westcliffe01
Veteran Member
I just recently have been clearing brush with my Bobcat B200 loader backhoe, using the edge of the loader blade to bush the bushes over, then get the loader blade under the root ball to pull it out the ground. I don't have a grapple, since it sure would make the job easier. The stems are typically less than 3" in diameter, but may have up to 15 stems clustered together and the root ball may be a foot and a half in diameter.
After getting about 2 acres cleared of everything but hardwood trees, I felt I had the technique down, and that is exactly when you make a mistake ! I went out on a Sunday morning and on the very first bush I pushed over, I went a little too far over, so that the engine and front axle were over the root ball. All good at that point. Then I backed up to get the blade under it and one of the roots sticking out the root ball found its way from behind past the crankshaft pulley and forced the blades of the radiator fan into the core. One of the blades managed to shear off about 6 core tubes before it locked up and the belt started slipping. The way the Kubota fan blades are shaped with the scythe like shape on the leading edge result in pretty significant damage once it gets dug in.
I spent the rest of the day removing the radiator, the guy who came up with the design must have been a *********... I ended up having the radiator re-cored and when I re-fitted it the following weekend, discovered that the fan was warped and still colliding with the core. Thank goodness I discovered that before turning the key... So now I have a new fan on order and I tried straightening the old one by baking it in my wifes oven at 300F and then squeezing it flat on the ceramic stove top with a large 2 gal water filled pot. It seems to have done the trick, but I will know later today.
So I have to agree, it is pretty easy to do a lot of damage in a very short time. I now have to figure how to armor the underside of the engine compartment to avoid a repeat, since it could just as easily have been the alternator or the injection pump, which is low down on the engine, or the oil filter etc etc... Further back I have had the wires pulled out of the fuel lift pump and there are all of the hydrostatic hoses etc etc.
At least the guy who did the damage is a co owner. It is a much worse feeling when it is just someone you know, who has nothing invested in the machine. I once remarked to someone who was using my machine that replacing the tires would cost nearly half of what I paid for the machine. He was not used to a hydrostatic low geared machine and just didn't understand to modulate the torque so that the wheels were not constantly spinning once the loader blade was dug in. Some people really think that machines can take just anything they can throw at them.
After getting about 2 acres cleared of everything but hardwood trees, I felt I had the technique down, and that is exactly when you make a mistake ! I went out on a Sunday morning and on the very first bush I pushed over, I went a little too far over, so that the engine and front axle were over the root ball. All good at that point. Then I backed up to get the blade under it and one of the roots sticking out the root ball found its way from behind past the crankshaft pulley and forced the blades of the radiator fan into the core. One of the blades managed to shear off about 6 core tubes before it locked up and the belt started slipping. The way the Kubota fan blades are shaped with the scythe like shape on the leading edge result in pretty significant damage once it gets dug in.
I spent the rest of the day removing the radiator, the guy who came up with the design must have been a *********... I ended up having the radiator re-cored and when I re-fitted it the following weekend, discovered that the fan was warped and still colliding with the core. Thank goodness I discovered that before turning the key... So now I have a new fan on order and I tried straightening the old one by baking it in my wifes oven at 300F and then squeezing it flat on the ceramic stove top with a large 2 gal water filled pot. It seems to have done the trick, but I will know later today.
So I have to agree, it is pretty easy to do a lot of damage in a very short time. I now have to figure how to armor the underside of the engine compartment to avoid a repeat, since it could just as easily have been the alternator or the injection pump, which is low down on the engine, or the oil filter etc etc... Further back I have had the wires pulled out of the fuel lift pump and there are all of the hydrostatic hoses etc etc.
At least the guy who did the damage is a co owner. It is a much worse feeling when it is just someone you know, who has nothing invested in the machine. I once remarked to someone who was using my machine that replacing the tires would cost nearly half of what I paid for the machine. He was not used to a hydrostatic low geared machine and just didn't understand to modulate the torque so that the wheels were not constantly spinning once the loader blade was dug in. Some people really think that machines can take just anything they can throw at them.
