Hey guys we recently sold our 743 bobcat and bought a 773 f series bobcat. I'm having a problem with it and I can't figure it out. Used it the other day and every thing worked just fine but today when you start it up and unlock the hydraulics the 2 green lights come on on the left steering control. Now this is a hand control machine so no foot pedals. When you unlock the skid steer the boom will raise and lower but when you go to curl or dump the bucket nothing happens. Now when you dump the bucket the light goes out and when you let off it lights back up. When you curl the bucket the light goes out and then flashes and locks the hydraulics from working. Boom won't raise or lower so you have to shut down and restart. I have checked all the wiring plugs and can't figure this thing out. It was working fine yesterday and now this. Any possible fixes any one can think of? I counted the number of times the light flashes on the left steering handle right light and it flashes 5 times then has about a 1-2 second pause then 5 more flashes and keeps doing that. The bucks beside the seat every thing is lit up except the one for the valve lock but it does not flash.
check and clean all the electrical connectors on the handles, AHC controller, and actuators. you may have a bad tilt actuator. :drinkup
i called my local bobcat dealer yesterday and asked them what the flashing light meant. He said it was a bad tilt actuator. I have checked and cleaned all the connections but some times it works and some times it dosent. seems to be getting worse tho. So now my question is has any one replaced one of these actuators and how hard is it to do. Im thinking of doing it my self to same some money and i currently am employed by a leading ag manufactuer and previously worked as a mechanic so mechanical skills are fairly high. Thanks for all the help
changing the actuator should be fairly simple if it doesnt have the old, old tailmount actuators. take a look at the actuator and see if it's held onto the valve with 2 allen head bolts, or if it has a mounting bracket bolted to the frame, and a single allen head holding the "tail" of the actuator to the mount. even with the 2 bolt flange type mount, you'll probably need a new adapter to mount a new actuator. if you find hyd oil in the actuator, replace the spool seal before you install the new actuator, other wise you'll be replacing it again very very soon there are several threads talking about manual actuator calibration, it may or may not calibrate manually. :drinkup
i looked at the actuater last night but couldnt tell how it was mounted. alls i could see is where the actuater had the pin through the valve spool. it almost looked like the fuel shut off solonoid to me any ways. i will take a better look at it in the day light this weekend. I believe the acutater was 600 and then the update mount was another 40 plus 95 an hour to r&r and calibrate. but they told me they would give me the calibration if i did it my self
sounds like you are describing a tailmount actuator. i'd suggest you remove both actuators and the mount before you try to get the single mounting bolt loose. just about every one that i've doe i ended up removing the whole thing to get a good angle on the bolt. some machines, ( i believe it may be early 863's ) the valve is up tight to the frame, and can be a royal PITA to get the new actuator bolts back in. :drinkup
im going to go take the belly pans off of it tomorrow and start my cleaning process so i will try and snap a picture of it with my phone and post it to make sure im on the right part.
Finally with 3 days of power washing and 2 funerals im back with pictures. here is the skid steer in my garage. just barley fits but i got the boom up after i took the wheels off and got it lowered as low to the ground as i could. . Here is a picture of the actuator. It has a pin that holds the front side on and then a single allen bolt holds the rear or the tail on to another piece that mounts to the frame.
the tilt actuator is on top of the lift actuator. make sure you get the adapter and new bolts for the new actuator. you're headed in the right direction :thumbsup :drinkup
Yes the tilt is on top. However bobcat and every one else said these things are a pain in the butt to get out. I had mine out in about 15 min and I've never done one before. Bobcat quoted me 2 hrs labor to do it. Glad I chose to do it myself. Does any one know can these actuators be tested to see if it is bad or not. I was going to switch lift for tilt and see if my problem reversed but I didn't want to mess any thing up. Also does any one have the calibration procedure for the new actuator. It is an f series machine so it's not as computerized as the g series
the actuator testing has to be done with the actuators in the machine, it involves testing command and feedback voltages, and can be very time consuming. swapping the actuator connectors is actually part of the troubleshooting for actuator issues. we normally charge 1 - 1.5 hrs for an actuator diagnostic, swap, software upgrade and calibration. a quote for 2 hrs isnt out of line, especially if they run into problems with rusted, corroded or mangled bolts ask dealer you're buying parts from to print out the manual calibration procedure from the service manual. :drinkup
Ok I got my new parts tonight. Do I take the old cap off of the valve and install this new one or do I leave it on the valve body and install the new spacer on top of the cap?
i must be having a brain fart, what cap are you talking about? :beatsme post a pic if you can :drinkup
The new acutator i got has an adapter that mounts between the valve and the actuator instead of on the tail like the old. but does the cap on the valve have to come off to put the new spacer on?
if the cap you are refering to is aluminum, approx 1/4" thick. then yes, take it off and install the adapter and actuator :drinkup
Boy was that a pain in the @$$ however its installed now. And when i tested it it worked. Now if it will only work more then a couple of days will be the real test. Now back to the calibration question. I called a local bobcat dealer and he tells me he cant fax me the calibration because its on his computer on a disk. and then tells me he will look and then get back to me. Still waiting on that phone call by the way. So i called another bobcat dealer and he said the he would look in the book. He then calls me back and says that the f series machine is a plug and play deal so there is no calibration. Is this right or do i still need to calibrate it?
if it works, i'd leave it alone. FWIW i havent gotten a straight answer from bobcat (@ the DSM, factory trouble shooters, or instructors) on calibration of older machines with AHC, or early ACS controlled machines. :drinkup
tested every thing last night and the boom went up and down and the tilt worked as well. No jumping around or any thing. So i would say i am fixed on this part. Now on to adjusting the hydros.