Bobcat 873 - Cleaning questions

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RC_Farms_377

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2022
Messages
6
Morning to all.

New to the forum as well as the world of owning a skid steer, the Bobcat 873.

I'm wanting to give it a deep cleaning, both inside and out, with a power washer and would like to know what areas of the skid steer to avoid spraying so as not to cause any electrical and/or hydraulic damage.

Any suggestions as well as images of areas to avoid would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and have a terrific week/weekend.

RCF
 

brdgbldr

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2012
Messages
1,165
First off make sure your drain holes are no clogged up and take off the access to the fuel tank drain if you are going to clean the engine compartment. There should be two drain holes in both the front and back. The two in back are in front of the fuel tank drain cover. The two on front are on either side of the chain housing. You may also want to take off all the exterior access panels and dig out the heavier grunge by hand, compresses air or a vacuum.

I just got done doing this on my, new to me, A300. Not only were the areas next to the chain case packed with crud but I had to take wires and rods to loosen it up. Same deal with under and around the engine. I pulled out a good 5 gallon bucket worth of oily dirt and found a large frame nut that I have not figured out where it came from.

These machines were designed for harsh use in wet areas, but with that said, I personally don't like to use pressure washers in and under the cab. Others do it all the time. I try to avoid all wiring connection points or at least wrap them if they are unavoidable.
I would also avoid steam cleaning.
 

mrbb

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
494
I am also a guy that avoids power washers, they have a way of pushing water into places it shouldn;t be, all the more so about electrical connections and older seals all things age and don;t be as stout as they were when new!@ pressure from a washer can destroy things pretty fast if not careful!

better way to clean things IMO, is, to remove all you can with basic';s like a
shop vac, hand brushes and such for the bigger stuff, clean as you can and then,
then when fairly clean, get some good de greaser and soak things, then hose off
repeat if needed!
as doing it this waay with a little elbow grease , will go a long way and have less possible issue's for you IMO!

if you really plan to power wash, I would maybe time things some that you can power wash and then do some fluid changes after wards, this way if you force any water into things, you can get some back out when new fluids are added!
electrical connections, cleaning and adding some dielectric grease to them, is never a bad thing either!
 

mekabajo

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2020
Messages
20
Make sure all the drain holes are open. Spray with Simply Green Aircraft and Precision Cleaner. After waiting 15 minutes or so, wash with garden hose. Electrical connections have a water resistant seal so you don't have to cover them. Avoid direct water on fuses. Blow off excess water with garden leaf blower. No need to be spotless, as it will get dirty again with use. Cleaning the bay will allow you to detect fluid leaks easier.
 

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