I just picked up my 2006 T300 (w/275 hrs) today. I had rented a 200 a couple times and was impressed so I have been anticipating the T300 to be a real workhorse. First, the a/c worked like a champion for a couple hours and then started blowing warm air. The real problem I noticed and would like some feedback on is a lack of power. I am working in residential construction fairly sandy soil. As I fill my bucket full traveling forward if I start to raise the bucket I lose power and rpm more than what I feel like should be normal. I can really tell the problem when I raise the bucket preparing to dump the rpm drop is significant. Could this be a pump problem at only 275 hrs? I have had a S205 46 hp and don't recall having to stop moving so I can dump my bucket!! The machine has tremendous power and it really seems like it only loses power when I am operating the arm, not the bucket, if that makes any sense.
lack of power I would check the usual things, fuel filter and air filter. If the hyds are slow, it may mean the hyd filter is stopping up. Im not familar with the 300, but if you have a manual pedal, to operate the aux controls, play with different positions and see if it helps. You dont have to be using aux controls, if this is letting fluid bypass. I had this happen with me on my Takeuchi TL26, cost me $400 for the dealer to tell me the pilot control valve was sticking. Good Luck, most of the time, its a simple thing
I have a 2003 300 and it will do the same thing if the fuel filter need replaced, usually water in the separator. If that doesnt work then maybe start with the hyd.
We got heavy rains late this afternoon so I will be able to tinker with it tomorrow. This machine is impressive, still! Thanks
yeah what has been said check the fuel and air filters if you havent changed the inner filter since new probably due even if it looks blue compared to a new one it is probably dirty you only loose power when lifting the arms up sounds like a fuel air issue if thats not it let us know i'll give you some suggestions
the a/c problem is probably a leaking fitting in the system all of the bobcats come in once to get the a/c fixed its usually a loose fitting or a leaking shradder valve easy stuff to fix also on your 300 look for a pinched fuel line follow them back to the 90 degree fitting on the tank they do have some power to them you should have got a 320 there only 2500 dollars more than a 300 thats just machine price not all the goodies there are so many options to get for them
I took the machine into the dealer (bobcat) to have everything checked out. The a/c wiring had a short. The really bad news though, low compression and blowing oil out the overflow. I asked the seller about the fresh oil in the engine compartment after delivery of the machine and was told it was probably just from being serviced. Mechanic told me rings and possibly more. The thing is drinking diesel like crazy. I have bought my last five machines over long distance/internet and have always been very lucky and satisfied. Two kubota minis and three bobcats. Mechanic did not go into what money we're talking. Any ideas on rebuilding this engine and the potential cost. He will give me a estimate monday. I am screwed.
new from bobcat about 9000 to 10000 try to argue for warranty to cover it if it has that low of hours get bobcat to cover it if you complain enough they will cover it but yeah they are expensive about 6-8 hours to pull swap and reinstall the engine if you are mechanically inclined and want to attempt it its fairly easy the book says you have to pull the motor and the hydrostat as an assembly but you just unbolt the flywheeel disconnect all the hoses and wires pull the four bolts on the as you look at the engine the right side on the back there are 4 21mm bolts thats the size of socket it takes pull those take t he exhaust off and hook it to the hoist and pull it out its fairly easy just time consuming. yeah but if it only has 275 hrs on it argue for bobcat to warranty it
Dealer advised the engine has been most likely contaminated with dirt or the thing has been under water. The engine actually sounds good but when put under a load you can tell something is wrong. The seller purchased the bobcat from a bobcat dealer in Pennslyvania. It went out of warranty supposedly Dec 2007. Hopefully, bobcat will come through on the deal?? The seller will take it back and I am very tempted to go that route. I am already behind on jobs now and having to be down or without a machine for the next two weeks will really hurt. Renting a machine cost alot of money. Finding another machine and getting it here would also be a pain. Thanks for your info.
I would put that thing on the next truck heading to Pa. or where ever it came from. The engine issue might just be the start of your problems. Especially if BC wont stand behind the machine. It cant be hard to find another larger tracked machine.
That motor is under warranty for 2 yrs or 2000 hours right? The warranty is extended to 2nd owners with something like a 175 buck transfer fee. Call the dealer with the serial number and ask them to look it up and see how much warranty is left. I have sold 3 s300's over the last year and all had transferrable factory warranties.
we had one come in the shop with a broken camshaft and idiling or running wide open it ran fine but under a load you got a miss so that took them like two weeks to find also we have found broken fuel return lines witch are under the valve cover try those first and have them check them out
I have an update. The guys I bought it from, Woodhams Equip, in Wayland Michigan, are going to ship me an 05 with 500 hrs. They are going to take the machine back to Michigan and do whatever repairs are required to get it right. He is giving me the option, if I like the 05 to keep it or if I want the 06 back after repairs he will ship it back to me and pick up the 05. He is also saying the machine should be under warranty. I have heard the 2006 T300 has several upgrades from the 2005?? I am leaning toward the 2006 for that reason but will see how the 2005 performs and what the tracks/undercarriage looks like.
Wow thats some great service from the dealer.
that is excellent service and they are standing behind a used product!
Yes, Initially I figured I was probably on my own on the deal!! I found the ad for the machine in Machinery Trader and had never heard of them. They really just had the machine long enough to service it when I bought it over the phone. I think next time I will still foot the bill for a plane ticket or hire a third party inspector. I have always thought that would be a good side business for someone with equipment knowledge to inspect euipment for long distance buyers. With the internet more people are purchasing expensive items based on photos and trust.
Update and requesting advice from some of the resident mechanics. Finally got the T300 back from the equipment dealer with the fresh rebuild done by his bobcat dealer up north. The machine sounds brand new and has all the power I would expect. I used it for a couple small jobs with no problems. Yesterday was the first day I ran it for a full 8 hours. After loading up, I opened up the engine compartment to find oil, probably about a 4" diameter spot under the blow by tube and a drip hanging. The spot was just basically wet, not a pool of oil. Is there a break-in period for the rebuild? Any advice?
You should not be having oil in the blow by tube, especially that much. Maybe the rings have not seated yet, or someone blew the rebuild.
I sent the machine up there with 295 hrs on the meter. When it came back it was showing 298. It would seem to me they would have cranked it up and let the thing run at least 1600-1800 rpm for about 8 hours. That was my first thought also, the rings need to seat. Does the rebuild have a break-in period for the rings to seat?
The way I understand it, new Kubota engines are run for about 1/2 hr and then the head is re-torqued, then shipped. They do not have blow-by. This engine is a pain in the pills to re-torque the head when installed. A four inch spot after eight hours is not a lot, but, a new engine will be clean. If it were mine, I'd take some notes and pictures, call the dealer and ask what exactly was done for your "rebuild", and if they re-torqued the head after running it. Or just take it in now, show them the spot, and insist they fix it. A new engine will have a new turbo and a new injection system, new bearings and seals, all that stuff. A BC rebuilt engine will have what they think it needed after they broke it down. Maybe liners and rings, front and rear mains, a head gasket and slapped back together. They may have put more thought into how much they were going to make off the job than doing it right. It is for this very reason that the BC dealerships I have worked for shied away from engine rebuilds. Unless you have a full-blown facility with a cleanroom and the tools and know-how to rebuild engines, it's a loser for the dealer and the customer, or a roll of the dice at best. Did they even offer or suggest the option of a new engine? If they did and you declined and insisted it be rebuilt, you may end up wishing you went with new. If the dealer insisted they could "do it all", they may be wishing they had pushed you for a new engine. Good Luck
I just re-read the entire thread. You were dealing with a middle-man between you and the BC dealer on this problem, right? So actually, your dealer was the BC customer, and he is the one that should be jockeying with the Bobcat dealer, my bad. You bought a used machine and I agree that it does sound like you're getting pretty good service, or someone willing to stand behind used equipment they sell. All the points about possible warranty coverage are worthless if it was determined that the machine was underwater or had oil contamination. So after my long lecture and multiple posts, my opinion is to find out it the dealer re-torqued the head after running it a while. Your thought about third-party equipment inspection services is interesting. I feel confindent that I could do it for Bobcats, and somewhat less for other brands, but things like compression testing, flow-rating the hydraulic system, and basically running it on the hard side and looking for issues are doable for any brand. But what about liability? What about getting sucked in to price negotiations? Getting paid? Bears some thought-perhaps in another post.
Shane, I appreciate your response. The bobcat dealership was supposed to have done the rebuild. My salesman I purchased the machine from actually used it for about an hour in their yard just to check it out himself before he shipped it back to me. Of course, it did not produce any oil through the blow by tube during that time. I am 900 miles away and he has made two round trips now, one to p/u and one to drop off. They had the machine for three weeks for the rebuild. I am now backed up with seven jobs on my schedule and have not made any money due to having to rent. I will try and find out if the head was re-torqued. I would be willing to pay out of my pocket if I new thats what the cause was and the BC guys here could do it. My salesman just told me the BC dealership was replacing pistons and rings?? Also, the warranty had not been transfered to the dealer I bought it from. He paid and got the warranty transfered over from the original owner and this was supposed to have been done under warranty at BC. If the thing just has minor blow by do you see any reason I can't get these jobs done and then deal with this and get it fixed. I hate to have to send the machine back up north for three weeks even it is paid for by the dealer. Thats a lot of money I lose being out of business for three weeks. The machine just purrs like a new one right now.
I don't know for sure if re-torquing the head will fix your problem. I'm not sure what they did and didn't do for the rebuild. If they didn't punch the liners, and just replaced pistons and rings, that could also be the cause. If I understand correctly, your dealer(the guy you bought it from) is 900 miles away, and he took good care of you, and got warranty transferred, and got this "rebuild" done at his local Bobcat Dealer, and you have a local Bobcat Dealer, right? If so, the warranty is good at all Dealerships. Take it to your local dealer, and explain the situation, that the "other dealer" had done this shoddy rebuild under warranty, and that you still have blow-by, and the only way to achieve satisfaction and peace of mind is to get a new engine under warranty and you need a loaner because you're going broke. I have seen everything from free loaners to heavily reduced rental rates, and it is an incentive for your Bobcat Dealer to do it right and fast. If they give you any guff, ask for the number to contact the DSM, and tell him what's going on, and he should make you happy, or at least give you a reasonable and rational explanation of why you're screwed. Of course, this all depends upon the warranty period. Under warranty, Bobcat has in my experience done amazing things to keep folks happy with their products. Out of warranty, it's a coin toss, and up to your local dealer as to how far they'll go. But if you have to make another couple of 900 mile round trips, just bring it to me
I actually took it to my dealer here in Okc two days after I got it for lack of power and excessive fuel consumption. I have had my bobcat business here in Okc since 1994 and have been doing business with this dealer since then.I am five miles away from them, I rent all my attachments and buy parts from them and am in there on a regular basis.The same mechanics have been there since I started my business and they have performed a few miracles for me through the years when I thought I was out of service for an extended period. The shop supervisor called me after determining the problem (bad motor) and advised he had contacted the district guy for approval.. Due to the warranty still being in the original owners name they recommended sending it back to the second owner. I may be able to get the warranty transfered now. It is up in July 2008. Seems like the T300 gets beat up pretty bad on here but this machine impresses the hell out of me.
Shane, Bobcat advised it can take up to 100 hours for the rings to seat on the rebuilt motor. We'll see what happens.
Okay-before I dig myself a hole, I consulted the manual on this model and engine. 1st-It is not required to re-torque the head on the 3300. 2nd- The liners are not replaceable, so it is bore-and-hone to oversize, with oversize pistons and rings. My bad. BUT- No where in the manual does it state that it takes up to 100 hours for the rings to seat. A new engine is clean. Even remans that we got from a certain Engine Rebuilder that was Incorporated were clean. If a cylinder is re-bored and honed to oversize, and the pistons and rings match, it should be like factory new in there, only slightly larger. It should be clean. Kubota uses special coatings on rings that lessen or eliminate break-in running. Kubota does not run new engines for 100 hrs before shipping to "seat the rings." There is a procedure for installing the rings, and they are easily damaged if done incorrectly. This can damage the liner also. Your engine may clean up and run fine, which is my hope, but to me, the "100 hrs. to seat the rings" line sounds like a load of BS. It sounds to me like they want you to go away. If your unit is under warranty, you have a case for a new engine. But they will have to eat what they did, as the factory will only cover the new engine, which is what they should have done in the first place. Good Luck
make sure to change the oil and filter after 50 hrs to get any remaining metal shavings and debris out of the block
The mechanic here in Okc is the one that told me it could take up to 100 hrs for the rings to seat.Not the mechanic that did the rebuild. My mechanic here at BC is also the one that advised that the motor was junk and needed to be rebuilt. I do trust him based on past experience. He said it should only take a few hours to seat the rings if I am getting blow-by at all, which I am.He did say he has seen them take up to 100 hrs in rare instances. I will change the oil after 50 hrs upon your advice. I appreciate you guys help, you're a great resource! I just hope this thing works out.