How to operate a Bobcat S300

Probably similar to the S250, yes?

--Winston

Ignoramus26166 fired this volley in news:PMudnavbP-rKrrXNnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Brace your arms against your ribcage if you're a beginner, lest you get into P.I.O. I don't like the two-lever Bobcat controls. The joystick on ASV or CAT (with ASV controls) is like a second set of hands, but a lot of folks (including experienced operators) can get into oscillations with the BobCat two-lever system. I've had two experienced contractors (one of whom does nothing _but_ run his BobCat commercially) dump traditional BobCats on my property -- one in the front ditch, and one in the pond.

OTOH, I just love my two-lever Scag mower, so I think it has more to do with relative "wheelbase" and center of gravity.

LLoyd

"Steve B" fired this volley in news:k09dn7$sql$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

the ASV/Cat control has an elbow rest built into the control so that cannot happen.

LLoyd

You get in, close the door, fasten seat belt, lower the bar. Hopefully there will be no combination set, if so, you'll need a code. There's a button to start the loader and another button to enable the hydraulics. Raise the bucket with the left foot pedal, tilt the bucket with the right. There may be a "Rabbit Mode" fast switch on one of the levers, if so, put it in slow. Very gently ease both levers forward to go straight, if you want to turn left, push the right lever more than the left. The throttle lever is on the right hand side, halfway will be fine for starting out.

Keep all appendages inside the cage and turn the loader off before getting out to avoid possible decapitation. The following instructions are OK, except yours probably won't have an ignition key:

Yes, and *back* up onto the trailer. Heavy end up so unless you are taking a full bucket of dirt with you means backing up inclines.

OMC Mustangs were similar with a "T" stick. Rental place I bought my (sadly long dead) one from said "The contractors love it because they can drive with one hand and drink beer with the other." Or something like that... Has been 20 years.

Smaller machines bounce a lot worse than larger ones.

OK, thanks, this is great.

How do I lower the bucket after raising?

Ignoramus26166 fired this volley in news:F8idnY7EgY2h-7XNnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

left pedal; raise & lower

Lloyd

Lloyd, thanks. I think tht I am getting it. I did drive another skid steer half a year ago, and now I recall that it was similar.

I bought a bobcat with a bunch of other equipment, such as a asphalt roller, from a distressed company.

What I want to do is to use this bobcat on my property to grade the road behind my building and get rid of deep potholes, make a concrete pad in front etc. Once I am done I will, probably, sell the bobcat.

The only plus of a bobcat that I see, for my business, is that in winter it can move snow around to clear paths to use pallet racks etc. A truck can only push snow, and a bobcat can remove it. But is it worth the price of a bobcat, I am not so sure.

(...)

Check back in with us after you've driven around in a cloud of diesel exhaust for half a day. :)

--Winston

"Steve B" fired this volley in news:k0a2ro$2ff$1 @speranza.aioe.org:

"Sensitive", yes. They are less prone, though, to "pilot-induced oscillations" - the "P.I.O" I mentioned earlier. When you've got an arm's-reach-both-hands-on grip on the levers, and some sudden acceleration or deceleration happens, your body rocks, and your hands follow your body.

When that happens, the lever-action machines can get into an ever- amplifying fore-aft rocking motion that ends up with the thing on its ass or lying on the bucket.

Once you get an hour or two under your belt with the joy control of an ASV, that will never happen. Your driving arm is 'anchored' in the arm rest at the elbow, and everything is done by wrist action. When your body moves, it pivots at the elbow and shoulder, and your hand stays still over the stick position.

FWIW, most BobCat operators eventually learn to hover their hands, and let the body articulate without moving the hands -- but it's a highly practiced, deft maneuver. During the construction boom here in Florida, hardly a week went by that I didn't see a BobCat somewhere resting on its nose. I don't think I have ever seen an ASV or Cat like that, although I've seen a few in ditches.

One of the ASVs even has a tilt-sensing thingy that rapidly moves the bucket down if the machine is about to tip over forward.

LLoyd

The key thing with the foot pedals is to press your whole foot down on the pedal and rock it. If you try to push on the top or bottom of the pedal you will have near zero control.

OK, it's Monday. Have you done this yet? If so, how did it go? If not, have someone make a video and post it to youtube so we can watch the carnage (I mean success).

"Steve B" fired this volley in news:k0b8rf$rk1$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

I don't understand why, with motoring spool valves on all the controls, why you'd need to vary the engine speed.

You set it for the necessary power to push or dig or carry what you need, and you leave it alone. Speed (of every motion) is controlled by how far you push its respective control.

The motor is just there for the power source. Once it's going 'fast enough' you can go slower - on everything - than max if you wish without changing the motor's speed.

That's true of all skid-steers, as far as I know.

LLoyd

Everything worked out great, I drove it on, drove it off, etc. I have a few projects near my warehouse, such as gravel road regrading, fill potholes, replace asphalt with concrete etc. I will use this bobcat, and then, eventually will sell it.

Ig, when you are doing final grading in reverse with the bucket tilted as a rake, push the left pedal all the way down until it clicks and stays down and engage "float" mode. The arms will float and will not go up and down as the grade changes. At that point you're only working with the weight of the bucket and arms so you can't move as much material but it will smooth out better.

Thanks, this is great. Do you know what the little switches on the joysticks do?

Wheels

I looked up what it costs to rent a S300 per day ($145), this is a not so bad way to make money, taking in a hefty deposit like you said.

I don't know about hefty, the places I've rented bobcats from (S175 mostly) only have a deposit equal to one days rental.

And what would happen if, say, a renter sinks my bobcat in a pond. And further, if the operator dies.

Two problems come to mind.

1. How would I recoup the cost of the bobcat
2. How likely, practically speaking (not in some wacko imagination), would be the chance of me being sued and losing in court in such a case. Assuming that the bobcat had no physical defect that made it sink.

Realistically speaking, this comes down to needing to have an broad and expansive insurance policy, and I am afraid that the cost of insurance will make this an unattractive business.

Any comments?