Bobcat Operator Training Materials

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Kudagra

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Its just the owners manual that comes with the machine. What machine do you have? I have a bunch of the later model ones in .pdf format.
 

Tazza

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Its just the owners manual that comes with the machine. What machine do you have? I have a bunch of the later model ones in .pdf format.
My owners manual is pretty basic for how to operate a machine, i'm sure i have picked up many bad habits over the few years i have had a skid steer but i haven't come to any harm so far. I have never had any real close calls either, so i must be doing something rite.
Just make sure you keep the heaviest end of your machine up hill. So without a load you should back up, with a load you should go forwards to prevent you tipping over backwards. Thats the most important piece of information i have to offer i'm afraid.
Tha manual says to shut the machine off when you have to exit for any reason, but seriously who does that? I just idle it back and kick the park brake on lift the seat bar and hop out. The brake will cause the machine to stall if the steering levers get knocked and the machine will not move and the seat bar locks the pedals out.
Most manuals really focus on safety and not "how to operate" as such, you learn that as you go along.
Kudagra, i would be interested in a few of those manuals you have too, you never know i may actually learn something.
 

Kudagra

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Oct 19, 2006
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My owners manual is pretty basic for how to operate a machine, i'm sure i have picked up many bad habits over the few years i have had a skid steer but i haven't come to any harm so far. I have never had any real close calls either, so i must be doing something rite.
Just make sure you keep the heaviest end of your machine up hill. So without a load you should back up, with a load you should go forwards to prevent you tipping over backwards. Thats the most important piece of information i have to offer i'm afraid.
Tha manual says to shut the machine off when you have to exit for any reason, but seriously who does that? I just idle it back and kick the park brake on lift the seat bar and hop out. The brake will cause the machine to stall if the steering levers get knocked and the machine will not move and the seat bar locks the pedals out.
Most manuals really focus on safety and not "how to operate" as such, you learn that as you go along.
Kudagra, i would be interested in a few of those manuals you have too, you never know i may actually learn something.
Common sense. Thats whats best. I have a bunch of the manuals. What are you looking for?
 

Tazza

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Common sense. Thats whats best. I have a bunch of the manuals. What are you looking for?
Well i have a 743, i have all the bobcat manuals for it.
Anything that shows the best way to level ground, how to cut a grade just things like that. Maybee tips for use of a 4 in 1 bucket.
Eventually i will have to cut a slope on my driveway to get it ready to concrete, we need a slope to get the water to run off as it was covered by butumen many years ago, but the water has torn it to shreds.
Anything like that.
 

Kudagra

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Oct 19, 2006
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Well i have a 743, i have all the bobcat manuals for it.
Anything that shows the best way to level ground, how to cut a grade just things like that. Maybee tips for use of a 4 in 1 bucket.
Eventually i will have to cut a slope on my driveway to get it ready to concrete, we need a slope to get the water to run off as it was covered by butumen many years ago, but the water has torn it to shreds.
Anything like that.
That just comes with experience. I have factory manuals and stuff. But I lost my older stuff. I only have older stuff in my binders.
 
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pondfishr

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Oct 11, 2005
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That just comes with experience. I have factory manuals and stuff. But I lost my older stuff. I only have older stuff in my binders.
I saw on the Bobcat website where they sell something for $125.00 USD. It caught my attention but I don't have $125.00 worth of interest. I bought my 743 with very little knowledge of the machine and have relied on a friend for instruction. He is an expert but I am somewhat of a techy type that just likes to know the manufacturers recommended way of doing things. I bought one of the maintenance manuals on ebay and it helps alot. I just wondered if there was anything else to read. Thanks for the advice!!
 

Kudagra

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Oct 19, 2006
Messages
34
I saw on the Bobcat website where they sell something for $125.00 USD. It caught my attention but I don't have $125.00 worth of interest. I bought my 743 with very little knowledge of the machine and have relied on a friend for instruction. He is an expert but I am somewhat of a techy type that just likes to know the manufacturers recommended way of doing things. I bought one of the maintenance manuals on ebay and it helps alot. I just wondered if there was anything else to read. Thanks for the advice!!
On those older machines if you have the 743 Service manual you pretty much have the TEXT knowlege that any BOBCAT dealer is going to have. You just wont have the experience of wishing you had a second elbow in your forearm to get to the u-joint grease zerks and stuff like that.
 
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pondfishr

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On those older machines if you have the 743 Service manual you pretty much have the TEXT knowlege that any BOBCAT dealer is going to have. You just wont have the experience of wishing you had a second elbow in your forearm to get to the u-joint grease zerks and stuff like that.
Thanks for the information. This is the best Bobcat site on the net.....
 

Tazza

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Thanks for the information. This is the best Bobcat site on the net.....
HA, the U-Joint grease nipples. Forget about even attempting to do those with the engine or pump still attached, when i replaced mine i hade to grease one side when it wasn't even attached to the fly wheel, what a nightmare it was!
Some times i think i wouldn't mind doing this for a living, then other days i curse the day i ever bought the machine.
I remember one day i was at the local dealer getting parts, i could hear a guy in the service section swearing his head off trying to fix something. I was thinking to my self, buddy i so know what thats like!
The service manual for the 743 is really quite good, i also have a manual for a 731 that covers the pump and motors that the 743 book does not. With the 2 books, it covers everything!
With the manuals and common sense, anyone can work on these machines.
 

skidsteer.ca

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Jan 20, 2006
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HA, the U-Joint grease nipples. Forget about even attempting to do those with the engine or pump still attached, when i replaced mine i hade to grease one side when it wasn't even attached to the fly wheel, what a nightmare it was!
Some times i think i wouldn't mind doing this for a living, then other days i curse the day i ever bought the machine.
I remember one day i was at the local dealer getting parts, i could hear a guy in the service section swearing his head off trying to fix something. I was thinking to my self, buddy i so know what thats like!
The service manual for the 743 is really quite good, i also have a manual for a 731 that covers the pump and motors that the 743 book does not. With the 2 books, it covers everything!
With the manuals and common sense, anyone can work on these machines.
Would you have a parts manual for a 773 g
Have service manual but would like a exploded parts view.
Ken
 
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pondfishr

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Would you have a parts manual for a 773 g
Have service manual but would like a exploded parts view.
Ken
All I have is a service manual for a 741, 742, 742B, 7432, 7432B, and 743DS. If anyone has a 743 parts manual I would be interested.
 

goodtech

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Nov 22, 2005
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All I have is a service manual for a 741, 742, 742B, 7432, 7432B, and 743DS. If anyone has a 743 parts manual I would be interested.
I know up here in the northwest they offer a certification school. I think that programm has something to do with it, I will have to go to the bobcat site and take a look. They do have the parts manuals for those machines but they are almost 500 pages of stuff..
 

m610

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Apr 1, 2006
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I know up here in the northwest they offer a certification school. I think that programm has something to do with it, I will have to go to the bobcat site and take a look. They do have the parts manuals for those machines but they are almost 500 pages of stuff..
Personally I doubt anyone would have made a comprehensive training course for a skid loader, the easiest to operate machine made. yet I know of someone who almost got killed in one because he backed into a canal. Guys here pop wheelies, do doughnuts and give rides to other workers in the bucket. I often see them stick something to block the interlock and exit the machine with the bucket up , and full. Lately I see mostly Mexicans running the skid steers and they aren't as crazy, but they still like to stand in the bucket for a ride. I have never done anything unsafe with my little Bobcat just taken it easy on the old machine for the last couple of decades.
 

farmboy55

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Aug 16, 2006
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Personally I doubt anyone would have made a comprehensive training course for a skid loader, the easiest to operate machine made. yet I know of someone who almost got killed in one because he backed into a canal. Guys here pop wheelies, do doughnuts and give rides to other workers in the bucket. I often see them stick something to block the interlock and exit the machine with the bucket up , and full. Lately I see mostly Mexicans running the skid steers and they aren't as crazy, but they still like to stand in the bucket for a ride. I have never done anything unsafe with my little Bobcat just taken it easy on the old machine for the last couple of decades.
I would like to have a illegal Mexican in my Bobcat bucket!!!!!
 
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pondfishr

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Personally I doubt anyone would have made a comprehensive training course for a skid loader, the easiest to operate machine made. yet I know of someone who almost got killed in one because he backed into a canal. Guys here pop wheelies, do doughnuts and give rides to other workers in the bucket. I often see them stick something to block the interlock and exit the machine with the bucket up , and full. Lately I see mostly Mexicans running the skid steers and they aren't as crazy, but they still like to stand in the bucket for a ride. I have never done anything unsafe with my little Bobcat just taken it easy on the old machine for the last couple of decades.
I just wanted to see if there was something out there since the only Bobcat experience I have has come from the machine I own. I have no problem with the basic operation but when loading high, travelling with loads on slopes, and ect... I was looking for documentation on best practices. Something that got my attention - A close neighbor of mine was moving a gooseneck trailer with his Bobcat bucket. The trailer slipped and the neck of the gooseneck landed in the operator cab severing an artery in his leg. He died the next day in the hospital from loss of blood. He was alone at home when it happened and he had to crawl to the house to call 911 and by the time the paramedics arrived the blood loss had been too great for him to survive. A sobering thought to think about.
 

Tazza

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I just wanted to see if there was something out there since the only Bobcat experience I have has come from the machine I own. I have no problem with the basic operation but when loading high, travelling with loads on slopes, and ect... I was looking for documentation on best practices. Something that got my attention - A close neighbor of mine was moving a gooseneck trailer with his Bobcat bucket. The trailer slipped and the neck of the gooseneck landed in the operator cab severing an artery in his leg. He died the next day in the hospital from loss of blood. He was alone at home when it happened and he had to crawl to the house to call 911 and by the time the paramedics arrived the blood loss had been too great for him to survive. A sobering thought to think about.
YIKES
We all hope nothing like that could ever happen, but no matter how much experience you have things like that are always possible.
 

m610

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YIKES
We all hope nothing like that could ever happen, but no matter how much experience you have things like that are always possible.
Generally the Bobcats are safer than tractors or backhoes in general, but you need to remember than in a Bobcat you're low to the ground and the front of the machine is very vulnerable. I saw a close call with a wire reel trailer and a Case 1843 where the operator was pushing it with the bucket. The trailer went off the curb and the hitch jumped up and the loader went right into it. Lucky for the guy inside the trailer had a vise on the front of it which caught on the rops. Otherwise the hitch would have pinned him to the seat. It's a lot safer ( but more difficult) to tow the trailer from the rear of the Bobcat or with ball or pintle hook trailers use a hitch mount or put one on the bucket. I put the hitch on the rear of mine, it's easier to turn the Bobcat and since I am very tall I can look out the back. Any machine is dangerous, I know of someone using a power mower who hit a nail which flew out, hit a wall and penetrated his head. Freak accidents are so unpredictable.
 

Tazza

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Generally the Bobcats are safer than tractors or backhoes in general, but you need to remember than in a Bobcat you're low to the ground and the front of the machine is very vulnerable. I saw a close call with a wire reel trailer and a Case 1843 where the operator was pushing it with the bucket. The trailer went off the curb and the hitch jumped up and the loader went right into it. Lucky for the guy inside the trailer had a vise on the front of it which caught on the rops. Otherwise the hitch would have pinned him to the seat. It's a lot safer ( but more difficult) to tow the trailer from the rear of the Bobcat or with ball or pintle hook trailers use a hitch mount or put one on the bucket. I put the hitch on the rear of mine, it's easier to turn the Bobcat and since I am very tall I can look out the back. Any machine is dangerous, I know of someone using a power mower who hit a nail which flew out, hit a wall and penetrated his head. Freak accidents are so unpredictable.
I have to agree, a bobcat or any skid-steer these days MUST have a ROPS, which makes them a lot safer. Most of your old tractors had no such thing. If you rolled over you were in serious trouble. I do see most of them these days coming out with a bar that would help, but on a machine that would weigh in the order of 5 + tonnes, i can't see it doing much to save your life.
I have never had a close call, but i know someone that took a tumble down a hill in his, the ROPS surly saved his life. I heard of a guy that took his rops off to work under a house that was just moved. He was cleaning up before the stumps were put in and he hit a support and it came down on him. A rops would have saved his life, the moral of the story is NEVER use your machine without your ROPS attached.
 
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