Bobcat 440b chaincase info.

[rjitreeman0909]

Service manual indicates 12 qts or 3 gallons to fill in drive chain RnR section. In same manual specs section capacity is shown as 4 gallons. Which is correct? Is there a fill plug or is fill accomplished thru parking brake cover? How do I check oil level? Any good reasoning for so much oil? Chains and sprockets provide splash lube so under most severe non level condition enough oil to reach the chain spricket should suffice but it would seem that far less than 3 or 4 gallons would meet that need.

 

[Roscoe294]

Not sure about your model but my guess is that maybe the chain case oil is a bath for the axle bearings as well?

 

[Tazza]

Not sure about your model but my guess is that maybe the chain case oil is a bath for the axle bearings as well?

If there is a plug at the front, where the bucket sits, on level ground fill it till oil is just sitting on the threads.
Splash oiling is good in theory, but you do have axle tubes with bearings at each end. You need to ensure these get oil. In a 743/763 style machine, it takes around 30-40 litres. If there are no clutches, use the cheapest oil you can find. All it does is lubricate the chains, bearings and reduction gears. Some people take this time to purge the hydraulic oil and pump it into the chain case so it's not wasted.

 

[SkidRoe]

Hi Bob,
I typically buy 10w30 engine oil by the 5 gallon pail from Walmart, and use it for the hydraulics and the chain case. You can use it in the engine too, but I feel more comfortable putting something name brand in the engine, since it holds so little.
Draining the chain case is a bit of a trick. Best way I have found is draining it through the fill port, using one of those little drill-driven pumps, with a piece of soft copper tube on the suction side, to ensure it gets to the bottom and stays there. I bent the tube into a 'C' shape the hit the bottom front seam of the chain case. I then put a floor jack under the rear of the machine, so that the front of the chain case is at the lowest point, then pump away.
To fill it, I put the floor jack under the front of the machine and raise it so that it is 0.5-1" above level, then fill it until it starts to over flow out of the drain plug. A flexible funnel, or a funnel with a piece of hose is needed to do this efficiently.
One 5 gallon pail should be just about enough to service both the chain case and the hydraulics on a 440b.
Hope this helps - SR

 

[TBrake1978]

Can you use AW-46 hydraulic fluid for both the chaincase and hydraulic system?

 

[laurencen]

do they recommend hydraulic oil or motor oil, I use motor oil for both