I have a 2001 873G that I bought this fall. 2000 hours on it. It runs great but has always (since I have had it) made a loud popping noise. It only does this when digging and only as it starts to get hard to push or the bucket is nearly full of clay and I am still trying to get a little bit more in. It seems to come from the lower left side. Sounds like someone hitting the side of the frame with a hammer. A friend drove it yesterday, who has driven them a lot for a living, and as soon as he heard it he said that I had a "loose drive chain". He told someone else this and he is now gone so I can't get ahold of him. Does this sound right? I have the service manual for the machine but don't know what to look for...Any advice is appreciated. THanks, Keith
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It could be a stretched drive chain, also the sprockets may be worn on that side causing the pop as it jumps over a tooth. Its a good idea to look into it before you do a lot of work to hopefully not cause more damage.
You can look by removing the front inspection cover between the pedals (or around there).
You can look by removing the front inspection cover between the pedals (or around there).
Thanks Tazza, I will check tomorrow night to see if there is any wear on the sprocket, but how will I know if it is a stretched chain? Compare it to the one on the other side? If it is loose, can they be tightened somehow or do they need to be replaced?
If it has stretched it will allow the tyre to move back and forth more than the other on that side. Both should move the same amount when you jack it up and move it by hand. There is no adjustment to take up the slack, when they are so worn that they touch the chain case, you need to replace them.
I am going to guess it's a bad axle bearing , and thats why the chain is hitting , I say that cause this weekend cleaning up the garage I found some brand new 873 axle bearing , race , seal , wear sleave for one axle from a job I didn't do , will sell for 1/2 price
Fish, Are you messin' with me on the bad axle and "stuff" you have in your garage fire sale? How can I tell if the axle is bad? If it is, and you are serious let me know. I have the time to check it this weekend. Keith
Tazz, I will check the sprocket for wear this weekend and also jack up the front of the machine to see if the left tire moves more than the right side. If that is the problem, will it move considerably more or just a little bit? Thanks for the help
When you jack the wheel off the ground to check the chain slack , you can wiggle the tire left , right , up and down to see if the bearings are loose on the axle , I doubt you would need an axle unless it were extremely worn out and you should know it , the axle does sometimes need replacing on that job but more times not , thats what the wear sleeve is for , it brings the sealing area of the axle back to specs -----now that I am thinking about it , it could be the carrier bearings that are going out --------or I have seen where the brake parts unscrewed and fell into the case and get jammed up in the chain , does your brake work ---another thing I seen one time was the bottom of the machine got dented in really bad and the chain was rubbing the bottom of the chaincase ----I really do have the bearings and stuff to redo 1 axle of a 873 --let us know what ever you find
Well, it rained all day today. We got one break so I went out and drove it to a friends shop. By the time I got there we were all beat.... I did raise the front wheels with the bucket though and the wheels are all rock solid. So I guess it isn't a wheel bearing. Tomorrow I will have some time to take a look at the drive chain and sprocket. Today I noticed that it does it now and then when I make a left turn. The only other time it does it is when I am pushing/digging and have about a full bucket. Thanks for the advice so far.
what about the back wheels , they have bearings also , you do know you can throw a block under the back and use the bucket to get all 4 off the ground ----------- you can take off the front chain case cover fairly easy , and see half of whats going on it there , then you could also run a magnet on a rod all around the bottom of the case in the oil , which should be not milky with water , and see if the magnet picks up any metal , you did check the chain case oil already
The noise "seems" to be coming from the front but it might not be. I will throw a block under it tomorrow and check all four wheels to make sure they are solid. No I have never, ashamed to admit it, checked the chain case oil. I was told when I bought it that it was all good by the dealer and I haven't run it but about 100 hours. Where is the check plug on it? I will jack it up, take the cover off the front and do the magnet trick tomorrow. Thank you a bunch for the info here, it is much appreciated. I will learn as I go.
Stupid question here after I have done some more reading on here.......when I am checking for stretched drive chains...I will have all four wheels off the ground and see if they would roll forward and backward. Is that correct? What is acceptable distance for them to travel? Am I comparing the amount of travel on the front ones or comparing the left front and left rear? If there is too much play, the chain needs to be replaced? Thanks,
the plug to check the case oil is in the front of the machine , in the middle , it's a square headed 1/2 " drive ratchet to remove it , the oil level should be right at the hole , it holds about 28 quarts of 10/30 motor oil -----if it comes to you having to drain it , the plug is under the back of the machine , under a plate that has 3 9/16 headed hex heads holding it on , there are two plugs there , one faces forward to the case , the other to the rear for the fuel tank , these plugs are like a bullet push fitted into a rubber bushing --------the oem chains has no master link , but you can buy the chains alot cheaper aftermarket , and can get a master link , and even a half link , which makes reinstalling them alot easier ------there is going to be some slack in the chains , you can have someone run the machine up in the air and maybe you will be able to hear whats going on , but from what you say , you have to put it in a bind by turning or a load for it to knock
Ok, I took off the front chaincaise cover and checked it out. The chain on the left (runs the right side as you are driving) has, in my mind, quite a bit of play in it. I can put my hand underneath of it about a foot behind the sprocket and lift it up easily to hit the top of the chain case. The other side has some play in it but it will not lift up to the top of the chain case. When I jacked up the front and rolled the front tires forward and backward, there is about 2 1/2" inches of play in the tires. Suggestions?
Well if you don't see any sprocket tooth wear or bearings going out then the chain must have worn and strecthed , you could by a one piece chain from the dealer , it's a lot harder to change then if you got a chain from a supplier , also what you could do to buy some time if the chain looks ok is to buy a master link and maybe a half link , cut the chain and take out a link or two and reconnected it with the master
It has rained for 4 days here and my bobcat is sitting out in a muddy field waiting on a new tire to arrive.
So I thought I would order a drive chain and also a master link and a half link to try that. What is a good supplier to get these from? My internet searches have proved fairly worthless....thanks again for the help.http://www.motionindustries.com/motion3/jsp/mii/index.htmlIt has rained for 4 days here and my bobcat is sitting out in a muddy field waiting on a new tire to arrive.
Awesome....but remember you are helping the ignorant. What length and size are these things? I have the manual and none of this is in there.
In the parts manual, it doesn't state length. It says it is endless, 58 pitches and can either be hour glass shaped links or oval shaped links. There are also the link for each shape listed. I cannot decipher 58 pitches into an ansi rating....
