How many hours should a BobCat last?

[mtk51]

I'm taking over management of a small horse boarding operation.

The farm has a 863 BobCat with 3300 hrs and little sign of ever having any maintenance. I read another post (different web site) that said 4000 hrs was about the limit for the hydraulics on one of these. I find that hard to believe. Seems like a hard worked machine could put that on in two years.

I'm hoping 20,000 hrs is more in line. Am I dreaming?

Mark

 

[brain55]

By 8000 hours they are getting pretty sloppy. It all depends on maintenance. In well kept conditions the engine is probably good for 10,000 hours. Odds are by then you have done both drive motors. Loaders pins and bushing have been done done at least a couple of times before then. The hydrostat pumps hold up pretty well I would guess 8-10,000 hours. I have never seen one with more than 8000 hours. They could probably go to 20,000 hours but you will have spent a lot of money to get there. The hours don't rack up like you think they do. I worked for a contractor that put heavy use on his machines, and they still barely went over 1000 hours a year. The average homeowner/rancher puts between 50 and 100 hours a year on a machine.

Brian

 

[Tenn_Blue]

I'm not a profesional bobcat tech, but I tend to agree with Brian - 20,000 hours would be near impossible for the "average" machine. If you look at equipment sales, 2500 - 4000 hours seem to be the point where many businesses trade the machines for new ones - they start to have problems more frequently and have reliability issues.
I have a mini-ex and a skidsteer - each has under 3000 hours, and both are showing their age (cylinder leaks, chaffed hoses, pin slop, etc. Type of use and level of service/maintenance is a major factor on how long they live and how fast they wear out.
Engines last a long time, but hydraulics, safety systems (BICS and sensors), electrical and pins/bearing surfaces wear out. All can be fixed, but down time and repair cost add up.
My machines are used in a farm setting, and I do most of my own wrenching, so down time and repairs are not such a big deal, but it would be another story if I were making money with them....

 

[20 20]

I also agree with Brain55, key words to go with though are previous care. If the machine was abused then hrs. go way down.

 

[mtk51]

OK, thanks everyone for the reality check.

From the looks of the bucket hinge pin I found on the driveway last night, this machine hasn't had much if any maintenance. Not even a hint of grease on it.

I probably better get a service manual and start reading. It's looking like it's going to be a long winter in Minnesota.

 

[Tlucch]

Sorry to chime in late but I thought you'd be interested in knowing the life of torture our S175 bobcats endure inside our gray iron foundry. We have 2, the older one has 6129.2 hours and runs all day hauling and rolling hot sand and iron castings and runs in extremely dusty and downright filthy conditions day in and day out. These machines get so full of sand we need to clean them out just to operate the foot pedals. It was bought in 2003 if I remember correctly and has had no major repairs. Greased daily, monthly oil and air filter changes. I have no plans to replace it anytime soon. My newer one was bought in 2009 and currently has 2500 hours.