I have a chance to buy a good looking Bobcat 873 that has neen setting for several years. Word is it was rebuilt, but engine "ran away" and it got parked. Have not been around oil cooled Duetz engines. I understand the engine oil is used as the cooling system. Looks to be an expensive engine to rebuild. Has anyone repowered one of these with a cummins, perkins or Kubota? Am I better of tearing the Deutz down to possibility rebuild or go a repower with a separate cooling system. Any advice. Don't care about resale, as I have smaller one but have always wanted an 800 or a 900 series on wheels not tracks.
I am pretty sure that once you source a different engine, build a cooling system from scratch and engineer it into the machine, figure out how to get power to the pumps, ect you will have more into it than if you just fixed the Duetz. That is assuming you are a fabricating genius and it all works good. I don't think there were any other engines in the 873's. The only easy option might be if one of the newer T or S models had a Kubota that you could source stuff from with less fabricating. Usually the only way repowering makes much sense is if you have a donor machine available.
Does that unit have a Deutz 1011 engine in it. They are not rocket science and there are probably cores out there somewhere for some of the parts. Have worked quite a bit on some different Deutz engines and they do have not too bad priced manuals. Shop around and way less involved to fix than to re-engineer. Is there a hole in the side of the block. Is the crank bad. Good machine shops can help and just keep everything surgeon clean and probably will be sucessful. Simon C
The problem with the 873 is the loader arms. That was an early loader arm design when Bobcat was introducing the G series machines and it was a design that was prone to loader arm cracking, even snapping in half. If you do consider purchasing it, looks at those loader arms closely. As for the Deutz/repower, that's an oil cooled engine and the radiator and piping is designed for that engine. To repower with something else, well, I've been a wrench bender for over 40 years and I've always said, "I'm not afraid of work, but I ain't gonna invent work for myself". Just my opinion, if you decide to purchase, commit to fixing the Deutz or keep looking.
Memo Parts has reman exchange engines for in the 5 to 6k range. Might have to find a reseller as I believe they are wholesale only.