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