My first big piece of equipment (I own and operate a small tractor business and added this Bobcat recently) and I am generally pretty happy with the machine so far. I don't do a ton of dirt work, and have not put lots of hours on the machine yet (35 hours are mine, the machine has a total of 1850 now), but when I want to lift a full bucket load or something relatively heavy, it will start to lift then slow to a stop at about chest high. But if just a little bit of material is removed it seems to be okay. For example, reasonably full bucket of soil, clay and river rock and it wouldn't go over the nips, but when I uncurl just enough for a single cantaloupe sized rock to fall out, it will lift all the way. I am fairly in the dark here, but I feel like there is a valve or some sort of controller that is maybe getting stuck? If it isn't "overloaded" then it works great and doesn't complain, but it should definately hold more than what it does. Where should I start looking??
Sounds like a line relief cartridge is opening at too low of a pressure. A hydraulic gauge connected to system is the only real way to test pressures. Redneck wise, you could always swap the boom up relief cartridge with the boom down cartridge. I have no idea where the test port is, or where the relief cartridges are located on that machine, but, I'm sure someone else will chime in soon.
I will take it into the local New Holland dealer and have them check the pressures. I don't trust the local bobat dealer at all.