I cant find a parts breakdown that shows a fuel tank drain plug. I have not seen this machine yet, so I haven't had a chance to look for one. I not really familiar with bobcat. The customer believes that it dose not have one. It is a bobcat....so it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't have one. So any info would be great. Just trying to familiarize myself before i get to the machine.Thanks in advance.
I'm not real familiar with M series machines, have you checked the Bobcat parts pages using the machine serial number?
I did. But didn't see one. I think I'm hoping that there is one....ok praying there is one...lol
Tell ya what, call Bobcat of Knoxville and ask for Gena in parts, she knows her **** when it comes to Bobcat machines, and ask her if it has a tank drain. She's the one you want to deal with about parts for that machine, of course I'd get in a cuss fest with her, we've been trading banter with her for years.
I pretty sure it doesn't have one, after looking at several different serial number ranges. But thanks I will give her a call....I've only delt with her a few times....she can be a handful. Lol...thanks again. Have a Merry Christmas.
They don't have one. Electric fuel pump plumbed into the pick up line is how we drain them when a customer thinks its one of those new hydrogen machines that run on water.
Thanks for the verification on the fuel tank drain.. Definitely a option to pump out the tank. The customer seems to think there is sand in the tank. Not sure what really happened or whats really in the tank. So I will be at the machine tomorrow. I will post what I find. Thanks for the advice. Take care.
Sand? Well that would be interesting. I mean, it's not like Knoxville is the beach where sand gets in everything, nope, it would have to be put there.
Yep, I agree. I haven't put eyes on it yet, but this machine is new to my customer. Not sure where he got it or who had it before him..... but I'm sure knowing him he got a good price on it and tomorrow I will know why. We will see tomorrow! I will let yall know.
We have had sand, dirt, rocks ect ect. Ive seen people use old dirty 5 gallon buckets, old jugs you name it to transport fuel and just dump it in there. We have even had what we assume where kids playing around drop enough gravel into the tank of a 450 dozer we had to remove the tank to clear it. Always makes you wonder but it happens alot. Bad thing is when its debris not water and with the shape of the tank on that machine just draining it wont get that kind of trash out. Hopefully the tank wont need to come out to be cleaned.
If you can, tip the machine so there's a bottom corner. Then use Willie's "suck bucket" to drain it, or a transfer pump with a filter on the suction side to recirculate a few gallons to rinse the debris out. Or a siphon hose into a barrel and secured and a fuel hose and air hose into the tank to rinse it out.
Well I got to the machine, customer let me know he bought from a man that used it to do storm clean up on the coast. I pulled the fuel sending unit and used a camera probe to inspect the tank for debris. It had trace amounts of sand particles left in the tank. So I recommend to them to let me flush the tank and replace all fuel line hoses. They agreed. So I set up my 1 inch waste pump and a 55 gallon drum. I ran a water hose into the fuel sending unit hole and put my suction hose in the fill neck hole. And as suggested above I filled the tank with water as I was raising and lowering the machine to wash the tank out while pumping the water into the 55 gallon drum. I filled the drum 3 times with water flushed from the tank. I inspected the tank again after flushing with camera probe. No debris found in tank. Reassembled machine, with new fuel lines. Didn't get finished today ran out of daylight. Hope to get back out there Saturday and finish up. Thanks again yall for all the suggestions. Merry Christmas.
More pics
Glad you where able to get it cleaned out with much to much trouble.
Yes Sir, me too
Wow thanks for the great idea! Struggling with this problem right now.