Bobcat 873 motor mount issue

[RC_Farms_377]

Good afternoon/evening.

Working on a Bobcat 873 with a Deutz 4 cylinder motor

My plan is/was to remove the the motor, bell housing, hydrostatic pump, and brackets to be able address 2 things.

Repair of an oil leak, which I suspect is due to a common issue for these units based on rubbing of the oil pan from dirt push up on the fuel tank.

2nd issue is to be able to clean the fuel tank which seems to have debris in it sufficient enough to clog the fuel filter in the tank after running for about 10-20 minutes.

I was able to remove 3 of the motor mount bolts. The 2 at the back were a piece of cake and the one on the right side front below the fuel fill area wasn't too difficult either.

The issue is the one that is directly below the bell housing and fly wheel of the hydrostatic motor on the left side.

From what I have been able to discern based on examination, there is no clearance for a ratchet/socket/wrench. (I tried a stubby ratchet but the socket was too tall, plus even if I was able to effect it, there would be no way to loosen the bolt, at least from what I was able to tell)

I ended up removing the motor fly wheel, the 6 bolts that hold the bell housing to the motor, and the 4 bolts on the motor mount bracket so that I could at least get the motor out to address the oil leak.

I'm open to any helpful hints and/or tips on how to remove this little bugger and any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Head scratching in Idaho

 

[Flip57]

According to the 863 manual, you should be able to remove the fan plenum then access the motor mounts from the inside. The pump and motor are designed to come out in one unit with a lifting bracket that you make yourself out of 1-1/2 inch square tubing and some angle iron.