fast- track on 435

[Land-Tech]

Ok Shane, you got me worried. I own fast track that so far has no problems, what should I be looking for in case a problem arises other than getting another machine?Thanks Scott

 

[bobcat_ron]

Is it stalling yet? Still driving straight?

 

[thetool]

I probably shouldn't have listed it. The problem is people want to fast-track all the time, and the high-speed is for smooth, flat, preverably paved road. Like getting from one job site down the street to another up the street.
People want to use the blade for dozing in high-speed. The hydros can't take it, loose a bearing in the hydro pump and it takes out EVERYTHING.
There are a few out there, and I only saw a couple come back in the shop, but they were so devastated I thought, man, I would never own one of these.
Sometimes I fire off without thinking, and I shouldn't. I believe that the guys who post here are for the most part very capable and caring operators and owners, or they wouldn't give a hoot about anything except gittin 'er done and where's the beer? Some machines are better at putting up with negligence and abuse than others. FasTracs, SJC and AWS machines are beautiful, but high maintenance and don't tolerate abuse or negligence well.
If you've never had a problem with your FasTrac, you're probably Okay.

 

[Land-Tech]

I probably shouldn't have listed it. The problem is people want to fast-track all the time, and the high-speed is for smooth, flat, preverably paved road. Like getting from one job site down the street to another up the street.
People want to use the blade for dozing in high-speed. The hydros can't take it, loose a bearing in the hydro pump and it takes out EVERYTHING.
There are a few out there, and I only saw a couple come back in the shop, but they were so devastated I thought, man, I would never own one of these.
Sometimes I fire off without thinking, and I shouldn't. I believe that the guys who post here are for the most part very capable and caring operators and owners, or they wouldn't give a hoot about anything except gittin 'er done and where's the beer? Some machines are better at putting up with negligence and abuse than others. FasTracs, SJC and AWS machines are beautiful, but high maintenance and don't tolerate abuse or negligence well.
If you've never had a problem with your FasTrac, you're probably Okay.

Thanks for the response. The machine tracks straight and no power issues Sorry to disappoint you ,Ron
Shane your opinion is valuable to me, cause this machine was quite an investment for me and good or bad it helps me make maintenence and operator decisions that are crucial to extending the productivity and operating hours of the machine. Man, I can get long winded.
I have a manual and the motors are complicated if anything should go wrong, I may pull as a component, but I would take it to someone and pay to have it fixed.
I had one small leak at 500 hr and it ended up being a loose plug in what I think is a test port, no big deal but scary when you oil dripping on the track.I suppose I should inspect the case drain or step up filter changes. Where would I look to find indications drive motor wear like small pieces of bearing ? Again, I am very appreciative of anyone who takes the time to respond. Out of the box thinking is welcome.
Operating the fast track in high gear pushing, I agree is a no-no. The fast track is one of the reasons I got the machine and it has worked great. The under carrage is longer, the tracks are taller and a bit wider. The efficiency of having a faster low gear is really noticiable And straight on pushing has never been a problem. Full throttle is required for back filling or transiting but half to two thirds throttle works fine when you are placing rocksand walking back and forth.The bigger under carrage is harder to turn but I lift and rotate as a rule and the multitasking to me was a matter of learning what machine will do at certain rpms and what track range i'm in. There is a space between the roller frame and the sprocket that i am going make guards for. Five to six inch rocks can get lodged in the sprocket. I consider it a real design fault I have the metal to fix the problem but am waiting for the weather to warm.If you are in rocky ground this llittle defect can turn your track in a rock crusher. Now I can imagine why there are bearing failures.Just learning how to operate in different conditions helps tremendously on track life and everything else in the undercarraige.Turning make seem weak but look at what you are trying to turn. Best thing is to learn how to rotate by lifting the tracks.
And just one more thing from an operators point of veiw, there has been criticism the the machine is unstable but i found the opposite to be true. One trick that has helped when im doing fine grading with the bucket or multitasking, is if you have a float on your blade, leave it in the float position even when your moving. It takes a little of the rock and roll out of any machine. Scott

 

[thetool]

Thanks for the response. The machine tracks straight and no power issues Sorry to disappoint you ,Ron
Shane your opinion is valuable to me, cause this machine was quite an investment for me and good or bad it helps me make maintenence and operator decisions that are crucial to extending the productivity and operating hours of the machine. Man, I can get long winded.
I have a manual and the motors are complicated if anything should go wrong, I may pull as a component, but I would take it to someone and pay to have it fixed.
I had one small leak at 500 hr and it ended up being a loose plug in what I think is a test port, no big deal but scary when you oil dripping on the track.I suppose I should inspect the case drain or step up filter changes. Where would I look to find indications drive motor wear like small pieces of bearing ? Again, I am very appreciative of anyone who takes the time to respond. Out of the box thinking is welcome.
Operating the fast track in high gear pushing, I agree is a no-no. The fast track is one of the reasons I got the machine and it has worked great. The under carrage is longer, the tracks are taller and a bit wider. The efficiency of having a faster low gear is really noticiable And straight on pushing has never been a problem. Full throttle is required for back filling or transiting but half to two thirds throttle works fine when you are placing rocksand walking back and forth.The bigger under carrage is harder to turn but I lift and rotate as a rule and the multitasking to me was a matter of learning what machine will do at certain rpms and what track range i'm in. There is a space between the roller frame and the sprocket that i am going make guards for. Five to six inch rocks can get lodged in the sprocket. I consider it a real design fault I have the metal to fix the problem but am waiting for the weather to warm.If you are in rocky ground this llittle defect can turn your track in a rock crusher. Now I can imagine why there are bearing failures.Just learning how to operate in different conditions helps tremendously on track life and everything else in the undercarraige.Turning make seem weak but look at what you are trying to turn. Best thing is to learn how to rotate by lifting the tracks.
And just one more thing from an operators point of veiw, there has been criticism the the machine is unstable but i found the opposite to be true. One trick that has helped when im doing fine grading with the bucket or multitasking, is if you have a float on your blade, leave it in the float position even when your moving. It takes a little of the rock and roll out of any machine. Scott

Man that's good info on ops! If I ever take another job, I want to be a mini-ex operator.
Filters-on the ZHS Bobcats, there is a fan pump filter and case drain filter. They are not servicable. They are identical p/n's, and the fan filter is of course by the fan, and the case drain is tucked in under the hydraulic tank behind the fuel pump. They tend to get neglected. The case drain filter cannot be opened and inpected like the loaders, which I think is a shame. Next time I change one, I might open it with my pipe cutter and check it out.
They did some change-ups on the builds, which I can't recall off the top of my head. One had a the fan pump on the end of the drive pump, one had it on the end of the hydraulic pump.
Check and make sure the inlet fitting on your hydraulic pump is gold-anodized steel, and not cast aluminum. There was an update because the cast ones were causing cavitation.
Wondering now, it's been almost a year since I left the dealer and I'm working a lot on other stuff. My head was full of all kinds of Bobcat minutae and now it's slipping away......
Thanks for valuing my opinions, Scott. Still, don't put too much stock in all I say because I've been wrong a lot, especially lately. You're the type of owner/operator that makes the FasTrac look good.