I have a Bobcat 325 and 331. Both could use new pins, but my Bobcat 325 pins and bushings around the quick X-Change bucket area are really getting a bit loose. I figured that I may as well change most all of the pins and bushings while I have it in the shop working on it but the prices quoted to me by my local Bobcat dealer made me realize why it seems like all the machines with over 1200 hours or so seem to have some loose pins; the price to replace them is crazy! I know it's been a few years ago, but the bushings and pins on the full sized 690 excavator were less expensive. Anyone have any suggestions on where to look to buy replacement pins? With dealer prices it just kills me. :Banghead I'd consider welding them up and sending them out to a machine shop to have them turned back down on a metal lathe before I'd pay a couple hundred bucks for a pin. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!!
Why not just have the same machine shop make them new. It would be easier for them to do that than turn down an old pin with weld on it. Those machines are so tiny, you wouldn't really need to case harden or chrome the pins, just start with a good material. A pre-stressed 4140 would work really well. Or even just a 1045 or a 1018 would work well. They're tiny pins, no big deal.
That's a fact and that's also why the price for replacements seems way out of line. I can't understand why the pins for the compact excavators are more than full sized. I don't have all the specs for exact sizes and tolerances. I figured that somebody has to sell them at a reasonable price. I still can't find them though.
I replaced the boom and bucket pins and bushings on my Bobcat 320-B four years ago. Och. The harden bushings I could see being may be pricey but the pins were insane. I the future will fab the pins. Seems to me that there is a good market for aftermaket suppliers for these parts.
Unless you are good with a torch, welder, grinder, etc. I would take it to a machine shop and let them do it. A dealer will sock it to you. I usually do my own work, but its a PITB. I remove my old pins and bushings and take them to a machine shop and get them to make new ones. I have used old hydraulic rams, from bad cylinders (check with local hydraulic shops) for the pins, just do some measurements. Another possibility, is if the unit uses the same pins and bushings, in several places, just buy one setup and get the machine shop to make new ones to these specs. Usually about half the price. You might be able to take the factory ones, back for a refund. Most machine shops, have stock for most applications. I needed a 2 1/2" X 18" bucket pin, dealer wanted almost $300, local hydraulic shop, had a ram that was the same OD, $20, I just cut it to length and drill a bolt hole Good Luck
Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately it seems like all the decent machine shops in my area are all booked up for months. I think this is due to similar things we are talking about; dealer replacement prices being just plain nuts on all sorts of parts and pieces that can be fabricated with a good shop and CNC machines. I've resorted to contacting machine shops in China. It seems they are getting all the work they want making all sorts of specialized parts for people in the US and Australia. The problem is that they want an order for a hundred or so pieces. With the unbeliveable markup in pins and bushings, I may just hold out until someone else places an order for a few thousand of them and starts selling them. I just won't pay $200 for a pin that should be $20 or $30. I just can't bring myself to do it.
pins I think I found a place on Google that makes bushings, try Google bushings, if I can still find that info, Ill send it to you
I have a Komatsu PC27 and I also need to replace my pins and bushings. My guy at the machine shop advised me to order new. Does anybody know where I can order them, other than Komatsu?
try these fellas out. i have saved thousands http://vancouvertracparts.com/
Thanks. I'll give them a try when I get my little Bobcat 325 back from the paint shop. I had a period of time I wasn't going to need it and they look just so much better all painted up right. I'm getting it disassembled, blasted, primered, painted and new decals put on it cheaper than it was going to cost me to replace a few of the pins and bushings.
Pics of the paint job would be cool to see when you get a chance!!
http://www.totallappraisals.com/expanders.aspx Try these pins they are great! I have changed pins on many machines and these have solved all pin to ear wear issues. If the pin can't can't move in the ear then it can't wear.!!
I have one pin on my machine that has excessive wear. Can I just build it up with some mig weld and turn it down to specs on a lathe? I checked with a file and it doesn't appear to be hardened.
Welcome to the forum sreeb. :usa If you have a pin that is not hardened, and have access to a lathe (I wish I did), then by all means...build it up with weld and mill it. I have to wonder though, if the pin has excessive wear...what about the pin bushing/bearing?
If the pin has excessive wear than it has most likely worn through the case hardening and this is why you can file the pin. It probably was hard in the .
IIRC, I checked on a non-wear surface. The pin is threaded on one end to retain it. Hardening threaded parts is complicated due to thread distortion after heating so I suspect it wasn't hardened. The pin is for the link near the bucket of a Takeuchi TB016 (little guy) if that makes a difference. The bushing in the cylinder end does appear to be hardened and doesn't seem to be worn much. This is where the pin wear occurred. The pinlink guide area doesn't move and is unworn. The pinlink area has much more area and doesn't have much wear. The machine is an ex rental and equipped with a quick bucket disconnect and auxiliary hydraulics so this pin may have been beat up with a breaker. The rest of the pins seem OK. This a home use machine so it isn't going to pile up the hours fast but having the bucket slopping around bugs me.
Pins and Bushing supplier I found pins and Bushing for my John Deere 410D at: 800-321-9983 www.joseph.com Fax 330-342-3895 [email protected] Factory pin $160 Joseph pin $54. The items I priced are all about 1/3 the Deere dealer price. (He marks up about $20% above factory list.)
The pins and bushing are the wearing parts,after a period time of use,have to replace them or repair. We are the excavator and dozer parts manufactuer edit especially for undercarriage.But unfortunatly we do not deal in the Bobcat brand. If only for small order,i suggest to purchase it from Ebay or Amazon,because the factory has the mini order request.Have a try.