Bobcat 873. Did I find a unicorn? new to skid steers

[Joel804]

Hey guys. I bought this Bobcat 873 Dec 22 2023. I know nothing about skids. I'm not stupid or anything just not skid steer educated yet. Any ways I think this thing is a 98' or 99 model F- series. When i bought it it needed an alternator and all fuel lines were leaking. I was able to operate it barely but everything sounded good motor wise and wheel motor wise. I paid $10k for the skid,Trailer (99) year and 2 buckets and pallet forks. Being close to Christmas I was lucky to get an alternator but had to settle for fuel lines from NAPA. Most of the hoses had been replaced pretty recently. there were 2 i could see needed replacement soon but was ready to put it to work. well they blew so pretty much new hoses all around now lol. The meter read 805 hours. Now i dont believe that to be a true reading. So Im thinking a few things 1 either no one used it barely for all this time. 2 the meter has been replaced at some point in time, 3 this thing has 10800 hrs on it, 0r 4 it has had a new engine and meter put in. it is very strong and runs pretty much flawlessly.

 

[foton]

write the hours down and run the machine and see if the clock moves as some do not have a feature where you can watch it for a few seconds and see some type of activity, if it works you my friend got a very good deal I would think.

 

[Joel804]

It moves. Has 817 now. Im replacing the temp gauge tomorrow. its not working. Naturally when buying something like this. Ive done a complete fluid change. I've just been suprised buy how well every thing seems to be. The clean wheel motor is becaue I had to check the Aux sylnoide valves and fluid leaked down. Still not sure if there is an issue somewhere. But a lot of fluid leaked out on that side

 

[Tlawdogg]

Looks like a smoking deal!
I think you can look up the P.I.N. on bobcat website or call them. They can tell you Exact year. Also there should be a tag on top of the engine that has a serial number.
(P.I.N.) is the V.I.N. for a skidsteer.
Yours is probably on the back driver's side area.

 

[foton]

make sure that the oil levels in the chain case do not overfill the corrct level, if it does you could have a leaking seal on a drive motor.

 

[polishpete]

maybe they turned the hours back

 

[873skid]

I have a 2001 873 that a new computer was put on in 2014 as the problem & it turned out it wasn't the computer (typical dealer just replace a part and not troubleshoot the problem) the bobcat dealer said once it's installed he can't put it back in stock and charged me for computer but I kept the old one. Forward to 2017 and I again had computer problem or so a different dealer thought and put a new computer in and that was the problem. I told him I had the old computer that I thought was still good and he put new computer back in his stock and installed my old which worked fine. Only problem is he couldn't reset hours to actual machine hours and it reverted back to the hours machine had when old computer was removed which is 660 hours less then what's actually on machine. If a new computer is put on a machine the new computer can be set for actual machine hours but I think it has to be done before one hour of operation of machine otherwise it can't be reset. This could be what's up with your machine.
Your machine looks in real clean and in good shape I agree you got a smok'in deal hope you enjoy it. I have a friend that sold a 2000 873 with 2800 hours this past March for $14,500 at auction just machine no attachment not even a bucket.
My 873 has been a real good machine. If you put metal tracks on it'll go about anywhere it's one tough machine. Keep up with maintenance especially the timing belt replace by 3000 hrs mine broke at a little over 3000 and bent a number of push rods.

 

[Joel804]

I have a 2001 873 that a new computer was put on in 2014 as the problem & it turned out it wasn't the computer (typical dealer just replace a part and not troubleshoot the problem) the bobcat dealer said once it's installed he can't put it back in stock and charged me for computer but I kept the old one. Forward to 2017 and I again had computer problem or so a different dealer thought and put a new computer in and that was the problem. I told him I had the old computer that I thought was still good and he put new computer back in his stock and installed my old which worked fine. Only problem is he couldn't reset hours to actual machine hours and it reverted back to the hours machine had when old computer was removed which is 660 hours less then what's actually on machine. If a new computer is put on a machine the new computer can be set for actual machine hours but I think it has to be done before one hour of operation of machine otherwise it can't be reset. This could be what's up with your machine.
Your machine looks in real clean and in good shape I agree you got a smok'in deal hope you enjoy it. I have a friend that sold a 2000 873 with 2800 hours this past March for $14,500 at auction just machine no attachment not even a bucket.
My 873 has been a real good machine. If you put metal tracks on it'll go about anywhere it's one tough machine. Keep up with maintenance especially the timing belt replace by 3000 hrs mine broke at a little over 3000 and bent a number of push rods.

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it. Yeah I don't believe this machine has only 800+ hours. I've taken the serial# to my local dealer. They weren't able to find anything in their system for this machine. I was really hoping to find something out about it. Yeah I'm planning on doing the timing belt here really soon. Then I will know it's good for sure.

 

[brdgbldr]

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it. Yeah I don't believe this machine has only 800+ hours. I've taken the serial# to my local dealer. They weren't able to find anything in their system for this machine. I was really hoping to find something out about it. Yeah I'm planning on doing the timing belt here really soon. Then I will know it's good for sure.

If you email the serial number directly to Bobcat they will tell you the year the machine was manufactured.

 

[RedNeckMike]

You can call Bobcat directly at
1-800-743-4340 and talk to a rep. Give them your serial # and they can tell you the year and what factory options it had.

 

[Joel804]

You can call Bobcat directly at
1-800-743-4340 and talk to a rep. Give them your serial # and they can tell you the year and what factory options it had.

I called this morning. Its a 99 year

 

[oiu789]

Check the date codes on the tires. If it has only 800 + hrs they should not be wore out and have a 1990s date. Unless they dry rotted and were replaced.

 

[Markle]

Good deal for sure. I have the F series and it's been a workhorse. Some things to know:
Always get the engine down to idle before shutting off. The turbo needs oil and if you shut the engine off at high rpm the turbo can starve for oil. If it hasn't already, the plastic pickup tube in the fuel tank will suddenly and unexpectedly break off inside. Symptom=machine just shuts down like it ran out of fuel…duh. The fix is not difficult, just very hard to reach and blind to see. I'm sure this fix is in the archives here. Those cloth over rubber diesel fuel return lines don't last long as very close to muffler. Keep extra hose on hand. Mine get changed every 100-150 hours. Case drain filters are important to clean or replace. And check drive belt idler pulley tension. I've had to change the idler pulley once as the old one disintegrated. Good luck with your machine.

 

[Flip57]

Your picture labeled Cat Motor is actually a Deutz. It's oil cooled so when you change the oil you are only changing about half at a time, the rest is in the cooling system. It should be changed every 100 hrs. The other thing about these is never start it when it is close to freezing. If it is warm when you start it then it's ok to drive out in the cold but it needs to be warm to start or it will burn up the motor, or so I've read. I've never put it to the test.

 

[873skid]

I've had my 873 with the Deutz oil cooled motor for 20+ years and I've never heard not to start it when it's close to freezing. It lives outside and I've started it in temperature from 10 - 100 degrees fahrenheit and never had a problem. I always let it warm up before heavy use and let it idle down before shutting it off. It has 3600+ hours on it. The Deutz dealer told me to make sure it was always to the full mark on oil dipstick especially if you're operating on sloped land I think he said something about the pickup for oil could be starved if low and on a slope.

 

[Markle]

Ditto on what 873skid said….yea I have to glow it sometimes for a minute in cold start. But it always gets it done in cold weather.

 

[Joel804]

Well I was planning on changing all the belts and crank case filters today. But time got away from me. Does anyone have a timing belt gauge they might want to sell. I hate to pay $180 for 1 that I'll probably only use 1 time. Well thanks for all the input everyone. It's helped a lot in this learning process

 

[oiu789]

Try a auto parts store. Some will loan out or rent out tools. I do not know if they have tension gauges. But with a lot of the smaller auto engine running timing belts they might.

 

[873skid]

I bought the parts for replacing the timing belt from Engine Parts Unlimited, Inc. www.epu.com in Wallingford, Connecticut. They rent the tools you need for the job. It was about $550 for parts and rental of tools a few years ago. They were a great source of information and help on a few things I had going on with the Duetz engine.

 

[Tlawdogg]

I have the tool. Check your private messages.
Todd