The machine is a 2000 Bobcat 863 G. with standard hand foot controls. The left pedal that controls the boom is really hard to push. It raises fine but you can't let it down smoothly at all. There is no debree under the pedal and the linkage is fine. Possible spool valve issue? Easy fix? Or did they build the machine around that valve. Any input would be great Thanks in advance
Had a similar issue, possibly identical, on our 873C, 1998 model. Turned out it was the detent balls in the valve that had gotten rusty and were binding. I took the entire valve out of the machine and took it in but the service tech said that it's fairly easy to fix on the machine. I'm not quite sure how, he was even chunkier than I am and I had a heck of a time reaching in there just to dig the valve out... Perhaps Willie has a method, he's very knowledgeable when it comes to Bobcats! Ironically the tech says it happens most of the time on machines that are low onhours (ours had just over 1000hrs on it) because lots of use keeps the balls from corroding but if they tend to not get used much they rust up...
Thanks spitzair. I'm going to try to remove the detent cap on the valve with it on the machine. Hopefully it is rusted and can be cleaned up. I might also disconnect the linkage and spin the valve 180 and see if that helps. My machine has 4500 hrs. and has had the valve already rebuilt once at the dealer with about 2000 hrs.
When you take the detent cap off make sure you wrap a rag around it to catch all the little balls in there! When i took mine apart I didn't and two of the balls ended up flying away never to be seen again! Good luck!
Have you made sure the linkage is all free? The pivoit for the cross bar free? I have even seen the link between the bar and spool get tight on the piviot. Not saying you can't have vavle problems, but outside of leaking, I see very few vavle problems.
I will double check all linkage. When you take off the cap will the check balls fall out on that particular valve?
Yes they will! There's actually a warning in the maintenance manual about it, but of course being a 19 year old kid at the time I knew everything and took it apart without and 2 of the balls went flying and I never saw them again. There are 4 balls in total in there if I remember right... On edit here's a few snapshots of the maintenance manual. This is for a C series loader, not sure if it will be any different on yours. You mentioned yours is a 2000 model year? I didn't think they made the G series until quite a bit later than that but I could be wrong...
My first experience of that happening was on a 743 with the valve body in frame, learned not to do that again. :nono If you determine that the pedals/linkage aren't causing the problem and decide to go into control valve, if it were me, I would not attempt to pull the detent section of the loader arm spool apart with it in frame. Not so much because getting it apart is a problem, more because getting it back together in frame is a bigger problem. Being a 2000 model, likely it's due for spool seals anyway, I'd be yanking the spools, addressing issue with detent, and re-assemble with new spool seals. Good to go for a number of hours now. Here's a link that might give you some tips JS750. > HeavyEquipmentForums