picked up a 743. have some newbie questions

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Njc

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Mar 7, 2017
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Hi guys, I am new to the skid steer game but I picked up a 743 (serial #501924608) for cheap. So with the cheap came some issues. I Have been working on it whenever time allows and trying to get it running a little better. Being new to skid steers I have a couple probably basic questions… 1.I know that the hydraulic resv is to either have a dipstick, sight glass or pet cock. I cant find anything. Im thinking that at one time made there was a sightglass and the previous owners may have put in a regular bolt as replacement. Should I replace this bolt with a sight glass to have some guage 2.I have two couplers next to the seat inside the cab. I have no idea what they are used for. 3.Should I replace my quick connects with flat faced 4.my bob tach is sloppy and the bushings need replacing. My question is the bushings were the tilt cylinder meets the bob tach are they weld in. BC they way they look now it doesn;t appear that they are but this could be bc they are that far worn. Also I feel like the pin is too short that runs through the bottom of the tilt cylinder through the ears of the bobtach. Do you think its bc the ears are that wallowed out or.. 5.The wedges that run through my bobtach have no levers. I assumed this is becomes they never changed buckets and it appears the rust locked the wedges in enough that they had no need lock them. Im guessing heat/pb blaster to break the wedges free and add some levers so I can change attachments. Im going to hopefully add pictures to the post so you guys can see what im talking about. Thanks in advanced.  photo IMG_0387.jpg  photo IMG_0386.jpg  photo IMG_0385.jpg  photo IMG_0385.jpg  photo IMG_0379.jpg  photo IMG_0373.jpg  photo IMG_0376.jpg
 

Tazza

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See if i can answer all your questions.
Yes, there is a bolt in palce of the sight glass, the old one may have cracked and leaked. Not sure where to get an after market one, but it wouldn't be a bad idea.
If your old ones are rusted up or need replacing for any other reason, no reason why you can't change them. They are cheap on ebay, your call really.
That tilt cylinder pin does look too short to me, the more support it has the better in my book.
Not a clue about the fittings in the cab, you'd need to lift the cab to see what they are hooked up to, never seen that modification before.
The bobtach play, are the lower bushings the issue or where the tilt ram hooks up?
Some have bushings, others do not. I have had enough wear in the past to require new bosses installing. I had to cut the old ones out and weld new ones in. Even the ram connection, i got a torch and cut the gusset and bushings out and made new ones and welded them in.
Keep up witth he pictures of your progress.
 
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Njc

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Mar 7, 2017
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See if i can answer all your questions.
Yes, there is a bolt in palce of the sight glass, the old one may have cracked and leaked. Not sure where to get an after market one, but it wouldn't be a bad idea.
If your old ones are rusted up or need replacing for any other reason, no reason why you can't change them. They are cheap on ebay, your call really.
That tilt cylinder pin does look too short to me, the more support it has the better in my book.
Not a clue about the fittings in the cab, you'd need to lift the cab to see what they are hooked up to, never seen that modification before.
The bobtach play, are the lower bushings the issue or where the tilt ram hooks up?
Some have bushings, others do not. I have had enough wear in the past to require new bosses installing. I had to cut the old ones out and weld new ones in. Even the ram connection, i got a torch and cut the gusset and bushings out and made new ones and welded them in.
Keep up witth he pictures of your progress.
thanks for the reply tazza. i am going to pick up a sight glass just so i have some guage. the bobtach play is all where the ram meets the bobtach. i think my bushing were weld ins but possibly the welds broke and now the are loose. i can rotate the bushing in a circle and move the ram side to side a good bit. i had some time to chase the mystery fittings in the cab. they run to the motor and one of the into the t stat housing i believe. i took some pictures bc im still unsure what they are.  photo IMG_0386_1.jpg  photo IMG_0388.jpg  photo IMG_0390.jpg
 
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Njc

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Mar 7, 2017
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thanks for the reply tazza. i am going to pick up a sight glass just so i have some guage. the bobtach play is all where the ram meets the bobtach. i think my bushing were weld ins but possibly the welds broke and now the are loose. i can rotate the bushing in a circle and move the ram side to side a good bit. i had some time to chase the mystery fittings in the cab. they run to the motor and one of the into the t stat housing i believe. i took some pictures bc im still unsure what they are.
Cab heater?
 

Tazza

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Cab heater?
Yep, someone plumbed in quick couplers to use for a cab heater, probably so it can be removed in summer to make for more space.
Not loving the fact the bushings are moving. The mre they move, the more they will wear the bosses. If they are already moving, i suspect there is wear in there. It will still work, but in time, you should look at replacing them.
Not all ram eyes have bushings, worst case, a machine shop can machine the hole out to suit a press in bushing.
 

wbecker

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Oct 21, 2013
Messages
131
Yep, someone plumbed in quick couplers to use for a cab heater, probably so it can be removed in summer to make for more space.
Not loving the fact the bushings are moving. The mre they move, the more they will wear the bosses. If they are already moving, i suspect there is wear in there. It will still work, but in time, you should look at replacing them.
Not all ram eyes have bushings, worst case, a machine shop can machine the hole out to suit a press in bushing.
There is a very important item to check on the 743/743B. There is a universal joint from the engine to the hydro pump, it is difficult to grease and therefore gets missed. when it breaks, it can tear up a lot of stuff in that area. If you have no idea of it"s age or condition, you might want to pull the engine and change it. The engine is not too hard to remove. Or you could try to look at the U joint with a mirror and a light to try to get an idea what the condition appears to be. Or try a cell phone and just hold it in the and take a bunch of pictures until you get a good one of it. To get to it, raise the cab, and standing on the left side, reach way to the back between the engine and the hydro static drive, feel around for the U joint. I pulled my engine due to one of the lines that runs across the bottom in front of the engine rusted out so I had to pull the engine to replace the steel nine, that's when I found the U joint in very very bad shape. Bill B
 

Tazza

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There is a very important item to check on the 743/743B. There is a universal joint from the engine to the hydro pump, it is difficult to grease and therefore gets missed. when it breaks, it can tear up a lot of stuff in that area. If you have no idea of it"s age or condition, you might want to pull the engine and change it. The engine is not too hard to remove. Or you could try to look at the U joint with a mirror and a light to try to get an idea what the condition appears to be. Or try a cell phone and just hold it in the and take a bunch of pictures until you get a good one of it. To get to it, raise the cab, and standing on the left side, reach way to the back between the engine and the hydro static drive, feel around for the U joint. I pulled my engine due to one of the lines that runs across the bottom in front of the engine rusted out so I had to pull the engine to replace the steel nine, that's when I found the U joint in very very bad shape. Bill B
Very good point, i forgot about that, the U-joints are the main neglected part on the machiens with them.
Greasing is a good idea, if you get a helper to turn the engine by hand so you can get a grease gun on the grease nipples. Pulling it is an even better idea, you can then flex the joint to feel if there are any tight spots.
 

jambalini

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Nov 21, 2019
Messages
30
Yep, someone plumbed in quick couplers to use for a cab heater, probably so it can be removed in summer to make for more space.
Not loving the fact the bushings are moving. The mre they move, the more they will wear the bosses. If they are already moving, i suspect there is wear in there. It will still work, but in time, you should look at replacing them.
Not all ram eyes have bushings, worst case, a machine shop can machine the hole out to suit a press in bushing.
That cab heater idea is brilliant. Our old JCB has a similar setup as standard. It looks like a little oil cooler with a 12v fan behind it. Then just a tap so that you can control the flow/ heat when it's running. I'm going to look at doing this on my 773 but I will install a diverter valve so I can control the coolant going through the cab, not just a 'T' I think.
 

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