Lap bar interchange, 751 to 763

[bobbie-g]

I have a 751C destined for the boneyard after a few more jobs. It has the gas strut assisted lift on the lap bar. My 763C has the spring assist lift which requires significantly more effort to lift up the bar. I'd like to swap the lap bars between Bobcats, but they're about 250 miles apart so I can't compare them easily to see if the swap will work out. Anyone have thoughts about whether the bars/lifting mechanisms/sensors/attachment brackets will swap easily between these units? ---Bobbie-G

 

[Tazza]

I was under the impression that they were interchangable, but hopefully someone on here has actually don it to be 100% sure

 

[PEVO]

you could do a parts search by model and see if part #s interchange. It my be just be the gas lift cylinders that could be changed over. One things for sure...BOBCAT wants a arm and leg for any of these parts. However if you can match the lift cylinders, you can buy aftermarket ones for way cheaper than OEM. My old 743 lost its lap bar long ago via previous owners. Im weighing weather i really need one or not. The way this 743 can buck like a bronco has me thinking a lap bar my shoehorn me into the seat better so i can control the sticks better and thus less bucking.

 

[Tazza]

you could do a parts search by model and see if part #s interchange. It my be just be the gas lift cylinders that could be changed over. One things for sure...BOBCAT wants a arm and leg for any of these parts. However if you can match the lift cylinders, you can buy aftermarket ones for way cheaper than OEM. My old 743 lost its lap bar long ago via previous owners. Im weighing weather i really need one or not. The way this 743 can buck like a bronco has me thinking a lap bar my shoehorn me into the seat better so i can control the sticks better and thus less bucking.

Some parts are reasonable prices, but some are just insane.
I got a price on a new lift cylinder for a 753G, $2,200 plus taxes, just crazy. I need to work on one that i sold a bloke years ago, i feel i'll need to drill the gland nut out, but was getting prices for worst case, that is a very bad worst case price!
Personally, i'd try and get a bar for it, i feel much more secure with my lap bar down.

 

[bobbie-g]

Some parts are reasonable prices, but some are just insane.
I got a price on a new lift cylinder for a 753G, $2,200 plus taxes, just crazy. I need to work on one that i sold a bloke years ago, i feel i'll need to drill the gland nut out, but was getting prices for worst case, that is a very bad worst case price!
Personally, i'd try and get a bar for it, i feel much more secure with my lap bar down.

OK, gang, here's the much-anticipated after-action report: The lap bars are indeed interchangeable. Did the swap and everything works fine on both machines. So the lap bars are the same for the 751C and 763C, and the gas strut bar interchanges fine with the spring-assisted bar. The only tricky part is getting the bars in and out of the cab. A real Chinese puzzle. But not to worry, the instructions in my manual show how to do it, but I couldn't make that work either. Some forcing of the bar is necessary, no matter what I tried. But it worked. The lap bar sensors are the same in both machines, so I didn't even have to unplug them. The only thing to be wary of is the left hand bar pivot point. The 1" long "spacer"/magnet has a couple of teeth that must engage in the slot in the cage hole. Takes some care to align that spacer up so the two protrusions are seated in the hole/slot in the cage. When loosening the bolt on the outside of the cage, hold the inner bolt with a wrench so only the outer bolt turns, otherwise the teeth may be sheared off. The teeth are there to keep the magnet attached to the bar rotated to the proper orientation. Sorry for being a bit rambling, but IMO more info is better than less. ---Bobbie-G