Hi I bought a 1989 bobcat 643 and it is almost impossible to drive it jumps and jerks around we also have a gehl 3814 for years and itisa fantastic machine very smooth and easy to drive but the bobcat is very dissapointing we replaced chains and bushes in the controle levers butit stillmade no diffirence when you try to drive it is justjerking every where is there anything we can do to solve this problem or are they all the same
bobcat 643undriveable
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CausticUrbanCoast
Platinum Member
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I believe you are comparing apples and oranges looking at images.
The bobcat is the old two lever steer and the gehl is a joystick, possibly full drive-by-wire.
The only way to get over that old bobcat/case two lever jerkiness is with experience and muscle memory. They chain drive (if that's what it has) does not make it much easier, even if the clutch plates are new.
The drive-by-wire system tend to let you dial back sensitivity, which compensates for experience.
At least it does not have a nasty drift like the Thomas I use once in a while.
The bobcat is the old two lever steer and the gehl is a joystick, possibly full drive-by-wire.
The only way to get over that old bobcat/case two lever jerkiness is with experience and muscle memory. They chain drive (if that's what it has) does not make it much easier, even if the clutch plates are new.
The drive-by-wire system tend to let you dial back sensitivity, which compensates for experience.
At least it does not have a nasty drift like the Thomas I use once in a while.
thanks for the reply the gehl is the same age but you controle both wheels with the one lever and the loader with the other but it moves off slow and is very controleable I have driven machines for my lifetime and normally can get the better of anything but I cant seem to gel with the bobcat and no one else can seem to get any good of it either I have never driven another bobcat so maybe they are all like that
DieselBound
Elite Member
I have only limited experience with Bobcat machinery, having only once operated one of their smaller (9k lbs range) excavators. I can state unequivocally that Bobcat's hydraulics are second-rate. It was really hard to maintain any sort of working rhythm and keeping it from jerking all over the place. I'd operated Yanmars and Takeuchis and those were much better (Takeuchis are excellent).
With that vintage the hydraulics are going to be pretty crude. Have to think more about interleaving functions rather than trying to do multiple ones concurrently; and, or, just slowing down (a lot).
With that vintage the hydraulics are going to be pretty crude. Have to think more about interleaving functions rather than trying to do multiple ones concurrently; and, or, just slowing down (a lot).
