Bob Tack

[kmciver]

I have an S185 -- the Bob Tack bar on the left side of my bucket doesn't close down all the way anymore -- any ideas?

 

[Tazza]

Have you greaded the pins? There should be a grease nipple down the botton next to the arm. If that fails, you may have something stuck at the base where the pin locks into the bucket.
If you can't get grease into it, you may have to pull the pin(s) out and give then a good clean and ensure they extend all the way.

 

[Fishfiles]

Have you greaded the pins? There should be a grease nipple down the botton next to the arm. If that fails, you may have something stuck at the base where the pin locks into the bucket.
If you can't get grease into it, you may have to pull the pin(s) out and give then a good clean and ensure they extend all the way.

The way I go about this senerio is to start by trying to pump grease thru the zerks that Tazza mentioned , they are on the side the bobtack and can be hard to find as they are probally covered over in mud as they are recessed into the metal , if they don't take grease the take them out , clear or replace the fitting , dig out the journal under the fitting with a pick and spray some penetrating oil into the journal , reinstall the fitting and try pumping grease , you didn't mention power or manuel bobtack , if manuel use a pipe over the bobtack lever to get leverage , if power have someone work the button while you spray the wedge with penetrating oil fom the top and from the underside where the pin pretrudes out the bobtack , try to keep moving the lever back and forth while spraying it to wash out dirt and rust , if it doesn't move take a flat punch and try to knock the wedge down by hitting on the roll pin that holds the wedge to the rod or up by raising the boom and hitting the wedge from the bottom up , if you get some movement of the pin keep spraying and working it back and forth and eventually it will free up , sometimes they can get stuck in there pretty bad and have seen where they had to be cut out and replaced

 

[kmciver]

Have you greaded the pins? There should be a grease nipple down the botton next to the arm. If that fails, you may have something stuck at the base where the pin locks into the bucket.
If you can't get grease into it, you may have to pull the pin(s) out and give then a good clean and ensure they extend all the way.

Great -- thanks for the advice -- I'll give that a try.