demoman357
Bronze Member
I know that this has been in many previous threads but a renewal of information may be useful now.
Many have bemoaned the prices of Bobcat filters and rightly so. The only reason to charge $100 or more for a filter is greed.
I have taken the time to check most all of the filter manufactures to see if I could cross reference something. I was not successful for the hydraulic filter and the hydrostatic filter. After carefully measuring the original filters dimensions and build characteristics, (I was unable to measure flow and pressure limits), I went about trying to find a suitable replacement to OEM filters. There are none. Bobcat filters are made in Korea and are good filters. There may be some added cost in additional shipping but not to the prices asked. It turns out that the largest variable in cost is the greed of the dealership.
In September 2011 I purchased a hydrostatic filter (part number 7002299) from Pape Equipment (an Oregon Bobcat dealer) for $92. In August 2012 that same filter is $131. After shopping around and reading threads on Tractorbynet, I located Wallace Tractor & Equipment, a dealer in Pennsylvania, that sold it for $90.89. I called the Oregon dealer and asked them to match the price but they said no, that price was below their cost and the PA dealer must be pushing aftermarket parts. Yesterday I received the filters from PA and they are OEM Bobcat parts.
Previous posts have made good points about using the very expensive Bobcat hydraulic fluid until the warranty runs outs. I have used a good quality Conoco product (after checking the specifications) from the 100 hour point on. It was a decision that I made due to the heavy cost of fluids at the dealer. I have had no problems at all and am now at 300 hours.
Bottom line: Total OEM fluids and filters cost from the Oregon dealership: $619.67
Same from the Pennsylvania dealer with non-OEM fluids: $277.12
We as consumers must communicate our dislike of greed to the seller and hope they notice when we shop elsewhere.
Many have bemoaned the prices of Bobcat filters and rightly so. The only reason to charge $100 or more for a filter is greed.
I have taken the time to check most all of the filter manufactures to see if I could cross reference something. I was not successful for the hydraulic filter and the hydrostatic filter. After carefully measuring the original filters dimensions and build characteristics, (I was unable to measure flow and pressure limits), I went about trying to find a suitable replacement to OEM filters. There are none. Bobcat filters are made in Korea and are good filters. There may be some added cost in additional shipping but not to the prices asked. It turns out that the largest variable in cost is the greed of the dealership.
In September 2011 I purchased a hydrostatic filter (part number 7002299) from Pape Equipment (an Oregon Bobcat dealer) for $92. In August 2012 that same filter is $131. After shopping around and reading threads on Tractorbynet, I located Wallace Tractor & Equipment, a dealer in Pennsylvania, that sold it for $90.89. I called the Oregon dealer and asked them to match the price but they said no, that price was below their cost and the PA dealer must be pushing aftermarket parts. Yesterday I received the filters from PA and they are OEM Bobcat parts.
Previous posts have made good points about using the very expensive Bobcat hydraulic fluid until the warranty runs outs. I have used a good quality Conoco product (after checking the specifications) from the 100 hour point on. It was a decision that I made due to the heavy cost of fluids at the dealer. I have had no problems at all and am now at 300 hours.
Bottom line: Total OEM fluids and filters cost from the Oregon dealership: $619.67
Same from the Pennsylvania dealer with non-OEM fluids: $277.12
We as consumers must communicate our dislike of greed to the seller and hope they notice when we shop elsewhere.
