practice. The reality is that
they're
pretty specialized machines that only do one thing well, and take a fair
degree of skill to operate smoothly.

Cheers,
Walt


How well would they work with the forklift attachment? I am needing to
move a bunch of my Stuff around in the back yard before the rains come
this fall, and being a dirt surfact, a regular forklift is out; The
local rental yard has one with the forks.

Gunner

I have forks on mine. They work well as long as you keep the load level and
don't try to put too much weight way out on the end of the fork. For really
heavy stuff, like over 1,000 pounds, the load has to be very close to the
cab. That's with a 743. The 873 at work will pick up a lot more without
tipping.