Hopefully somone will find this helpful but I would like to get some help too. I own a 2006 Bobcat A300. I have had it since new and it now shows 2,200 hours on the meter. Since it's been slow we have been taking advantage of it by doing a lot of PM on all of my machines. Greasing the wheel bearings at 2,000 hours is recommended on this machine. This process is not very difficult. Removal of the hub assembly, kingpins, and the yoke (short little axle with the U-joint). There are (2) tappered roller bearings in the hub assembly. These are the ones that need to be greased. Removal, to this point, was simple but when removed it reveals the axle in the open end of the axle tube. The end of the axle tube has a seal (the axle is lubricated by the chaincase oil as the inner end of the tube is in the chaincase) and we became concerned by what we found sitting behind the seal. On the back axles of my machine we found large metal shavings and CHUNKS! The only thing remaining in the axle tube is the axle, a plastic centering spacer, and the innboard axle bearing. From the outside we could see no visible problem with the bearings. I tried to find out, from Bobcat, if this metal may be casting flash or something that may be left over from the manufacturing process. They were no help. The size of the chunks demanded further investigation. Getting to the rear access port of the chaincase requires some work. Working in the chaincase is difficult, at best, as the port is small. In the chaincase there is an inch between the bolts that hold the sprockets on the left and right axles. The axles must be removed before the chain can come off of the sprockets and before the sprockects can come out of the chaincase. These bolts are torqued to 535 ft. lbs. I had to weld a box end 1-1/8" box end to a 4' pry bar to get them lose. Tack weld and practice fit is required to verify that the bar will fit. At this length interference with the cab, the access port, or any one of a million things is possible (depending on the clocking of the bolt). Once you verify the angle that the wrench needs to be (in relationship to the bar you are welding it to) you can weld it more securely and use it. You will need at least one other 1-1/8" wrench to use later on. Part of mine can be seen in the left of this photo of the axle puller that I made. I found it VERY difficult to get the axles out of the bearings. There is no way to apply heat as the sprockets block access to the inboard side of the bearing. I followed the recommendations in the manual and it only resulted in the destruction of the threads on my 5lb OTC slide hammer puller. The axle did not budge. The manula says to place a spacer between the (2) bolts that hold the sprockets on the axles. Loosening the bolts will begin to drive the axles out of the bearing. With the puller in the other end of the axle (had to have a 3/4"-16 [axle thread] x 5/8"-18 [OTC puller thread] adaptor), coupled with the force of the bolts, should remove the axle. No luck for me. I made a puller from 3/4" B-7 all-thread, some grade 8 bolts (3/4"-16), washers, and a plate. The previous phot shows it with the axle removed. The plate is a stop that rests against the end of the axle tube. The hole in the plate allows the all-thread to pass through and thread into the axle. Be sure to thread it all the way in so that all the threads are engagged. Two nuts, jammed together on the all-thread, will allow you to use a wrench to tighten the all-thread into the axle. On the outside of the plate should be a couple of washers (so the nuts won't dig into the plate). Then I welded (3) grade 8 nuts together (I wanted four but the fourth one just jammed up the works). Make good welds all the way around the nuts as the force will seperate them when you start pulling. I also recommend that you use lubrication on the thrreads. The required force was so great that even with three nuts we got some thread damage.
Here is the puller in action. Once the axles are out it is still difficult to get the chains off of the sprockets. Thight quarters! This photo shows the inside of the chaincase with the sprockets and axles removed. You can see the bearing, still in the carrier, that is press fit and also retained by a snap ring. This picture shows the left side axle and sprocket removed but the right side is still assembled. Here is the source of the metal chunks and shavings.
this looks like it would be hell! i dont quite see what the problem is...is the chain rubbing on the case or something? cuz the bearing looks alright to me...
For some reason (still can't figure out why) both rear drive sprockets are interfering with the bearing carrier. The carrier is damaged almost all the way to the retaining ring groove. Here is what the back side (outboard side) of the sprockets. A very big set of inside pull snap ring pliars is required to remove the snap rings. Further hose and fitting removal, the assistance of a small set of speed clamps, the 45 deg tips on one side, and the 90 deg tips on the other side were all required to get them out. We had to make another puller as well. Another home made adaptor was made to connect the 3/4"-16 all-thread to the 5/8"-18 of the puller shaft. Basically a three legged inside puller was attached to the all-thread. The left side bearing is removed by pulling against the outside end of the right axle tube (the bearing removes from the outside into the chaincase). This photo shows the puller (again, the puller is going through the right axle, across the chaincase, and inside the left bearing). This is one of the bearings (removed of course). I should have been a hand model! They are spherical, double rollers. BTW the cheapest place I found them are from Bobcat. I have checked the king pins and u-joints, at the advice of the Bobcat dealer, and found that are in good working order-no visible wear. I can't see how that would matter anyway as the outside axle end is splined and not press fitted to the yoke. Even if something was wrong, at the hub assembly or king pins, the yoke and axle should be able to slide independantly from one another. No way that they would pull the axles out (and thus cause the interference between the sprockest and the chaincase). In summary, so far, nobody seems to know why this is happenning. The Bobcat dealer has said that a special trouble shooter (at Bobcat corporate) has been assigned to my case and they will be contacting me. At that time he said it may be Tuesday before I get a call (it was on the previous Friday that we talked). After a week I called back the shop foreman (whom I had the aforementioned call with) to ask who should I call as I have still not heard from this, so called, "special trouble shooter" yet. He said to give a couple more days. It's now the following Wednesday and stiil no contact. I have decided that I will go to ConExpo, after all, with the hope that I can talk to someone there who will help me out. Frustration, and now desperation, is setting in since this thing has been sitting for three weeks now. To make matters worse, spring is here and I need the machine. From what I can see, so far, it seems that there must be something that was built out of spec. There are no new issues, problems, noises, vibrations, or visible changes accept the interference. I would not have even known about it (until catastrophic failure) if I hadn't exposed the axle tube ends. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
The bearings were fine (accept one was detroyed while removing-before I made the puller in the picture) but I wanted to replace them anyway. The only way for the metal shavings to get to the ends of the axle tubes is to pass through the bearings. Even without any visible signs of a problem, it's just too much work to take a chance. The problem is that the sprocket is rubbing the bearing carrier (see photos). BTW, to get some perspective on the size of this stuff, the chain in the pictures is 2" wide.
Always wondered how many more moving parts were in an "a" machine vs. a standard machine. So the axle shaft and drive sprocket have a little bit of play in them which lets the sprocket and carrier intermingle... good thing that you caught that before the snap ring was let loose. Seems to me like there should be shims in there to keep everything tight. Did bobcat let on about any other users have simular problems?
Bobcat probably denied that the A300 even exists. I agree that there should be shims in there to stop the endplay.
Bobcat has not even called me back yet (Bobcat corporate anyway). The dealer has never even been as far into one of these machines as I have. They are trying to be helpful (gotta give 'em crdit for that) but they just don't have any experience. Every thing that you see in the photos is the same on the S300 (maybe even all the large frame loaders) until you reach the end of the axle tube. Obviously there is more plumbing and software but the chaincase and axles are the same, or so I've been told. Shims are not in the parts blow up or in the manual. If used the only place I can see to fit them would be between the sprocket and the bearing. If placed there they would have to be small enough to fit inside the snap ring. BTW I could not get any lateral movement, on either sprockets or axles, prior to dis-assembly.
Seems like the shoulder on that drive sprocket was machined deeper it would clear the chain case .... I hope you get the answers you want the hear ...That dont look good ..
the neighbor has an a300 with 12000 hours on it. says its starting to nickel and dime him.
Yes, I agree. 12 thousand or 12 hundred? I would be willing to accept the higher maintenance cost if it occurs around twelve thousand hours. I'm not sure how well this is going to go. I went to Con Expo (I just got back today) primarily to see if I could talk to someone there about my chaincase issue. I was able to talk to the individual who oversees all the district service reps (I should have gotten his card!). He said he would have someone call me, my regional service rep., probably by today. Well, I got a call this morning from my local dealer. Apperently the service rep. called them, and had them call me. The advice was to check the end gap on the axle. I asked how this was accomplished. The reply was "With a feeler gauge I think". If I remember correctly, the spec was .0010 to .0012. Of course with a feeler gauge, but where do I measure! As I said this, the only place I could think of to measure would be between the spocket and the carrier. We already know that there is NO gap there. Plus I have to re-assemble everything to check this. I will keep trying to get through this but I am not happy with the support I'm getting from Bobcat so far. I would much prefer it if I could talk directly to someone. Talking "through" a third party (the dealer) will only make things cumbersome. More importantly things are going to get lost in translation. During the call I had with the dealer this morning I requested that I be able to talk directly to the regional rep. (for the reasons I have already stated). I am very anxious about this. Maybe I'm wrong here but I'm getting the feeling that they don't really want to help me or, at least, that it's not a very high priority.
Hate to say it but sounds like there wantin to dance around the obvious here... I would probably talk to a machinist to think about shavin some off the drive sprocket... Whats sad here is dealer support ...this situation is what builds reputation when things go wrong and how they handle it ...there probably hopin you'll just go away..cause they dont have the answer... Sorry for my rant its just the fact of how dealers deal with problems .. Oh stay persistent and remember the sqeaky wheel gets the oil.... Good Luck ..
yup, 12,000 hours. i suspect he would have gotten rid of it a while back if he was having problems with it. i was surprised as well when he commented he had so many hours on it. for the record, i have had multiple ppl from jcb calling me just to say hi. they are really into this new skid steer they have apparently. well, this case is an interesting one. dealer support is one thing. expecting a dealer to walk you through a major repair is another thing. our local john deere dealer will charge us if we call in with a repair question. if this machine was in the dealers shop and was not getting repaired, then i would say you have a dealer issue. but since you are attacking it on your own you are just that, on your own. dealers that would actually help you with this would be more from the old school. equipment dealers are becoming more like car dealers, they wont give u their time unless their is money in it for them.
WOW ...I guess its good to live where I live ....I know all the dealers in my area will talk to a person ...**** on somebody that wont tell you what they know ...excuse my language
Bad deal I've been around a little ...If I ask someone a question and they act like bring it to me or they don't want to answer me like its there secret ...What comes around goes around ...KARMA... I would like to think we are all in this together ...My customers call and ask me how to do repairs themselves ..I walk them threw it like i was doin myself ...Because I understand they might not be financially able to pay me ...Thus I know when there over there head they call me .. I still dont see how people can be so one sided ..this forum itself ..people askin people ..
I'm like the others, I wouldn't hesitate taking those sprockets to a machine shop and have the whittle some metal off the outside, doesn't look like there's much clearance in there otherwise. And maybe it's just me, but if your local dealer doesn't have much experience with the A300 chain case, that you've been in it deeper than they have, seems to me they would have an interest in sending someone out there to get a look in there for their own experience benefit.
As I said before, the dealer has been helpful. I also contacted another dealer (in another part of the state) that has a much larger area and franchise because I thought that they may be able to help me. Despite the fact that I was not their customer they were very helpful too. The scenario has not completely played out so the jury is still out. As of this moment I think that my issue may be with the MFR. Not the dealer. As far as me being "on my own" because the machine is not being repaired at the dealer, I would think that it would be in the MFRs best interest for me to have a good running machine. IMO they should be looking at my future business potential, and that of whomever I talk to. If I don't figure out why this is happening, and correct the problem, I will sell this machine. If it comes to that I won't be buying another Bobcat to replace this one. IMO I could not trust the brand any longer. If I were to take a step back and look at this from a pragmatic point of view (sometimes hard to do when you have this much invested) I see it like this: Bobcat, or any other brand, exists to serve the end user. This service is what they are selling. If the end user does not percieve that they are buying something useful to them they simply won't buy it. They have sold me something that was delivered with an issue, or has developed one. IMO Bobcat is the only practical source for the information required to trouble shoot the problem. If they are not willing to help me out than I don't really see what good they are to me. If they can't see that it's in their best interest to help me than I think they are simply out of touch.
Anger! My frustrations are turning to anger. Friday will be three weeks since I was told that I should expect to hear, from the Bobcat trouble shooter, in a couple of days. I even went to ConExpo, primarily to get some action from Bobcat on this issue, and I ended up talking to the man who oversees all the regional service reps. I told him my issue and he said that I would probably not hear directly from the Bobcat trouble shooter but that I would probably hear from the regional service rep for my area. He said he would contact him post haste and that I would probably hear from him that day, or the next (the next day would have been last Friday). Friday morning I got a call from the parts counter person at my local Bobcat dealer. He said that the rep had called and that I should measure the end gap of the axle. This measurement should be .010-.012. When I asked where I sould take the measurement his reply was "I'm not sure. I think you'll have to put it all back together." OK....well, I'm not liking that idea. I calmly requested that I get to speak to the rep. directly so that I can ask questions as they arrise, and so that things don't get lost in translation. I see no good reason to have a middle man. Things will be cumbersome at best. The dealer has been requesting this on my behalf. I even spoke to the owner of the dealership yesterday. He is personally requesting this from the rep. So far I have gotten bupkiss from the MFR. I am now faced with renting another machine since the one I own is inoperable. I just can't seem to come to terms with this. Is my perspective out of whack? Am I asking too much? Are my expectations too high? Should I start buying my tractors from CarMax(might be funny if you have seen thier commercials lately)?
Update I have finally been in contact with Bobcat Rep. He didn't come right out and say it but I got the distinct feeling that they really did not want to talk to me but would rather help me through the dealer. They wanted me to take the machine in but I am not willing to spend the time and effort putting it back together, enough to move, just so that I can pay them to tear it back down again. I took all the relevant parts to the dealer so that they can compare them to build specs. According to the dealer everything was in spec (hang on possible revelation to come). So far the only thing that they can come up with is that the bearings were shot which allowed latteral movement and caused the interference between the chaincase bearing carrier and the boss on the outboard side of the sprocket. I picked up the spockets so that I could have them machined. My neighbor is a semi-retired machinist so he did the work. I requested a bevel to remove all gauling and make more clearance just in case we had more issues down the road. This was also recommended by Bobcat (but they were going to have the dealer de-bur it with a grinder). Parts were on my doorstep this morning and the machining did not go exactly as I imagined. Instead of a bevel he machined a shoulder. I would have preferd the bevel as it would have left more meat on the boss. They are still plenty thick so I'm sure they will be fine. Now to the revelation. My neighbor called me to make sure I found the parts on my front porch. He suggested that I take a look at the parts as I should notice something peculiar about them. When I inspected them the shoulder revealed a little imperfection. The bosses are welded to the sprockets. The shoulder at 3 o-clock is wider than that same shoulder at 9 o-clock. This tells me that the boss is not centered in relation to the spline drive hole that accepts the axle shaft. I will have to look closer to see if the hole is in the center of the sprocket or not. I would think that this could easily cause it to interfere with the carrier. Even if it was not an immediate interference the fact that the sprocket was spinning like a camshaft (out of center, wobbling, etc) would cause premature wear to the bearings, IMO. This reminds me of a condition that the machine developed a year or so ago. While in second speed (machine is 2spd) and on any sort of incline the machine would surge. I could see how that could be a symptom on the sprockets not being centered on the axles. I am anxious to see the reaction from Bobcat on this. Maybe they'll say it does not matter if they are centered but I think it does. Stay tunned kids.
this is awesome. what a huge pain. i would not be happy if i needed the machine and did not have any time to work on it.
"DGODGR" ....... ever since you started this Thread I have been following it very closely ! I couldn't AGREE with you more about the rotten attitude that Bobcat gives there loyal customers ..... its almost like once you have paid for the machine it too bad so sad ! I TOO have had some goofy issues that needed BC corporate responce, until I found out a number to call at that time, where I caught a product support guy driving down an interstate hwy deep down south ( mine was a serious repetative issue with a BC made attachment) ... I was treated like a bag of dog crap by the dealer, because I just didn't load up the machine and haul the thing 150 miles to the nearest dealer to watch them scratch their balls and say well we never seen anything like this before (as usual) ..... I chewed a strip off of him for about an hour about the propaganda magazine (WorkSaver) like where are the real articles about guys like you and me who have not got the fat wallet everytime there is a hick-up. or when there is a down turn in the economy and how tuff it is to survive as an owner operator....... HE resovled the problem ...... WHY couldn't the dealer handle it ? ..... with out going over their heads ...... ALL brands have their issues, and at times it can get very testy! I have contacted every trustworthy person that I could think of asking at BC to get a straight up answer, if the issue you are having is common, using the sympthoms you posted including the machine hrs ....... what I got back was only in the early-early series of "A's" but not in the recent years especially not the "K" series My A-300 has just turned 2100 hrs, but does not do what yours has done like the surging part ..... not saying that it won't in the near future, I did have a software issue where the wheels did not track straight (never seen that before ....ya right) took 2yrs but finally got fixed, naturally off of warranty Do you think you could Pm me your serial number, I want to see how close the numbers are to mine .......mine was built late in Sept/Oct '06 Please keep us posted ..... especially the pics are great.... Good-Luck !
Craft, I took delivery in April of '06 so I doubt they are close in S/Ns. I will send the PM as soon as I get a chance to get the number off of my machine. BTW if your machine is at 2,100 hours you should have re-greased your wheel bearings by now. If not I assume you will soon. This will give you the opportunity to check for shavings and chunks behind the seal at the end of the axle tube (this is where it collected on my machine).
The machine is up and running now. It has been used about 30 hours since it was put back together. I had the local Bobcat dealer mechanic put it back together. Things had gotten busy for me and I decided that the Bobcat service rep, and the dealer mechanic would work together and, hopefully come up with some reason for the problem. HA! This was an error in judgement on my part. The machine was reassembled (cost me about $900) with no suggestions or insight into what may have caused the problem or how to prevent it. The mechanic did, however, state on the invoice that the left side axle tube had been ground up so bad that he was concerned that there may not be enough of the snap ring retaining groove left. He further went on to state that "the customer" (me) had said to reassemble it anyway. Nobody ever called me to ask. I certainly had the same reservations when I first saw it. It's unfortunate that this experience has been such a disappointing one for me. I really like the way the all wheel steer works but after this I will never buy another one. The dealer was pretty good to me in the beginning but they just reinforced my reservations at the end. Bobcat was particularly unhelpful. I could have put the machine back together months ago (when I had the time and long before I needed to use it). I spent a lot of time and effort trying to track down answers to what went wrong. What a huge waste of time. For me it all would have been worth it if I could have gotten some answers. The end result is the same as if I would have never called Bobcat in the first place. Except that I would be almost $900 richer. I know that many have said that I would have been better off if I would have taken the machine to the dealer in the first place. The only possible advantage could have been that Bobcat may have covered the costs of the repairs, or maybe just the parts. Even if I had, and they did cover the repairs, I don't think I would have any better idea as to why it happened than I do now. To further add insult to injury, in all likelyhood, it would have simply cost me more money to find nothing out. I know that things break and that it costs money to fix it. I can only try to prevent this as best as I can. Now the machine has been restored to working condition. That is good but, without knowing what caused it to happen in the first place, how can anyone be sure it has truely been repaired. I feel as though I reached out to Bobcat for some support. I have done this several times, and sometimes they have been helpful. It's the support, after the sale, that is the true measure of a MFR and dealer. To many times, however, they have not. IMO they have let me down. I guess I will begin to take regular oil samples of this compartment. Since it has four chains in there (foaming things up), and I don't think that the oil gets very warm, I'm not sure if the particulate counts can be done. I guess we shall see. If anything further develops I will post. On reflection: I hate this thread. As I think back to the posts I've made, about my Bobcats, they are mostlynnegative. I hate that fact. It bothers me to sound so anti-Bobcat. Well, it hasn't always been like that. I have felt enough confidence in the brand to buy (3) of their machines. I have also espoused, what I think to be, the advantages of the machines (especially the advantages of the all wheel steer platform). I have only reported my experiences, as I have seen them, in an attempt to help others who may find themselves in similar circumstances as I have had, and to sometimes vent my frustrations. I hope that this has been beneficial to someone.
Well DGODGR, I don't see where you would have misgivings about this thread. On the contrary, you have presented a very respectfully written grievance with Bobcat's customer support system when they possibly should have received a scathing "raking over the coals". It would be one thing for a dealer network to say something like "we don't know what caused this, but it's out of warranty so there's not much we can do to fix it". But for you to have to deal with something this suspicious, and get no honest advice or interest from Bobcat is absurd. After seeing the pics of failure, I posted early in this thread that it seems Bobcat would have a keen interest into figuring out what happened for their own product research benefit. For them to just leave you hanging with nothing borders on offensive. This has been a very well written and documented thread. One must wonder what corporate Bobcat would think about this forum thread about one of their products and the [lack of] support network that follows the machine. Hmm.
Your dealer never showed you how to calibrate the steeering? Weak.
DGODGR ......In my previous posts about this problem ..I gotta get back to simple basics of business ..They love you when things aint wrong ....I cant do somebody like that in my world I need to make it right ..Intergerty of who you are always shines threw when things go wrong ....................When things go wrong is a man gonna stand behind it ?? Thats what builds a reputation .. Man sorry for your injustices of your problems with this ...
DRODGR in an early post you had mention when in second gear, going up hill the machine surged. Have you ever found the reason for this surge? The same shop you use told me the hydraulic strainers are plugged, I replaced them, the hyd oil is bad, you can only change a small percentage of the total oil unless you can flush every cylinder, the last commnet was the fuel filter is clogging. Because of my above comments and your comments in post #23 (which I have also experienced) is the reason that I bought a CAT305 mini and not a bobcat mini. The shop thought I was BOBCAT dedicated, not... Cat has been AWESOME. The next skidsteer will be a CAT.
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Were you having your chain case oil changed every 1000 hours? If so who did it? And did they not notice excessive metal particles in it?
seriously though...who ever changes chain case oil?
Someone that would want to know how there drive train wearing perhaps. It could have also justified a warranty Case but they woul luaph at you if you said you had 2000 hrs on the oil.
The dealer did the 1,000 hour service. At the 2,000 hour mark we were doing that service when we discovered the problem.
How does one go about changing the chain case oil?
The drain plug is on the front of the machine (on the blue part of the frame between the front tires).
You have to suck it out through the front hole as it is the top level plug. Bobcat recommends their hydraulic oil for oil in it which is a iso 46 hydraulic oil.
Thanks Andrew. I was just thinking about posting a correction/clarification. One can get fluid out from the "level plug" if one raises the back of the machine. You still have to use a vaccum to get it all though. If you search Willie59s posts he has shown how to use, and make, a "suck bucket" that works well for this.
I have seen his suck bucket and i think it would work great. I do plan on making one sometime. When I worked at the bobcat dealer we used a air operated diaphragm pump mounted on a drum with wheels which was fairly handy.
Update: I just picked up the machine from the new Bobcat dealer in town (dealership was sold recently). The had the machine for replacement of the lift actuator (ended up doing both lift and tilt plus the ACS control module...AAAGHHHHH!!!) so I had them do a 1,000 hour service (2,911 hours on the machine). This includes changing out the chaincase oil and greasing the bearings in the hubs. This is the first time changing this oil since I did the repairs in this thread. According to the B/C mechanic there was some metal in the oil (metal recovered running a magnet through the chaincase at my request). Right now I think it is leftover from the initial problem. When he exposed the ends of the axle tubes there was not any metal like there was before. Furthermore, the drive sprocket boses were machined to provide LOTS of clearance. If the metal is new it is from a different issue, or from the front sprockets, which have the boses on the in-board side.
Got ya, Thanks guys! Will look into this "Suck Bucket" lol love the name.
Maybe you can shed some light on this, the hydraulic pistons that push the wheels in and out to turn, are starting to weep, whats the process?
Just to dig up an old thread But we are going through similar issues with an a 300. We found a cracked bearing behind the right front chain sprocket as well as a loose drive chain So question how loose can the chain be?
I don't know what the slack should be on that chain. I might be able to get that information for you. Can't your dealer find that out or do you have some reasons for asking here instead of them? Judging by the size of the chain (it's pretty damn big) I would think it should last the life of the machine. How many hours are on your A300, and what symptoms led you to investigate the bearing? Not knowing what part/s of the bearing are cracked, or how long the part was in service while damaged, is it possible that any slack you have would be from the bearing wear? Is the sprocket rubbing on the axle tube on your machine too? Are either of the sprockets (at the drive motor, or the axle end) getting cupped at the base of the teeth (are the teeth starting to look "hooked")? Sorry to hear that you are having a similar issue. It's a PITA to fix, either way, but if I were having to fix it I would be very happy that is the front bearing instead of one of the rear bearings. BTW, I saw you tried to contact me (for some reason I did not get a notification when the last (2) posts were posted to this thread) and, to answer your question, the MFR never did anything to help me (other than what I reported in the thread).
Our a300 only has 974 hrs on it It was the outer race that was cracked Yes the sprocket is rubbing the axle tube As for the chain slack. I am comparing to the other three chains and the chain in question appears to have like 4 times the amount of slack. So we changed it. Which made no difference You can see here that the sprocket is off And we are talking to the dealer now they going to the rep. See we're that goes Do u have pictures of the machining you did?
Did this work
This shows lack of clearance
It looks to me like, if there is any interference, it's in the center around the hole for the axle. I'm not sure what could be causing this. It's a very small diameter and the only thing that would touch here would be the inner part of the bearing itself (shouldn't cause this as it turns with the axle and sprocket). Next in line, and actually closer to the sprocket, would be the snap ring that is supposed to retain the bearing. This I also have my doubts about that because it would have to eat through the end of the axle tube before it reached the snap ring. The only reason I doubt that this is occurring, based solely on the photos you have provided, is that I think it would be a larger diameter for any of those scenarios. Where was this photo taken? Inside or outside of the machine? I can make out the sprocket (far right), the bearing retaining ring (snap ring), the bearing, and I think the axle (far left). What is the tapered object between the sprocket and the snap ring? I still have my A300. It has about 3,200 hours on it now. I had to machine the back side of the boss on the sprocket (opposite side of the sprocket as shown in your photos. Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the bosses after I had them machined. Look at the first (2) photos in post #4 & #5. They show the galling of the boss where it was interfering with the (inboard-inside the chain case) end of the axle tube. My machinist cut a shoulder (about 1/2" x 1/2") from the edge of the boss, to ensure clearance. At this point I think the axle would have to fall out before the sprocket could contact the axle tubes. In any case, the way I machined them would not make a difference in your case (wrong side of the sprocket).
Looking at the last picture you see the bevel. That is the sprocket. And you are looking at the axle mocked up on the bench. So between the bevel and snap ring is were there bearing boss from the inside the chain case should be. Thus no clearance. So yes this is all out of the machine. And it appears that the rear sprockets are in the big side out and the front sprockets are the small side out. But it is most likely a clearance issue as you can see the rubbing on the snap wing outer boss so a little machining is in order I am thinking We have an email into the dealer were the machine was purchased and they said they will forward it to the western rep. So we will see where that goes
Harrydude, I hope that you will keep us (HEF members) posted as to what develops with your A300.
I'm wondering what may have caused all that chain slack on the (1) chain and not any of the others.
Here's up date pics Hope this works
Can't remember how to post pics lol But we put the machine back to together the front sprocket was machined But would you guess we still have grinding noises in the chain case. And it is now sounding from the left rear ....F M L Now we do have a call into the western rep. My boss gunna call him in the morning See where that goes. Hope it goes well
Did you ever figure out why the one drive chain had so much slack? My A300 doesn't make any grinding noise in low range but in high range it makes some noise upon initial acceleration. Really it's more of a "clunking" noise. It sounds like the chains are making noise. I hope this all works out for you.
Well FML. I am into this machine again. Sounds like we are getting noise from the rear now. So I might pull all the wheel ends to check for metal. Then wow into the rear chain case Wish me luck
Im curious how much noise from the chains is normal. I just bought an 05 A300 with only 29 hours, yes 29 one owner never used hours. It makes some chain case noise, but it might be normal??
The only chain noise that I hear, with my '06 A300, is upon initial acceleration, or heavy torque loads (like going up a steep hill) in 2nd speed (high range). I hope that this is helpful. Trying to explain how much noise via typing can be difficult.
MatthewG : They do make a chain case noise but mostly in hi-gear …… I complained about it when my machine was new too ….. told to me by the Tech's that the Butterfly chain size is a "REALLY" large gauge (size, pitch), much larger pitch than most of the competition …….. that was back in '07 …. it's now just shy of 4000 hrs and it's still making the same noise with no change, but when u'r not accustomed to these strange sounds it'll give an initial cause to worry … LOL ….
What Do YOU Mean that you can't explain how much noise via Typing ??????? ………… LMFAO !!! …….. Just pulling your Leg, but that's hard to describe via "Typing" Too … LOL
I saw something on YouTube (HowIDidIt is the channel-has great information on Bobcat repairs) that reminded me of this thread. After re-reading my thread today, I felt as like I should share some more info. When my neighbor machined the bosses on the sprockets he had to make a shoulder instead of a bevel. This was because the bosses were not centered on the sprockets so they rotated concentrically when on the lathe. I'm pretty sure that the spline drive was machined in the center of the axle but the boss being concentric allowed them to interfere with the bearing carrier/axle tube. Bobcat did not like the shoulder and told me that this would lead to failure. I installed them anyway and we have not had any problems to date. This thread was started in 2011 and we are now in 2023. The machine now has over 6,000 hours on it (4,000 hours of operation since repair was performed) and still no issues with the sprockets. YAY! Another interesting tidbit: As I think that I had reported at the beginning of this thread, my Bobcat dealer had told told me that, not only had they never seen such an issue as this, but they had never even heard of this happening before either (many of those who replied to this thread reported that they were told the same song and dance by their dealers as well). Well!....This must be a very rare occurrence then!! Lucky me!...I would sooner have found the golden goose to hear them tell it. After my neighbor had machined the sprockets, he dropped them off on my front porch. While they were on the porch I heard a knock at the door. When I answered the door, I was greeted by a Jehovah's witness. After I politely indicated that I had no interest in subscribing to his religious protocols, he pointed at my sprockets and asked if they were from a Bobcat skid steer. "Why yes, they are....My neighbor must have dropped those off after machining them" I replied. He then proceeded to tell me about his 753 having the exact same issue several years prior. This was from a total stranger, and without any prompting what-so-ever. Hmmm....
That is very interesting, the dealer has never heard of the issue before, and you had someone show up at your door the same day your parts came home from your neighbor who had experienced the same issue. What a coincidence! The guy showing up at your door I mean. I am certainly not saying it was a coincidence that you feel the Bobcat dealer might have told you something that is untrue! I know for sure the Bobcat dealer where I buy parts has told me things about my machine that was not true. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what they had told me on more than one occasion was not true. They just thought that I didn't know any better. I am not going to say that the guy running the parts counter at my local Bobcat place is a straight up liar, though I have enough evidence to say that. But I will just say he handles the truth mighty carelessly!!!! After all this guy just works for the dealer/owner and I cannot not say that the dealer would approve of how careless his parts manager handles the truth. But it is very disappointing when you go to place of business with trust in them to lead you in the right direction and while you are talking with the person you feel sure that he is not being truthful. Then when you get deeper into the repairs on your machine you find indisputable evidence that proves what you thought was correct, (that what he was telling you was straight up untrue). In the end some people have character and some people don't. And once a person proves he has no character then you know how to deal with them. I will get off of my Bobcat dealer soapbox now. Bobcat Crazy
I struggle to stay off the soap box myself. When you think about it, having integrity is really only hard when you might be trying to avoid being responsible for your actions. It's just a choice. I forgot to mention one other thing. After the Bobcat guys put my machine back to together, I had to back in there and fix their work. On my first job, we had to drive up a ramp to get over a 4' retaining wall, so we could access the site. The machine kept leaving a trail of oil when going over it. It wasn't a particularly hard fix (they forgot to install a couple of the bolts in the back chain case cover) but I was surely unhappy after paying the "experts" to put the machine back together.
I saw something on YouTube (HowIDidIt is the channel-has great information on Bobcat repairs) that reminded me of this thread. After re-reading my thread today, I felt as like I should share some more info. When my neighbor machined the bosses on the sprockets he had to make a shoulder instead of a bevel. This was because the bosses were not centered on the sprockets so they rotated concentrically when on the lathe. I'm pretty sure that the spline drive was machined in the center of the axle but the boss being concentric allowed them to interfere with the bearing carrier/axle tube. Bobcat did not like the shoulder and told me that this would lead to failure. I installed them anyway and we have not had any problems to date. This thread was started in 2011 and we are now in 2023. The machine now has over 6,000 hours on it (4,000 hours of operation since repair was performed) and still no issues with the sprockets. YAY! Another interesting tidbit: As I think that I had reported at the beginning of this thread, my Bobcat dealer had told told me that, not only had they never seen such an issue as this, but they had never even heard of this happening before either (many of those who replied to this thread reported that they were told the same song and dance by their dealers as well). Well!....This must be a very rare occurrence then!! Lucky me!...I would sooner have found the golden goose to hear them tell it. After my neighbor had machined the sprockets, he dropped them off on my front porch. While they were on the porch I heard a knock at the door. When I answered the door, I was greeted by a Jehovah's witness. After I politely indicated that I had no interest in subscribing to his religious protocols, he pointed at my sprockets and asked if they were from a Bobcat skid steer. "Why yes, they are....My neighbor must have dropped those off after machining them" I replied. He then proceeded to tell me about his 753 having the exact same issue several years prior. This was from a total stranger, and without any prompting what-so-ever. Hmmm.... DGODGR , Today at 2:35 PM Report Thanks for updating everything that happened and how it worked out. Good to find out that your modification worked. I have done some on Cat Skid Steer top boom pins by making shims so boom won't hammer back and forth. Cat said it was not necessary, had nothing to fix it. Did a 236B skidsteer 15 years ago and still tight 3000HRS later. Your story reminds me that dealers just want to sell new equipment, or fix in their shop. Glad to hear you solved it. Simon C
Yes at the rate they charge it seems they should be experts and confirm they completed everything. Even a shade tree guy like me is smart enough to know that when I have bolts and/or parts left over that I have missed something. That is why I do all of my own work. However I just use my machines for playing around our own place. So I have time to do that, I know you guys that are running equipment on a business basis doesn't have time to repair you own stuff. So I understand why you guys would have to take your machines to the dealer. But it certainly leaves a bad taste when you have to pay the crazy high bill and complete their work too!