Finally bought my first Bobcat 743... Upgrade Questions

Help Support SkidSteer Forum:

OldMachinist

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
2,748
This wire...
View window..
I sincerely apologize Im new to message boards ive got the hang of it now !
I fixed your pictures and I see you figured out how to get them to show.
I can't tell how heavy that wire is from the picture but it looks to pretty thick. It could be a battery cable, I'd trace it down and make sure it's conection is clean and tight.
 

mrdeere1959

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
250
I fixed your pictures and I see you figured out how to get them to show.
I can't tell how heavy that wire is from the picture but it looks to pretty thick. It could be a battery cable, I'd trace it down and make sure it's conection is clean and tight.
thats the glow plug wire.
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
thats the glow plug wire.
It is the glow plug wire, i wonder if when you move it, you move the starter solenoid that is attached to the same bracket as the glow. Look under the air filter, there will be two solenoids here, one is the starter, the other is glow.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
It is the glow plug wire, i wonder if when you move it, you move the starter solenoid that is attached to the same bracket as the glow. Look under the air filter, there will be two solenoids here, one is the starter, the other is glow.

Well today I spent 3 hours working underneath the cab . Finally had a chance to check it out in the daylight and I discovered a condominium sized warf rat's nest built into the entire right side of the compartment. it started at the side of the hydro pump and went all the way down to below the sides of the drive motors for the wheels.... It was quite a mess. Obviously years of neglect and abuse I bet no one has even looked in here since it was purchased I am surprised it was even functional. Took out more than 5 gallons of hydraulic fluid soaked sticks, pine needles, dirt, seat material, and insulation, I even found a shiny marble! Had to pull a lot of it out by hand , cringing each time I could swear I felt something moving around down there ! Next phase is a good pressure washing , had to get the big stuff out first though by hand and shop vac !
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
Well today I spent 3 hours working underneath the cab . Finally had a chance to check it out in the daylight and I discovered a condominium sized warf rat's nest built into the entire right side of the compartment. it started at the side of the hydro pump and went all the way down to below the sides of the drive motors for the wheels.... It was quite a mess. Obviously years of neglect and abuse I bet no one has even looked in here since it was purchased I am surprised it was even functional. Took out more than 5 gallons of hydraulic fluid soaked sticks, pine needles, dirt, seat material, and insulation, I even found a shiny marble! Had to pull a lot of it out by hand , cringing each time I could swear I felt something moving around down there ! Next phase is a good pressure washing , had to get the big stuff out first though by hand and shop vac !
Sadly, that sort of mess is not uncommon.... Pretty much every machine i have bought had a decent amount of oil soaked dirt packed in it's belly, some more than others. My dad is great at helping with this, he isn't afraid to get elbow deep in oil goo and filling multiple 20l buckets with what treasures are removed.
If you had rats, take the cover off the underside of the blower shroud. Behind where the exhause pipe goes. I had the little buggers living between the oil cooler and radiator. The only way i found out was there was a mashed body slung up around the radiator that fell into the fan.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
Sadly, that sort of mess is not uncommon.... Pretty much every machine i have bought had a decent amount of oil soaked dirt packed in it's belly, some more than others. My dad is great at helping with this, he isn't afraid to get elbow deep in oil goo and filling multiple 20l buckets with what treasures are removed.
If you had rats, take the cover off the underside of the blower shroud. Behind where the exhause pipe goes. I had the little buggers living between the oil cooler and radiator. The only way i found out was there was a mashed body slung up around the radiator that fell into the fan.

Ok so I took your advice Tazza, its obvious theres a nest in this compartment but I cant get the wingnuts to come loose or the flaps to fold down. I turned the wingnuts which were frozen with a pair of vise grips and I heard a loud pop and now all they do is turn in circles over and over but nothing happens... how do I get these to open ????
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
Ok so I took your advice Tazza, its obvious theres a nest in this compartment but I cant get the wingnuts to come loose or the flaps to fold down. I turned the wingnuts which were frozen with a pair of vise grips and I heard a loud pop and now all they do is turn in circles over and over but nothing happens... how do I get these to open ????
Sounds like the bolts were stuck behind the cover and broke free of the clip. All you can really do is break out the grinder and replace the stubs later.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
Sounds like the bolts were stuck behind the cover and broke free of the clip. All you can really do is break out the grinder and replace the stubs later.
will it be ok without those covers for awhile ? I guess I can just drill the centers out of the butterfly bolts, clean out the mess, and try and find some kind of replacement ...
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
will it be ok without those covers for awhile ? I guess I can just drill the centers out of the butterfly bolts, clean out the mess, and try and find some kind of replacement ...
It will be ok for a little while, but do replace the covers. This blows air through the oil cooler and radiator. Keep an eye on the engine temperature.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
It will be ok for a little while, but do replace the covers. This blows air through the oil cooler and radiator. Keep an eye on the engine temperature.
Heres an update : Finally got around to pressure washing , it took me 2 and a half hours but it looks much better , almost completely clean! Also I got into the compartment below the radiator and cleaned out the second rats nest , its AMAZING how much cooler it runs now I can tell a huge difference ! Then I changed the oil, and all of the filters (oil, fuel, hydro). And I found a root grapple that wasn't too far away, brand new 48 incher with a single cylinder , hooked it up and the auxiliaries worked flawlessly ! New seat, new handles on controls, and new boots at the bottom of the steering arms ! Got a chance to work the grapple for a couple of hours to get the feel for how its supposed to be used and I was very impressed , im going to be able to do so so much with it ! Couldn't be happier with my project ...

In the process of trying to grease all of the loader fittings and about 3/4 of them wouldn't take grease , I even tried working the lift up and down but no luck ... So I guess I need to try replacing the grease fittings and cleaning out the little hole it fits into ? Where can I buy the replacement fittings ? Is that something I can buy at a local automotive place ? Thanks again for all the help !

Tee -
 

OldMachinist

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
2,748
Heres an update : Finally got around to pressure washing , it took me 2 and a half hours but it looks much better , almost completely clean! Also I got into the compartment below the radiator and cleaned out the second rats nest , its AMAZING how much cooler it runs now I can tell a huge difference ! Then I changed the oil, and all of the filters (oil, fuel, hydro). And I found a root grapple that wasn't too far away, brand new 48 incher with a single cylinder , hooked it up and the auxiliaries worked flawlessly ! New seat, new handles on controls, and new boots at the bottom of the steering arms ! Got a chance to work the grapple for a couple of hours to get the feel for how its supposed to be used and I was very impressed , im going to be able to do so so much with it ! Couldn't be happier with my project ...

In the process of trying to grease all of the loader fittings and about 3/4 of them wouldn't take grease , I even tried working the lift up and down but no luck ... So I guess I need to try replacing the grease fittings and cleaning out the little hole it fits into ? Where can I buy the replacement fittings ? Is that something I can buy at a local automotive place ? Thanks again for all the help !

Tee -
Yes just standard grease fittings.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
Yes just standard grease fittings.
Thanks ... Another question. When I bought the bobcat it came with a pair of used Grouser over the tire tracks ... Am I supposed to buy some "wheel spacers" before I used them ? Someone was telling me I had to or the tracks would cause damage to my bobcat .
 

OldMachinist

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
2,748
Thanks ... Another question. When I bought the bobcat it came with a pair of used Grouser over the tire tracks ... Am I supposed to buy some "wheel spacers" before I used them ? Someone was telling me I had to or the tracks would cause damage to my bobcat .
Spacers are only needed if you don't have enough clearance between the tracks and the frame when installed. Wheels/tires can also be swapped from side to side and mounted with the offset inside out to provide more clearance.
http://www.grouser.com/pdfs/tracks/Hard & Soft Track Mounting Instructions.pdf
 

7LBSSMALLIE

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
1,290
Yes just standard grease fittings.
good job my man. lots of 743 still alive today. couple o notes , grease the u joint weekly, never ever ever use ether,(if it wont start its glow plugs or compression ) personaly i would spend the money to up grade fuel filter from the glass bowl to the 6667352 and mount , and relocate, doesnt matter where as long as you got access, reall is just a fuel filter. run it love it. watch the hr meter reset to 0 when you hit 10000.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
good job my man. lots of 743 still alive today. couple o notes , grease the u joint weekly, never ever ever use ether,(if it wont start its glow plugs or compression ) personaly i would spend the money to up grade fuel filter from the glass bowl to the 6667352 and mount , and relocate, doesnt matter where as long as you got access, reall is just a fuel filter. run it love it. watch the hr meter reset to 0 when you hit 10000.
Where is the u joint located ?? You mean all of the grease fittings on the loader ?
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
Where is the u joint located ?? You mean all of the grease fittings on the loader ?
THey couple the engine to the pump. Lift the cab, they are just behid the blower housing, hard to access i'm afraid.
You don't need to grease them every week, but you do need to grease them every so often. Ideally they should never fail, but we know there is always a chance.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
THey couple the engine to the pump. Lift the cab, they are just behid the blower housing, hard to access i'm afraid.
You don't need to grease them every week, but you do need to grease them every so often. Ideally they should never fail, but we know there is always a chance.
Update:
I replaced all of the hydraulic hoses to the lift arms and the auxiliary lines while I was at it ... I had one cut on one of the auxiliary hoses and a small split on the left side , one of the lift arm hoses and now No More Leaks! hooray! Also got to the u joint and greased all 3 fittings, it was quite a chore but I got them all , it took an extension hose on the grease gun !
Next I want to put some lights on it . The two in the front are completely gone (just wires dangling) and I need replacements . All I can find are the square ones on ebay ... Where can I find the round ones like mine or will the square ones fit ok ?
Thanks
 

Tazza

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
16,829
Update:
I replaced all of the hydraulic hoses to the lift arms and the auxiliary lines while I was at it ... I had one cut on one of the auxiliary hoses and a small split on the left side , one of the lift arm hoses and now No More Leaks! hooray! Also got to the u joint and greased all 3 fittings, it was quite a chore but I got them all , it took an extension hose on the grease gun !
Next I want to put some lights on it . The two in the front are completely gone (just wires dangling) and I need replacements . All I can find are the square ones on ebay ... Where can I find the round ones like mine or will the square ones fit ok ?
Thanks
It's good when you rmachine doesn't piddle oil all over the shed floor.
I believe the cab is the same on the 7x machines (excluding the G series). The early ones had round light holders, the newer ones had rectangular. I believe they would both fit.
 
OP
OP
C

calypso428

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
112
It's good when you rmachine doesn't piddle oil all over the shed floor.
I believe the cab is the same on the 7x machines (excluding the G series). The early ones had round light holders, the newer ones had rectangular. I believe they would both fit.
Ive really been putting the machine through its paces this week collecting over 6000 lbs of salvage scrap metal and loading it with the grapple. Its been running great , don't know how ive gotten along for so long without one !! Today I noticed that when I run the machine at 3/4 throttle and higher , if I am climbing a hill with a load , I have plenty of power and the engine sounds good ... However I noticed a light colored white smoke coming from the exhaust . Is this just normal operating exhaust or the beginnings of a problem ? It doesn't smoke at idle or when not under a load , and like I said its a very faint color not solid ..
Thanks,
Tee -
 

Zorack

Well-known member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
123
Ive really been putting the machine through its paces this week collecting over 6000 lbs of salvage scrap metal and loading it with the grapple. Its been running great , don't know how ive gotten along for so long without one !! Today I noticed that when I run the machine at 3/4 throttle and higher , if I am climbing a hill with a load , I have plenty of power and the engine sounds good ... However I noticed a light colored white smoke coming from the exhaust . Is this just normal operating exhaust or the beginnings of a problem ? It doesn't smoke at idle or when not under a load , and like I said its a very faint color not solid ..
Thanks,
Tee -
Great thread,Calypso428,glad you got it running,and could you post a pic of it all cleaned up?
 

Latest posts

Top