I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks

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

I am not to sure about the bobcat's, but I used to work for Thomas
Equipment here in Canada, who makes a similar product. They actually
invented the hydralic drive used in all of them today, but never
patented it.
It works with the motor driving a hyd pump, powering a couple of hyd
motors, one on each side, there is usually a reduction drive of some
kind and then chains out to each axle. The small ones used a chain
reduction and the larger units had a gear setup.
No clutches or transmission, everything is controled via valves
linked to the streering arms, drives like a tank. Mind you I have never
seen someone stand a tank up on its rear wheels and balance it there :-)
The testers would take each unit through a half hour break in period
to check them out, and once a day they would take a machine and run it
for a full 8 hrs.
Nice machines, but they are in the middle of nowhere. More people
worked in the town than lived there :-) I left for some more urban climate.
http://www.thomasloaders.com/

John Smith wrote:
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks



--
James P Crombie
Slemon Park, PEI
Canada
Machinist - 3D Cad Design - Amateur Astronomer

http://www.jamescrombie.com

"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

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

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by
the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked
out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman
Liebmann

"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.

Hey Gunner,

They don't "steer", they skid skew. I think they would chew the crap
out of the dirt "floor" at every turn, no matter how hard-packed.
They sure scratch up concrete and asphalt while they work.

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 07:59:48 GMT, Gunner
wrote:

HUGE SNIP
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

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by
the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked
out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman
Liebmann

I have an old "bobcat" brand skidsteer with the wisconsin motor. Most
likely this is a Melroe bobcat, they made bobcat brand skidsteers
then were bought by Ingersol Rand company...Mine is a M-600 model with
the wisconsin VF-4 air cooled engine. The M610 had the wisconsin VH-4
engine, again, air cooled. These machine DO NOT run on hydraulic
motors, instead they are driven from the engine with a variable speed
clutch ( like a snowmobile) to a set of wet clutches located in each
side of the machine, then by chains to the wheels. A variable speed
hydraulc cyl. permits speed and power changes at the drive clutch on
the engine. These are really good little machines for hobby shops,
farms etc...and still many of them around. Parts are still available.
My advice, if you can pick it up for the right price ( less than
$1000) then locate an engine and install it, and you will have a
machine worth about $2500-3000, or in my case, the perfect shop tool.
VERY IMPORTANT.....Wisconsin made special motors for these machines,
they use a tapered crank shaft for the clutch...all other VH and VF
engines have a straight shaft. You will need to find a taper shaft
engine.
If you decide to purchase it, feel free to contact me and I will
provide informate on a bobcat junkyard and other infor.










Machineman wrote in message m...
I am not to sure about the bobcat's, but I used to work for Thomas
Equipment here in Canada, who makes a similar product. They actually
invented the hydralic drive used in all of them today, but never
patented it.
It works with the motor driving a hyd pump, powering a couple of hyd
motors, one on each side, there is usually a reduction drive of some
kind and then chains out to each axle. The small ones used a chain
reduction and the larger units had a gear setup.
No clutches or transmission, everything is controled via valves
linked to the streering arms, drives like a tank. Mind you I have never
seen someone stand a tank up on its rear wheels and balance it there :-)
The testers would take each unit through a half hour break in period
to check them out, and once a day they would take a machine and run it
for a full 8 hrs.
Nice machines, but they are in the middle of nowhere. More people
worked in the town than lived there :-) I left for some more urban climate.
http://www.thomasloaders.com/

John Smith wrote:
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks

Yes sir Thay work the best for fork lift rough torain

"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

Depends on the model, the common rental ones only lift about 1000 lbs, so
you need to check the specs. You might want to check something like a small
loader, I have an Allmand 325 that has a fork lift attachment although I
just take off the bucket and use cargo straps to lift or pull stuff in the
shop. A common rental would be a Terramite T9. You can drive a bobcat on
the dirt without tearing the ground up as long as you are REALLY careful to
make wide turns and keep all four wheels turning. Another option is a big
rough terrain fork lift, got mine at Sunbelt Rental for $800 / week when I
built my shop, I think it would lift 6000 lbs with the boom retracted.

Steve.

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is
in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor
on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so
but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez
way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks



To me, the thing would be getting parts, and as you start to buy a hose here
and a fitting there, and a check valve here, and a controller there, you
could either be up to the cost of a new one or more. I rent skid steers for
about $200 a day when I need them, and consider that the best way to go. If
you really want one, shop for one that is running and newer.

The one you are considering sounds like a money hole, hobby, or PITA. I
think what you need to do is take several thousand dollars, put it in a
Priority Mail envelope, and send it to me. At least you will get something
for your money. I PROMISE to send you a birthday card and Christmas card
every year for as long as you live.

Steve

omeone said that there is clutches and transmissions?

I owned an Model 610 ( about 1970) that had the V-4 Wisconsin engine. It had a
series of clutches and several yards of chain. It was high maintenence and if
you can't work on it yourself it will break you.

The smal water cooled motor would probably be an improvment over the V-4
Wisconsin but make sure you set the RPM limits to what the original V-4 had.

Hooking up the engine to Bobcat running gear will be interesting. Using the
automatic tranny from the car motor might increase the versatilty of your
machine but it will take some shade tree engineering to hook it all up.
Good luck,
DL

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 23:57:21 -0700, "WJ" vaguely
proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

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...

NO! He had shares in the Case service Dept! G
************************************************** ***
Marriage. Where two people decide to get together so
that neither of them can do what they want to because
of the other one.

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 21:44:38 -0700, "John Smith"
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Project! Price accordingly! This is for love, not results.

I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks


************************************************** ***
Marriage. Where two people decide to get together so
that neither of them can do what they want to because
of the other one.

"John Smith" wrote in message . ..
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks


Yes, it can be done. If you put in a water cooled motor you are going
to need a radiator(and a place to put it). A VW bug motor might be a
good option. Cheap, lot of power(comparitively), lightweight.

I think the "big" Wisconsin Bobcats were only about 25hp.

As others have mentioned, this may be more of project than it's worth.
There is some skill to operate a Bobcat well. Early ones are pretty
unstable. The lift capacity of one these is probably only 5-600 lbs.
Even a small new one lift more than that. The older Bobcats are
pretty crude, and a real pain to work on. There is a lot of stuff
packed into a very small package.

If it is missing the hydraulic pump, pass on it as that is the single
most expensive component of the whole machine.

JW

"John Smith" wrote in message . ..
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks


Yes, it can be done. If you put in a water cooled motor you are going
to need a radiator(and a place to put it). A VW bug motor might be a
good option. Cheap, lot of power(comparitively), lightweight.

I think the "big" Wisconsin Bobcats were only about 25hp.

As others have mentioned, this may be more of project than it's worth.
There is some skill to operate a Bobcat well. Early ones are pretty
unstable. The lift capacity of one these is probably only 5-600 lbs.
Even a small new one lift more than that. The older Bobcats are
pretty crude, and a real pain to work on. There is a lot of stuff
packed into a very small package.

If it is missing the hydraulic pump, pass on it as that is the single
most expensive component of the whole machine.

JW

John Smith wrote:
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.
I need to know if anyone has heard of putting a small water cooled auto
engine in one of these? I was thinking of a 3 cyl. Pontiac firefly.
What makes the wheels go? I have assumed that there is a hydraulic motor on
each side that drives the chains I saw under the cover plates.
Someone said that there is clutches and transmissions? I don't think so but
I know nothing. I only guessed hydraulic motors because it seems the ez way
to do it. Any help would be appreciated.- Thanks


The newer Bobcats have hydraulic drive, but the oldest machines
had clutches and sprockets and a lot of troublesome stuff. Not nearly
as easy or precise to maneuver as the hydraulic units, and one forward
speed: slow. If it had an aircooled Wisconsin in it, it might be the
clutch & sprocket type. I don't know when they made the changeover;
perhaps in the mid-70s or so.

Dan

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 10:41:17 GMT, "ATP"
wrote:


"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.

Most of my stuff is way over 1000 lbs

Gunner

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by
the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked
out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman
Liebmann

--Yes, they look like fun but I always get the impression they'd
tip over on the slightest incline. Maybe not true, but they *are* pretty
narrow..

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : When did 'Pledge Week'
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : turn into 'Pledge Month'?
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

There us a lot of mass down low, plus some of them use solid tires. The
narrow ones are typically found on the job site and are designed to fit
through your standard doorway. Besides, thats what roll cages are for :-)

steamer wrote:
--Yes, they look like fun but I always get the impression they'd
tip over on the slightest incline. Maybe not true, but they *are* pretty
narrow..


--
James P Crombie
Slemon Park, PEI
Canada
Machinist - 3D Cad Design - Amateur Astronomer

http://www.jamescrombie.com

NO! He had shares in the Case service Dept! G
************************************************** ***

LOL could be. It always seemed to me like there was a malicious element in
it all, though. Dastardly design.

WJ

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:19:49 GMT, Gunner
calmly ranted:

Most of my stuff is way over 1000 lbs

My buddy Terry (did he ever contact you?) sold his
manual electric forklift (electric pull-toy) just
before I left LoCal. It was rated 1-Ton.

You need your own 5T forklift or a heavy-duty
boom truck, dude.

--============================================--
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
---
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development

--Yes, they look like fun but I always get the impression they'd
tip over on the slightest incline. Maybe not true, but they *are* pretty

My 610 would tip sideways, backwards and forwards, depending on what you were
doing. Whatever you do: never, never operate one of these things around water
more than an inch deep. I slid down the side of a small farm pond into a few
feet of water. Only way out of the roll cage was through the front. I am a
fairly good sized guy and I thought I might not make it out. I have had many
close calls during my lifetime but that is the scariest one. I still have
nightmares about that one.
DL

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:43:32 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:19:49 GMT, Gunner
calmly ranted:

Most of my stuff is way over 1000 lbs

My buddy Terry (did he ever contact you?) sold his
manual electric forklift (electric pull-toy) just
before I left LoCal. It was rated 1-Ton.

bummer..nope..never contacted me.

You need your own 5T forklift or a heavy-duty
boom truck, dude.


Ayup. Something with rough ground tires

Gunner

--============================================--
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
---
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by
the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked
out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman
Liebmann

"John Smith" wrote in message . ..
I have a chance to pick up an older Bobcat. I don't know anything about
these but they look like fun. It has no engine, original V4 Wisconsin is in
junkyard.

I own an M610 Bobcat (Clark/Melroe) that was made about 1970. I have
owned it 10 years and put about 300 hours on it. It is a terrific
hobby machine but is about as safe as a 50 year old farm tractor,
there is no way you'd find one on a job site in today's
lawyered-world.

When I bought it, it looked like it it had rolled end-over-end down a
hill and was ready for the scrap yard, but it worked great. 10 years
later it looks the same and still works great. Last week it moved
60,000 lbs of rock in an afternoon. I have put a total of about 100
hours into repairs and maintenance.

The motor is the later Wisconsin VH4D air-cooled V4, 30 HP, 100 cu
inch, and yes it has the tapered shaft.

This M610 will lift 2000 lbs up tight against the boom, or 1000 lbs
centered on the forks with a fork attachment. It is tip-limited.
Mine has extra weight plates on the back that make it "twitchy"
without an attachment.

There is no way anyone could own one of these and pay someone to work
on it. You could buy a new machine before you'd get anywhere. Yes
it's a pain to work with, there is stuff you have to hang upside down
to reach but you don't have to mess with it often. Bobcat (now part
of IR) still sells most of the parts. Anything big is expensive but
the seal kits and other small stuff is reasonable.

The Wisconsin engine parts are expensive, I have heard about $3000 to
rebuild a good core. No idea if that is accurate.

Considering how much of the case width the variable speed drive takes
up, it'd be a challenge to fit a different motor and drive in there
but who knows.

The motor sits in about the right 3/4 of the case, with the tapered
crankshaft sticking out the left end. The fixed half of a variable
sheave keys directly to the crank taper. The other half of the
sheave is pushed toward the motor by convoluted rotating hydraulic
cylinder with a swivel fitting. Pressurize the cylinder to move the
halves together to increase speed. Drain it to reduce. The other
sheave on the driveshaft is spring-loaded and takes up the slack.

The driveshaft feeds the forward and reverse clutches in the gearcases
on each side of the machine. There is some reduction in the
gearcases. The driveshaft rpm range is, wild guess, from about 300
rpm at the lowest speed to 3000 rpm at highest speed.

There is also a small hydraulic pump on the motor, on the VH4D driven
by the timing gear. It puts out about 11 gpm at 2000 psi. That is
only a small fraction of th engine output, most of which goes into the
wheel drives for pushing into a pile. Working the machine uses the
full 30 HP output. With good tires it is easy to stall the machine.

If you can see the chain drive under the cover plates, there's a good
reason, i.e. the clutches are shot. More $$$.

It may be worth something as a free parts machine, but my guess is you
could buy a good working machine for less than it'd cost to make a
working machine out of this one.

Bob

"SteveB" wrote in message
news:qdpUc.53550$Lj.2840@fed1read03...

I PROMISE to send you a birthday card and Christmas card
every year for as long as you live.


What if he out lives you?

Shawn

"Shawn" shawn_75ATcomcastDOTnet wrote in message
...

"SteveB" wrote in message
news:qdpUc.53550$Lj.2840@fed1read03...

I PROMISE to send you a birthday card and Christmas card
every year for as long as you live.


What if he out lives you?

Shawn



I would leave instructions to continue sending him the cards. Provided
there was any money left.

Steve

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 03:08:14 GMT, Gunner
calmly ranted:

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:43:32 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:19:49 GMT, Gunner
calmly ranted:

Most of my stuff is way over 1000 lbs

My buddy Terry (did he ever contact you?) sold his
manual electric forklift (electric pull-toy) just
before I left LoCal. It was rated 1-Ton.

bummer..nope..never contacted me.

I'll check back. He's still overloaded.


You need your own 5T forklift or a heavy-duty
boom truck, dude.


Ayup. Something with rough ground tires

Advertise in Cliffslist for "4-WD Forklift with Knobbies".


---
Where ARE those Weapons of Mass Destruction, Mr. President?
----
http://diversify.com - Guaranteed Weaponless Website Design

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 01:39:16 -0400, "Shawn" shawn_75ATcomcastDOTnet
calmly ranted:


"SteveB" wrote in message
news:qdpUc.53550$Lj.2840@fed1read03...

I PROMISE to send you a birthday card and Christmas card
every year for as long as you live.


What if he out lives you?

Dead people aren't often held to their promises.

---
Where ARE those Weapons of Mass Destruction, Mr. President?
----
http://diversify.com - Guaranteed Weaponless Website Design

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 03:08:14 GMT, Gunner
wrote:
On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:43:32 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

You need your own 5T forklift or a heavy-duty
boom truck, dude.

Ayup. Something with rough ground tires

Look around at all those towable Wiggins forklifts with pneumatic
tires, perfect for a dirt floor. They have to be available on the
"well used equipment" market, especially since a lot of the places
that used to tow them around behind their delivery trucks every day
(Building Materials, Sod Farms, Nurseries) have gone to the
lightweight "piggyback" forklifts.

-- Bruce --
--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

They don't take much weight in forklift mode, no ballast.

Tony

"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

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by
the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked
out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman
Liebmann