Bobcat M600 Question

[d-deral]

Just purchased an old Bobcat M600 for use aroung the house. I have never owned a skid steer before and know little about them. I am having a problem with the machine. It goes forward and backwards fine, bucket operates as it should. My problem is the steering. When either control is forward and the other is reversed the machine stops moving and turns only a couple of inches and then stops moving. I have checked the hydraulic fluid and all is correct. The engine runs smooth. I opened the side panels and all gears and chains look almost new and have no visible problems. I have noticed that the main drive belt off of the engine appears to be fairly loose. Can anyone diagnose this problem with this limited information?
Thanks for any help.

[Pheonix]

do you get any belt squeel when trying to turn ? any noise at all ?

[d-deral]

No noticable squeel. The skid steer just "hops" once and stops moving. If I continue to let go of the controls and push one control, pull one control, it will again hop once in the turn direction and stop. There will be a straining sound when holding the controls in this way, similiar to the sound a power steering pump on a car makes when the wheel is turned all the way to one side and then held, not enough to stall the motor, just enough to hear the strain.

[Pheonix]

sounds as if a hose has collapsed causing a fluid restriction or the hydro's filters are clogged. There is definatly a restriction somewhere. Visually inspect all hoses and see if there are any kinks or collapses. If not then it is somewhere in the system and you may need a flowtest done.

[d-deral]

Thanks, I did not check the filters, I will try and find them and see if they are clogged. The lines appear OK, atleast those apparently visible without pulling the motor. Should I have a substantial amount of play in the main drive belt? I can probably move it 3"-4" down whem pressing on it between pulleys.

[Alan Bechard]

This machine has mechanical drive clutches, and I believe has the same variable speed pulley system as my 610 (but I am not positive on that)

Get with your local Bobcat dealer and get the manuals, cheaper than off of internet.

I would say (not sitting looking at it) that you still have your speed control in the slow position (should be a little lever under your left arm) In the slow position the back pulley will be all the way wide and the belt sitting in the bottom of the pulley. The fast position will squish the pulley together and the belt will be up towards the top of the pulley.

You could also have a worn belt, they give the specs in the manual but I am not sure what they are at the moment.

Or your drive clutches could be worn or out of adjustment. I believe it is 4" or less of stick travel.

Or, you could be like my Wife, who struggles when she gets in the 610 with Mechanical drive after driving Hydrualicly controlled equipment, and has a hard time adjusting to the force it takes to engage the mechanical clutches.

As a note, I bet it is your speed lever setting, make sure you back it down to slow when you stop to lessen the amount of drag on the motor when trying to restart it.

Hope this helps.

Al Bechard

[Dirtball]

I agree with Alan. I have a 610 that I just got in December. I'm still in the discovery phase. Found out it has a bucket float, found out about the little lever to control the belt for speed control (thanks Alan). Mine does the same type of "chicken hop", you are describing. I'm starting to think it is just the 600 series norm.
When I first looked at this unit, I thought something was way out of adjustment on that belt. But, that's the way it works.
If your left pedal sticks forward, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG!! Don't do like I did and try to adjust the "stick" out. That is the bucket float feature.

[tropicare]

Also check the movement of the sheaves and variable drive piston. I have had a M-610 for almost 20 years and have used it for just about everything. I also have the manual so feel free to ask any questions about that machine. The drive be;t should never be loose, I am sure it has worn down from rusty contact surfaces. The M-610 clutch drive is very smooth and should never jerk or hop unless the machine is heavily loaded and you're turning on pavement , in which case the Wisconsin engine usually stalls. I have only been in a hydrostatic machine once, a 743 and found it touchier in turns , but still would like to buy one someday. Measure your belt width, it should be wide enough to be tight throughout it's travel area.

[Dirtball]

You may wish to open up the side panels and do a little exploratory surgery. Since I discovered my problem, and repaired it (see 610 problems), my left side works much smoother. I noticed that there was a vast difference the other day, when I took it out to do some work in the woods. I figured I'd fix my right side when I got done. Weeelllll, my right side just pitched the chain too. So, now I get to work on it in the woods( Oh goody). I am getting "experienced" at getting in and out of those panels though. You'll need about a 2" open end wrench to tighten those final drive nuts, if they need it. Also, remember to peen the washer over both directions, so the nut doesn't loosen up and back off, like mine.

[Dirtball]

Ok. I am repaired. So, I think you probably have the same problem I had. Both of my front final drive nuts were loose. I tried to check my right rear, in the woods, but the slope I was on wasn't the best place to drain the oil. As far as I can tell they are ok. They won't present much problem even if they are loose. There is plenty of clearance for the rear final drive chain. The front is a diffent story. The final and secondary chains run about 1/4" apart. If the front final drive nut is loose, it allows the front chainwheel to slide around on the shaft. It will work its way over and derail the chain or break the master link on the secondary chain. It will also chew up the BIG chainwheel ($$$$$)and probably isn't real healthy for the splined shaft and gear itself. Since my repair, the machine runs very smoothly. No hopping! :e)

[tropicare]

The M-610 is a smooth machine, well until someone doesn't put it together corectly! Was it just the chains damaged or were the sprockets eaten too? My biggest fear is that one of them would be damaged and have to be replaced. The hopping is different than moving and stopping though, I am sure that's belt related. Plus the hopping would eventually derail the chain. Then again, with a loose belt it probably wouldn't have the torque to harm anything and it just stops. In my opinion half the fun of owning a skid steer is being able to know how it works and being able to fix it yourself.

[Dirtball]

O.K. I lied! Broke again. THIS TIME I think I have it. My jack shaft plate had broken the weld where the shaft attaches to it. It allowed the really big/expensive chainwheel to cock back and forth. Not so good for chain adjustment. All of the crap going on inside my gearboxes has been adding up. I could have bought a new machine if I hadn't done my own work. If you get in that far, remember, needle bearings inhabit the innards of the jackshaft bearing.
D-Deral, there is nothing inside that machine that takes a rocket scientist to figure out. It's a matter of chasing the problem down. The more you stick your greasy fingers it there, the faster you can do it and get out (and put bandaids on all the sharp steel cuts). Biggest hassle is a 2" wrench and trying to peen those washers over on the axle shafts. Chain adjustment is all leverage. Good luck!!

[tropicare]

That's why the first time I opened that case I pulled everything out. It took a while but it wasn't that difficult to find the bad bearings and worn thrust washers. Getting the parts was a different story, I ended up making some of my own and buying new sprockets and adapting them. Once you fix it right get set for years of trouble free service. BTW I admire your determination to fix such an old machine instead of getting a newer one

[Hondaman900]

Hi, guys. I just got an old M-600, and have a few questions.

I had a similar issue with turning, but all of a sudden it loosened up and is smoth now. I bought it non-running and have gotten it running and operational (wiring and fuel pump issues), and took it for it's first spin this evening. That's when I found the turning-sticking issue.

Here are my questions:


What is that lever under your left arm for anyway. Is it to adjust the gearing? My op manual won't arrive until next week.
Where is the drain plug for the gas tank? I have rust and water in the gas.
What is the difference between the M-600 and 610? How can I tell if I have an M-600?
Any way to determine the year of manufacture?
I'm missing the face off the gauge next to the hour meter in the right-hand panel. What should it be?
Where can I find the serial number? The dealer asks for this everytime I order parts (op manual and harness)


Thanks in advance!!

[Dirtball]

Hi Hondaman,

1. The lever controls the width of the sheave of the main belt. It works like a snowmobiles' speed control. The sheave changes the "gearing" as the belt is forced outward or in. (See Alan Bechard's explanation above)
2. There are two drains on each side, behind the rear tires. The two forward drains are for the hydraulic oil/lubrication pans. The aft drain on the left is for the fuel tank. I think the one on the right may also be a fuel drain, but, I haven't taken that one out. I'm not certain.
3. Supposedly the 610 was a redesigned 600. Lift arms are heavier duty, etc. I don't know how to tell the difference. Are any of the old decals left? Serial tag? (Duh! Now I see 6!)
4. Don't know.
5. I'll have to look at mine now. That might be the oil pressure gauge. I think the ammeter is on the left. Might be the fuel or temp. gauge.
6. See 3. :)
If you start tossing chains, they are probably shot, go to Lowes and you can get new ones for half the price. They are in the hardware section with all the drawers. You'll have to "break" them for the correct length. Don't forget the master links. If you have to disassemble the gearbox, it's not that bad of a job to pull the planetary gear (BIG, EXPENSIVE ONE), watch out for the needle bearings! Check the weld on the jackshaft. Mine was broken and was driving me nuts. The gear kept shifting enough to cause my chains to derail. Also, I found that someone prior had left the nuts loose on the axles. The drive gears started to slop back and forth which also caused derailment.
To get into the gearbox, take the two BIG caps off of the side panel. Then remove the nuts. I took my side panel and pounded the stud holes flat. They had been overtightened previously. I had no gasket left in most places, so I had a lot of water in my machine. I needed a gasket right away, so I cheated and made two of them from an old tractor tube. Worked great! And, the price was right. Especially, since it appeared that I was going to be opening the sides up on a regular basis. I tried the form a gasket first, but I was scraping it off every couple of days, because of the chain thing.

[Dirtball]

O.K. You made me look! The gauge you asked about is a vacuum gauge. Uhhh. Don't ask me why. If it's running, there is probably a vacuum on the manifold. If you gun it, there will be more vacuum on the manifold. They must have won a bunch of cheap vacuum gauges on snailbay( Hey! It was a long time ago!) and needed to fill a hole in the panel. oo)

[Hondaman900]

I just got my operators manual in the mail this evening and it shows a hydraulic pressure gauge in that position, which would be a terrific thing to have. How come you have a vacuum gauge?

Silly me. You are correct. It is a vacuum gauge for the hydraulic system.

Does your needle move when you sturn on your Bobcat? The old gauge is there on mine, with a little pin that used to be the spindle for the indicator/pointer. If it still moves maybe I can rig up a crude indicator that would still perform the same functiona s a good one.

Stephen

[beeberanchito]

Sir, did you find the rating, size, or part number for your guage. I have a similar problem. I bought a M600 bobcat a few months ago. The previous owner had three typs of wheel studs, one rim kept wallering out the lug because he used small car lug nut and studs, and even bolts on some hubs, yes bolts with nuts. It had two different types of spark plugs, the Air filter was caked with dirt and had a manufacture date of Apr 68. The distributer had water in it and a ton of rust. I just wanted to get it right before I used it, so I bought the right studs and drilled and replace them on three hubs. I put an in-line fuel filter, new fuel line, plugs, points, condenser, roter,roter cap(distributor cap) cleaned the distributor and glass beeded the inside of it and its components, changed plug wires, oil filter, air filter, Tires and tweeked the paint job which was surprisingly not that bad. I even bought a seat, new hour meter, ampmeter and now I am stuck on one guage. The one you discribed in your previous letters. I just want to get this thing right, before I used it. It really runs great, but I want to keep track of the hours for maintenance purpose. If you could help me with any of the information about the hydrolic vaccum guage, I would really appreciat it! Thank you in advance! Tom

[Hondaman900]

The part number is 6654208 and my local dealer sells it for $78.75. However I'm told that any hydraullic vacuum gauge with the right fitting will work just as well.

Sounds like your 600 was a mess - surprising it worked at all! Have you been able to remove the hex caps over the clutch adjusters? The dealer wants $42 for the wrench for this, but I'm looking for a less expensive way to remove the caps. My clutches need adjusting. Did you get the original wrench with your 600?

I also replaced the fuel lines and filter. Went through 6 filters and a complete gas tank drain and flush before I got clean fuel and good flow. Be careful if you replaced the coil with an automotive unit, it will need a ballast or else it will overheat, leak oil and potentially burn out your points. If you have a replacement for the original coil, you're okay.

E-mail or post a pic of your M-600. Also check out www.skidsteerforum.com. Here's my 600:

http://www.mediaq.net/images/stephensm600sm.jpg

[beeberanchito]

Hey, Hondaman, I appreciate the reply. I will try and get a photo of my skid steer in here later. You lost me on alot of that data you spoke about. I have just only started on this project, I have done quite a bit, but fill that I have alot further to go. fortunatly as far as the rust in my fuel tank. I have only had small dust flake particles of rust show up in my sediment bowel. When I cleaned my sediment bowel and put an inline filter (clear) i had also a moderate amount of backflow of dusty/rusty fuel drain back into my sediment bowel from the carburator. but my line from my fuel pump to the carburator also was steel, not copper, so I replaced it with a stainles steel line and fittings. I had a heck of a time bending the stainless steel line in that small of a space and keeping it looking good. beside the rust in the distributor, I don't have a real bad rust problem, probably fortunate of this Southern New Mexico climate. As far as a clutch wrench, I didn't know about that. I did not receive a wrench with my bobcat. I wonder if one could be made out of a flat piece of metal plate? I am probably going to buy a aftermarket guage also. I think that is too expensive for a vaccum guage. I have found some surprisingly good prices on the guages at northertool.com, but I don't know the range of vaccum that I need to be watching for in purchasing a vaccume guage. Does you book have an example of the guage? I just purchased a maintenance/repair book for my 600 and hopefully will have it in a week or so. Sounds like you are prettyknowlegeable about these things. I hope my book educates me on them. They look like pretty simple little pieces of equipment. I kind of have fun working on mine. I just wish I had a real shop and more time to spend on it. Oh, I have not changed the Coil its self yet. I will probably try to check it out first. Remarkably, as bad as this thing has been treated in the past few years, it is running pretty impressivly. After changing my Apr 68 air filter (wow talk about this guy getting his money worth out of that filter, it was caked with dirt), I think part of my rich burning fuel problem will be solved. I have yet to start it since replacement of the Air filter. I painted the air breather cap, cleaned the inside of the filter chamber (caked with dirt) and just finished putting it together last night. I have also been helping my son put a transmission in his truck, we also finshed that project last night (posished his alluminum dust cover 88 chevy 1500 short bed dressed it up). I had picked out a new bolt and nut (for my bobcat air breather) in my small little shop, and set it aside to use, but with the transmission project. I misplaced it, so I will hunt for it again tonight and fire the bobcat up and make some more ajustments tonight. It is a miracle that my bobcat does not burn oil. I had sludge about a half inch deep in the bottom of my block where the drain plug was. I cleaned it out best I could and put full senthetic oil back in, but like i had said before. I could smell the rich fuel smell. I hope the air filter was most of the problem, I will try and adjust the carburator a little also. This is not the original motor. The previous owner said that he had this motor put in it a few years ago, that it was a rebuit motor. I see the data plate has the year 1966 on it as manufacture date, and that it is a 20.4 horse power wisconsin motor. Mabey I rescued this motor just in time for it not to be abused and distroyed. Also, this guy had only used it as a forklift, so it was not put through any hard digging work. I have found a hydro leak on the end of the pully on the motor where the clutch is hydrolicly tightened and loosened. But, before I jack with it, I want to read a manual so that I fix it properly. I greased the zert on the end of the pully hoping that the leak would stop, but again I have not started it since. I am trying to do all the righ things before I use it, so that I can keep a scheduled maintenance and maintain it the right way. I want it to be able to work hard, but last. I will try and get some pictures of it to post, I am just so busy I don't make the time to take the pictures. I will take a picture of the leak that I am talking about, and the motor and things I have done. What sucks is that I have done so much already, but I should have taken pictures of my progress to keep in my shop scrap book. But I can always start now, because I still need to build a cab and add lights and have to finish my guages and ect. Well, have to get to work, Thank you so much for your advice, information and help. I'll be getting back with some pictures tonight. Oh, If you have a chance to check out the vaccume rating 0-100 psi vaccum or 0-200 psi vaccum or what ever it is, I would appreciate your help, I already value the information that you have given, cool thanks and I will get back with ya! Tom!

[cleatrack]

I am looking at a M600 that has forks but no bucket could someone tell me how hard it is to find a bucket and a price guess? Also what is a running but a little beatup M600 worth? I'm located in Western MA.

[Alan Bechard]

Watch E-bay etc. to get a feel for prices. Everything working, servicable shape I would imagine in the $2000 range.

Markham Welding on the bucket for my money.

I have their tooth bar, and their quality and service was excellent.

I am probably about to buy their forks as well. (actually the fork carriage) as I have the forks.

http://markhamwelding.com/

There are numerous other places out there, not the least of which would be your local dealers, shipping gets expensive quick.

[Hondaman900]

Beeberanchito, it's been an age, but it's taken this long for the local Bobcat dealership to get in the wrench for my M600. Now I hope to adjust the clutches and smooth out the snatchy drive. In the same purchase order delayed because of the wrench was my hydraulic gauge, 2 hyrdaulic filters, a dipstick and some zerk fittings. However, when I saw the gauge I returned it. The original gauge had a scale printed on it to tell you when the hydraulic vacuum was too high and indicating that the filter needed replacing. The current replacement unit from Bobcat matching my part number has no such scale, and is just a regular gauge with vacuum numbers. This wouldn't tell me what I needed, so I thought if I have to go to a generic gauge, I can get one for less than $80 and forego the Bobcat logo. In any case, it looks like a previous owner removed the line to the gauge, which I need to trace back to the hydraulic system and replace as well.

My next challenge is to replace the hydraulic fluid. At $40 for a 5gal drum (cheapest I can find in the area) its an expensive proposition to change out the 20 gal capacity, but no sense doing it partially. New fluid and filter as soon as I can get the fluid and some good weather.

Did you post your pics?

[tropicare]

It's been a while since I looked here but my M-610 is all apart and I am finding all kinds of little things to be attended to. Lots of rust on the gauge cluster, and the drive belt needs replacement. It brings back memories when I was 19 and taking one apart for the first time! Believe it or not, at the time I had found hydraulic fluid for 16.00 a 5 gallon bucket.....those were the days!

[Hondaman900]

Well, my local Sams' Club had 5-gal drums of hydraulic fluid for $29 - still spendy but better. In the meantime, I was adjusting my clutches on the weekend and when I took off the caps I found nice clean fluid in there. Looks great. I may not have to change it after all.

Still cant' find the reason for my snatching reverse drive though.

[robertlight]

I just purchased a Bobcat M600. It seems to stall when the machine is totally warm.

1) Fully warm
2) Engine speed lever (on right) at 3/4 position - running smooth.
3) Working the bobcat.
4) Engine stalls and when started, runs very rough.

I tried adjusting the mix needle on the carb - didn't help.
I changed the fuel filter.
I cleaned the air filter.

It seems to run ok while warm up until I really start using the machine hard.

Any ideas?

Many thanks.

- Bob

[Hondaman900]

Bob,

When it's running ok when warmed up, before you load it, do you have the speed control backed off so that the belt is idle, and if so, can you rev it without stalling. If your engine can run fine without you operating the drive or hydraulics the it's likely that carburation and fuel delivery, etc., are all fine.

It took me an age to find the right combination of engine speed and drive speed (adjusting the sheaves and therefore the gearing on the drive belt using the lever under your left thigh) to operate smoothly and without stalling or bogging down. My combination is the engine at 3/4 to full revs (depending on the grade of slope I'm working on) and the belt speed about 1/2 to 3/4. There's a sweet spot between running the belt fast enough to operate everything with sufficient power and without bogging down, and running the belt so fast that opreations get too twitchy and difficult to control. The latter is probably more critical for me as my property is all sloped and I'm always fighting gravity.

The engine is designed to run at full throttle, so I'd start there and adjust up the belt speed until you don't experience the stalling. Then you can back it off it you feel like it.

If you can't find that combination "sweet spot" with some experimentation then I'd start looking at whether it's driving your Bobcat is stalling it out, or using the hydraulics. If it's one rather than the other then you have something snagging that system. Maybe a bad clutch adjustment or chain catching, or maybe a bent rod in one of your rams (though you'd hear that squaling) or a linked hose or really bad hyd filter.

These are fairly rudimentary machines, and the factory service manual will be a very worthwhile investment if you don't already have one.

Hope this helps.

Stephen

[trmojo]

In reply to your question about not moving while pushing your forward and reverse levers. I made an adjustment to the driven pulley, thats the one with the large spring on one side. You have threebolts with I beleive 3/8 nuts on the end of them, and when you tighten theses nuts your putting more tension on the large spring. This in turn pushes against the one side of the pulley which forces your belt to the outside of the pulley and keeps your belt allways tight. I also causes the drive hydraulic adjustable pulley to need more hydraulic power in order to force the belt outward on its end. So your hydraulics need to be in good condition leak free in the operating valve and fittings. After this adjustment I found that I need to attend to my hydraulics as my adjustable drive pulley is no longer able to force the belt as far out on the pulley. Not sure if the manual calls for this type of adjustment but all I know is that it moves forward and backward better. One of my problems is that there is alot of hydraulic leakage over the belt causing some slipping.

[deweyd]

I am new to this site and not sure how to get around on it. I have what I thought was a 610, but after looking at the picture of yours, it looks like a 600 based on the plates at the front of the bucket lift arms. I have some questions:
How tight shoud the belt be?
I just rebuilt the engine, and not knowing anything about the machine, reinsatlled it. Took the coupling off the jackshaft and seperated the pulley and discovered a bolt hole in the shaft that I "thought" should line up with the hole in the pulley half that I separated and tightened until it did. The result was a G string tight belt. One of those things that just feels wrong. I have not fired the machine up yet for fear it will wreck my 100+ dollar belt. Need advice.
Does your machine have 3 horozontily mounted counterweights with OMC cast in them?
If I turn my wheels such that the valve stem is to the outside of the machine, the tires are closer to the machine, but pictures I have seen indicate that maybe the valve stems should be turned to the inside making the spacing between the tire and machine wider.
Just looking for a little guidance here. My machine has no ID numbers at all on it. The reason I thought it was a 610 was due to the VH4D engine. All comments and help appreciated.

[Hondaman900]

HI Deweyd, and congrats on your Bobcat.

My wheels are mounted with the valves facing out, like a car. Can't tell you if mounting them the other way has any advantage - just how mine are.

I'd recommend buying the operator's guide and workshop guide from your local Bobcat dealer ASAP. It gives you all the specs and details you need, incl. belt arrangements and tension info. BTW, the genuine manuals are cheaper from your dealer than the eBay knock-offs. My ops manual was just $15.

The problem with your question is that you don't mention if your sheaves are separated or closed in. If you forget to pull back the speed lever and open up the sheves to loosen the belt right before you shut off the engine (the recommended procedure) the belt will remain tight (yes, as a g-string) and it will be more difficult to start again. When I forget and turn it off before loosening the belt, then when I next go to start it, I crank it while holding back the speed lever. The starter motor turning the enging/pulleys is enough to open up the sheaves and by the time the engine fires the pulleys are apart and the belt loose in idle.

Since the belt drives the chains and hydraulics that aren't loaded until you start moving or operating your Bobcat, there shouldn't be too much load on the belt if you do fire it up when tight as you describe. I can't visualize what you're saying about the bolt holes, so can't comment there, but again, if you had the workshop manual you could track down the appropriate diagram and determine how it should be. I just read through mine re. belt replacement and adjusting and there's no mention of aligning and bolts/holes.

There should be a plate riveted to the frame about where your heels would be when seated in your Bobcat. It will have your model and serial numbers. Mine was so covered in paint layers that it was impossible to read witout some cleaning. The M-600 and M-610 should look identical, and the only distinguishing feature should be the eninge displacement/hp. Here's a pic of mine: http://www.skidsteerforum.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=52&gallerypage=0&path=Identify%20This

No, to the counterweights. Both the M-600 and M-610 should have a cast iron hinged grille at the rear. It pivots out like a door to give access to the engine and weighs 100lbs. It should have the Melroe logo cast into the design. Perhaps yours is an aftermarket add-on?

See if you can post pictures and I'll go through my manuals and see if I can find any helpful references for you.

Hope this helps.

Stephen

[deweyd]

I got my manuals today. Turns out the bolt holes I was trying to line up part of someone's effort to re-engineer since they apparently lost the spring and plate that should be on the moveable side of the jackshaft pulley. The speed control pulley on my machine on the engine is held together by a nut on the end instead of a snap ring like the book shows. Not sure what I have but I'll look where you said for an ID plate. I bought this thing for 300 bucks and have spent considerably trying to get the engine rebuilt. I have run the engine to break it in, but now I'm waiting on the previously mentioned spring and plate from Bobcat. Maybe I'll get to actually use it one day. Thanks again for the info.

[Hondaman900]

Hang in there. With a starting investment of only $300 you'll do well if you want to sell it once you sort it out. I bought mine for $2K non-running, and got it going over a long weekend (engine rewire, fuel tank clean out and fuel pump rebuild) and a running one is worth about $3.5 - $4.5 around these parts. Mine has only 750 hours on a factory rebuilt engine though, so it's as fresh as a 40-year-old piece of machinery can be :)

Keep us posted on your progress, and post pics when you get a chance.

Stephen

[deweyd]

You seem to be the resident pro. On the driven shaft, do you have a spring and collar to keep tension on the moveable half of the pulley? Mine had some spacers of all sorts so I ordered the spring and collar. Tried to install, but where the spring should bottom out against the moveable half of the pulley, there is a lot of weld that someone put that will have to be ground out. Even then, I just don't see the spring fitting. Its just too long. I ordered the spring and collar thinking I was working on a 610. Now I'm just not sure what I have. Any info you might have would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I pulled the side cover today on the left side of the machine. What I ran into differs greatly from the 600/610 manual. There are linkage arms above and below the clutch packs that operate foward and reverse. The manual shows 1 clutch disc per clutch. There appears to be a stack of 5 per clutch in my machine. The good news is that all the sprockets look new. A little slack in the chains though. I just can't imagine that in the 60s there were two different companies making machines so similar. Oh well, keep an eye on ebay, there might be a really nice VH4D engine for sale soon. Another oddity, the 600 jackshaft shows a connector with 8 bolts that holds the two halves of the jackshaft together very close to the driven pulley. My connector has two bolts in the center that actually go through the ends of the two jackshaft halves and one in each corner for a 6 bolt pattern??? Any ideas?

[meadows]

I bought an old 610 at a auction a few months ago, the machine was all there but the engine was locked & the machine looked like it was ready for the junk yard. i had a wisconsin V4 stashed in my shop that i bought a few years ago for another project it was a straight shaft (not tapered like the bobcat engine) but i had the pulley machined out for the straight shaft & it worked perfect, restored with new paint, hydraulic hoses, seat ect.
i had to build my own control panel & wiring harness as this one was shot, i have drove the mchine around & worked the hydraulics & everthing seems to work o.k. i keep seeing references to the bucket float feature in these posts, what is that? also what is the auxillary pedal used for? the aux lines on my machine are at the back and do you have to use the pedal to operate any attachment, i have a baby back hoe attachment available for my use but all the controls are on it & just uses the hydraulic source from the machine, any help would be appreciated

[deweyd]

I'm sure I'm probably not posting this in the approriate place, but I can't seem to figure out how to post anything without hitting the reply button. What I thought was a 610 bobcat turns out to be and old skid steer made by Mustang Manufacturing. Its a very old model. I found this out after taking some parts and pictures to my local Bobcat dealer today. The similarities between these two machines is astounding. The drive belt was actually aBobcat part number. I don't see how they got by without all sorts of patent infringement problems. Distance between wheel centers is identical, the left pedal locks down just as I've seen described on this board, the list goes on. Anybody else heard of these machines? Parts available? All help appreciated.

[twinwillows]

I recently bought my dad's M600 & moved it to our farm. The machine had a major bunch of engine work - I did the repainting along with a complete set of new decals. Thought you'd enjoy a few photos.

[jem1a]

new owner of m600 bobcat need info. on removal of internal lock ring on roto-swivel. leaking fluid on belt. looks like lock ring has to move up in retainer to release outer half of pulley so i can get to seals i have service manual but doesnt show how to remove lock ring. thanks jim

[Idunno]

I'm getting my first Case 1840 soon. 1993 with 3000 hours. What should I expect? Meadows?

[mitsubishiparts]

Thanks for the great post and I'll check out skidsteerforums for sure. I like that paint job, Could you go into more detail on the method you used to clean the old paint off? I'd really like to do that to my new to me M610.

Also, anyone want to chime in with what they bought there bobcats for? I just paid $1300 for mine, but the guy I bought it from gave me a running/drivning 1980 GM truck 6.2 diesel so I might be able to get $400 out of the truck..
I'm having the steering problems that you guys have had and would love to have your email contacts so we can chat in person and maybe I could call you once I get the machine opened up? I'm so frustrated because I want to fix the machine up and use it but my shop is full of cars that are other peoples projects for the next week!

Paul

[GardenPrairie610]

How tight do you adjust the cluthces? Do you just use stick travel?

[Hondaman900]

Don't go by tightness as you'll over do it. I've found that the clutches can have different "tightness" from the same travel adjustment. You're adjusting the amount of travel needed to engage the clutches, so if you work with stick travel, which equals travel to engage clutches, you'll adjust them easily. Just follow the owners or shop manual. If you don't have one PM me your e-mail and I'll scan that page for you.

For my clutches it looks like I'm going to have to replace the actuating levers and screws as mine are binding and that's the only item left to fix. At least that's where I left off while it was still running.

However, my M-600 blew up a few weeks ago. The previous owner had messed around with the wiring and apparently a loose wire fell into the drive belt while I was driving it and pulled the entire wiring loom and seatbelt with it into the drivetrain. The Bobcat took off and I barely managed to kill the engine before I ploughed through a chainlink fence. I did take out a flower bed and bush though. Ended up with shards of voltage regulator and other parts and copper strands all over my driveway and quite a hydraulic leak. All wires have been stripped off the battery, alternator, engine, etc. and ground/wrapped around the driveshaft. Apart from heat and smoke here in N. CA making it difficult to work outdoors on it (it's now imobile, so I can't move it under a nice shady tree) I haven't had the heart to get into it and start rewiring everything and figure out what leaked. A tad depressing {bh) . There goes a whole bunch of summer projects.

[Hondaman900]

Well, got my M-600 rewired after the disaster, but not working. I started a new thread about my wiring woes and weird issues. It's over here :http://www.lawncafe.com/showthread.php?p=439913#post439913

[GardenPrairie610]

Just re-installed my rotoswivel (outside) and now it leaks terribly. Any help? It's a 610