Yesterday I borrowed a older bobcat. I have used case and hydromac before. The guy we borrowed it from said he would sell it if we wanted it. The loader works well (maybe a little fast). I cant stand the way it drives and steers. The thing does not seem to have any marking or id plates anywhere that I can find. The counterweight cover on the back says bobcat as does the seat. It has a 4cyl Wisconsin gas engine that from what I read is the typical hot start problems. It has the lever on the left side that changes the vbelt pulley pitch. It has the 2 1/4 plugs behind the left front tire. It has the 2 rather large nut cap things on the side above the wheels. The right side has a small control box with a broken meter I cant tell what it was and an hour meter. The left side has the key and light and an ammeter that does not seem to work. The gas filler is on the left side back corner. It has the large round cover on the left side just above the rear wheel. I assume this model is the clutch drive type? Most of the time it does not want to do smooth turns. It seems to roll quite easily. At first it would seem to want to stall the motor when you tried to turn. If you only push one lever forward it moves forward fairly straight. After an hour or so it seemed to get a little better but was still no where near like the others I had run. Does this sound normal for this model? Is it an easy fix or adjustment? Or should I just finish my project and return it to the guy and keep my eye out for something better. In the open moving dirt in the yard it was OK but trying to move some heavy stuff around around the barn was quite interesting and did some damage to the barn and the stuff I was trying to move. I would just take more time and keep reading here but I think the owner is going to want to know if I am going to buy it tomorrow. We have not talked price but being an older beat up unit with bald tires im thinking around $1000 as is tops. Its more or less of a toy and I work on cars and tractors all the time so tinkering is not an issue I would just hate to end up with something that needed a major expensive part and after replacing it I would still have a pile of junk that is hard to drive.
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thetool
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IMO it sounds like a 600 or 610. If it's running it's fixable, there are folks who love these machines. It does sound like a clutch machine. Clutches are not difficult, if needed, which is what it sounds like. They were cutting edge in their day.....
For a thousand, I'll bet you could slap new tires on it and flip it and make a couple of bucks-if it will run long enough to sell it.
Just my two cents.
For a thousand, I'll bet you could slap new tires on it and flip it and make a couple of bucks-if it will run long enough to sell it.
Just my two cents.
I would agree, it sounds like a belt driven 610, from what i heard they are a little touchy with the steering but you would get used to it. I personally love hydrostatic drive, you have so much more control. The Wisconsin engines are very good in these machines.
You guys know your stuff. I searched for a M-610 and found several hits with pictures and that what it looks like. They have a pretty good lifting capacity for their size. How do the drive clutches work? Im amazed how little info there seems to be on these machines online.
They basically work like a clutch in a car/truck, the only difference is they are wet clutches that run in an oil bath. There are a few users in here that run them and LOVE them. I think the adjustment is a little fiddly and require a special tool but it can all be done.
I had a 610 for a few years, if you get it for $1000 after new tires and maybe a rim or two and minor repairs and oil changes you will have upwards of 2000 in it. They have 3 sets of chains in the chain case to adjust as I remember plus the clutches. Mine had a good engine in it but the rest of it took to much maintenance time for me. The wisconsin 4 cylinder had a reputation for breaking crankshafts also. I have a old 632 now with hydro drive and I work on it from time to time also but I much prefer it. You could always clean it, tinker a little maybe new tires and sell it.
Dont some motorcycles use a wet clutch? Wish there was a diagram of how the drive worked. Having trouble grasping the mechanics of it.
skidsteer.ca
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They are really simple. once you see one. A clutch plate is moved either left or right between to friction surfaces, depending on which way you move the steering lever.
On the forward side the shafts and chains all rotate the same direction with the clutch being the point where power is disenguaged and applied to the wheel.
On the oposite side the chains are arranged a little diffterent so when the chain gets to the clutch shaft it is going around the oposite side of the sprocket and rotating the opposite way. The clutch sits in between the two. As it enguages one clutch it moves away from the other. The oil is just there to cool the clutches and the inclosed system keep the outside dirt from jambing the clutches up.
It takes 3 chains per side to acomplish this. Naturally there is a completely separate system for the left side wheels and the right side wheels.
Now say your going forward andwant to tun right.
The left lever would be held forward to keep the power onto the left wheels and the right lever has to be pulled into reverse a bit to apply braking to the right wheels so they don't merely coast along at the same speed as the wheels on the left. Which is often why the machine seems to steer poorly.
On a hydro drive you center the steering stick and the wheels on that side can't turn. On a clutch drive centering the stick just unhooks the wheels from the drivetrains. If they would rather roll then stop, they will roll. With both levers in neutral they are free to coast down a hill at a frightening speed.
Ken
You can't make chicken salad when all you got is chicken chit , that is a very out dated machine and even in good running condition it isn't much , a money pit , more like a moving never ending restoration project , look for a 753 or 743
thetool
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I saw a guy dig a whole basement home foundation in about three days when I lived in Denver about 5 years back. Old Bobcat 610. He built a ramp to load the truck. I was amazed.
My favorites are a 743B, a 763, and S185, but I say again, there are folks who own 610's who would never part with them.
I'm also a Ford man, but if I were to get ahold of a '57 Chevy it would be my baby forevermore. =)
I do sort of agree here.
Once you own a hydrostatic machine you will never go back, they do cost more as they are more modern. If you have the money, i would advise you look for a hydrostatic machine, the 743's were/are an excellent machine.
With that said, the M610 is still used on farms or for home use. I know engine parts are now hard to come, these i believe have been swapped out for hondas in the past. I have never owned one of these machines so i can't give a great deal of advise on them.
Realistically, this is a very old machine suitable for limited applications. I have owned an M-610 for over 20 years and am disassembling it for a full restoration. You can find a lot of problems in such an old machine, but once rebuilt, it is a nice setup. Compared to a home tractor or other residential equipment the old Bobcats are tougher, and it's relatively fuel efficient. I own a Mustang 1700 and the M-610 which both have Wisconsin engines and a clutch system with variable speed sheaved belt deive. The problem is that the drive belt often wears out, and gives a "jerky" motion under load. Recently I got a Bobcat 843 which is a BEAST compared to the old mechanical drive machines. However, it's twice as heavy and will easily decimate a good lawn. The hydrostatic system is very loud in the newer machine, while the older Bobcat has that pleasant chugging tractor sound. You have additional filters and more heat generated by the newer hydrostatic drive while the old machines can chug along with less maintenance, no radiator to fail. I have always felt that the proper home for an old skid steer is a small farm or larger home. If you use one every day get one less than 10 years old. The rest of us who use them 4-20 times a year get along just fine with the oldies. As long as you do not pay too much, and fix them yourself, you will never go wrong. Once rebuilt they steer quite well and are lighter so your landscape will suffer less damage.
mllud
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M610 :I worked as a production machine adjuster for a lot of years. There are some very old obsolete machines out there making a lot of money.
From reading your previous threads I know you can make them do a dance. Knowing the machine ,and knowing what to do when it isnt right is the key.
Thanks for all the info. Kens description makes perfect sense and I can imagine how it is all fit in there. I was up at my friends place today and the first thing I noticed was the name plate right in plain sight under the seat. Dont know how I missed that last time. It seemed just knowing more about the machine made it easier to operate. I was able to pick up a rather large hunk of steel crap and flip it onto my trailer for a trip to the scrap yard. I went up to the dealer/repair/junkyard place we borrowed it from (my friends uncle owns the place) and asked how much he would want for the thing. He started out at 4500 then after a few short stories said he would sell it to me for 4. I dont have any interest in paying that much for a machine that old and beat. Especially since I dont have any good reason to own one. I then asked about a little mustang he had sitting there.... Follow my saga in that section. So far he does not need the 610 back so we may keep that for a while and use them both on the current yard projects.
