T300 losing power

[Addio]

Hi, there. I am new to this forum and to skidsteers in general so please bear with me. My buddy bought a 2005(?) T300 with a Fecon head on it. The machine has 1500 hours on it and overall appears to be in good working condition. The engine was replaced at 400 hours by the dealership although why that engine failed I don't know. We were running the machine yesterday taking out some fairly light brush. It ran for an hour or so but then I noticed the machine started losing power. Initially I just took into the brush a little more slowly but after a while it would bog down even when the head wasn't spinning. Just trying to move the tracks caused the machine to bog badly. There's no smoke coming out of the exhaust and when not under load it runs great and idle and above. The hydraulic motors for the tracks "groan" without the head operating. I checked the hydraulic fluid level and it appears to be fine (the LCD shows it just below half even when operating the head) and the fluid at the sight glass is about the same. Any ideas of where to start looking for the issue? The machine was had its 1500 hour service just a couple of months ago so the air, fuel, and oil filters are all new. I take it the hydraulic fluid filter is under the cab. I will check that once I figure out how to open the cab up. The fuel bulb isn't collapsed. We don't have a manual yet for it (picking one up this week). What type of hydraulic fluid does the T300 take? I was about to buy some 20 weight at the local JD dealer but saw that some skidsteers use 10W30. I didn't want to add to the problem so I didn't do anything but put the machine away for the day. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and I appreciate any guidance provided. Addio

 

[mrdeere1959]

hyd oil= bobcat. cab has two nuts inside at the front corners. you also need to change the fuel filter

 

[Addio]

hyd oil= bobcat. cab has two nuts inside at the front corners. you also need to change the fuel filter

Thanks for the response. When you state "hyd oil = bobcat", do you mean that Bobcats are sensitive to hydraulic oil levels and that I just need to keep it topped off and the filter clean? Is the hydro system self-bleeding? I would guess that it is but figured I would ask. Thanks. Addio

 

[mrdeere1959]

Thanks for the response. When you state "hyd oil = bobcat", do you mean that Bobcats are sensitive to hydraulic oil levels and that I just need to keep it topped off and the filter clean? Is the hydro system self-bleeding? I would guess that it is but figured I would ask. Thanks. Addio

just use bobcat hyd oil, its no more expensive than any other high quality oil. nothing to bleed air will work its self out

 

[BobcatGuy32]

just use bobcat hyd oil, its no more expensive than any other high quality oil. nothing to bleed air will work its self out

I had a similar problem on my T650 which turned out to be the fuel filter. It too was "new" but I had apparently put some diesel in it that had a little water in it and it rusted the fuel filter. The mechanic told me to keep spare filters handy.