Bobcat/Toolcat 7-pin electrical connector

[Spudgunner]

I've been looking at Toolcats and finally purchased one yesterday. I was going to use the TC with a Erskine snowblower but the electronics got in the way. Apparently, the TC's 7-pin connector is actually a datalink between the TC and some attachments...perhaps analogous to a computer and its peripherals. I ended-up buying a Bobcat snowblower rather than using the Erskine although I may end-up getting the Erskine on down the road after I figure out what's up with the TC's datalink/electrical connector/whatever.

Anybody out there know what's up with the Bobcat/TC 7-pin connector? More specifically, if it is a datalink, is there a published spec for it? Actually, even if it's a simple setup like the connector between my pickup and trailer, I'd still like to know what the spec is.

One other question: Is the 7-pin the standard connector on all Bobcat products these days? I was under the impression that Bobcat used a 14-pin connector.

Thanks!

 

[jabbahop]

My understanding from my dealer is that the Bobcat blower was made by Erskine - is that true? Is there a reason you are interested in Erskine's vs Bobcat? Price, quality, features?

I am strongly considering replacing my plow with a blower but am scared off by the steep purchase price. It would save me a bunch of time on our long driveway trying to move the banks back after a long snow.

 

[Rip]

Spudgunner....The 7 pin is unique to Bobcat and only their current-generation attachements will work with it. However, any Bobcat dealer can install a parallel 14 pin receptical and harness so that older Bobcat and most any third party attachments will work just fine, including Erskine blowers.

I did this so I could use a new QuickAttach blower on my new/used Toolcat C. All functions work just fine.

Jabbahop.... A blower may well work well for you, but do not give up the plow. There will be many situations where a plow is still the best tool for the job. I have both at our two places.

 

[Spudgunner]

My understanding from my dealer is that the Bobcat blower was made by Erskine - is that true? Is there a reason you are interested in Erskine's vs Bobcat? Price, quality, features?

I am strongly considering replacing my plow with a blower but am scared off by the steep purchase price. It would save me a bunch of time on our long driveway trying to move the banks back after a long snow.

My sales dude said that the Bobcat blowers were made by Erskine but now are not. I have to admit, I think the Erskine has a better chute/deflector with the curved assembly and sheet of polyethylene to protect/lube in the inside of the chute. Guess we'll see.

Rip, thanks for the info about the 14-pin retrofit that Bobcat offers. Another possibility with the Erskine is to use the pistolgrip controller. I have a friend that attaches an Erskine on his backhoe's front bucket (homebrew mount) and uses the pistolgrip device. Unfortunately, his ancient backhoe seems to lack the hydraulics to really take advantage of the Erskine.

 

[Rip]

Yes, the pistol-grip controller is another option for Erskine/QuickAttach, but with the added 14 pin connector and harness, you can then use most any other attachment that has (or can be fitted with) a 14 pin harness. Cost is probably similar.

Not to knock the current Bobcat-brand blowers, but I am quite impressed so far with the two QuickAttach blowers (and grapple rock-bucket and mud hopper) I have bought.

 

[Spudgunner]

Would anybody happen to know the part number for the 14-pin harness? I've found it best to approach my Bobcat dealer with as much information as possible and I'll probably end-up purchasing this harness somewhere along the way just so that I can use other, 14-pin attachments.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

 

[Kopycat]

Would anybody happen to know the part number for the 14-pin harness? I've found it best to approach my Bobcat dealer with as much information as possible and I'll probably end-up purchasing this harness somewhere along the way just so that I can use other, 14-pin attachments.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Spudgunner:

The "current" part number for the 14-pin harness kit should be 7120242.
That number fits any 5600 Toolcat with an "A" prefix in the serial number.
It should sell for $525-$600.
The kit comes with 24 seperate pieces (including install instructions), but I could not find an approximate install time. It also comes with an adaptor to re-mount your 7-pin kit above the 14-pin, so you can use either.

FYI - I could not find a 14-pin harness kit for any prior toolcat model. They may exist, but I didn't have any luck locating one.

FYI#2 - There are kits for most of the Bobcat attachments (that require an electrical harness) to switch them from 7-pin to 14-pin.

 

[Kopycat]

After looking at the 14-pin harness kit again:

It looks like many of the parts are included in the control box(item #2), which should come fully assembled in the kit.

 

[Rip]

I do not have my invoice in front of me, but I paid quite a bit less than your numbers. My TC already had the auxilliary control box with the three momentary toggle switches so only the 14 pin connector and harness needed to be added. The 7 pin connector is still there.

 

[Spudgunner]

I do not have my invoice in front of me, but I paid quite a bit less than your numbers. My TC already had the auxilliary control box with the three momentary toggle switches so only the 14 pin connector and harness needed to be added. The 7 pin connector is still there.

Given that there is an auxiliary control box...I take it that the stock TC "joystick" doesn't control attachments that utilize the 14-pin connector?

 

[Rip]

The trigger and thumb switch still control Aux Hyd on/off and flow direction to the attachment, and is all you use when opperating something like a grapple with a double-acting cylinder or snow plow with left/right angle.

The aux box with toggles and the 7 or 14 pin harness is used for attachments with multiple hyd functions such as a blower with chute rotation and deflector angle, and momentarilly redirects the hyd flow at the attachment head to the supplimental functions.

 

[jabbahop]

I don't think I have the 7 pin connector either. So I need to get first the 7 pin connector installed and then the 14 pin adaptor for the QA blower?

 

[Spudgunner]

I don't think I have the 7 pin connector either. So I need to get first the 7 pin connector installed and then the 14 pin adaptor for the QA blower?

I had a great/terrible "topic drift" going in the snow pusher/puller thread that is actually much more relevant here...here's what I posted; hopefully it'll help.
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I wanted to expand on Rip's statement about QA blowers as I have a neighbor who has one that I'll probably eventually buy and I had to go through wrapping my mind around the necessary parts needed to adapt it to the TC.

QA/Erskine sells a 14-pin adapter ($140) for their blowers. It is part # 320256. The TC has a 7-pin connector. So, when you buy the 14-pin QA adapter, you are getting half the electrical solution with the other half being the installation of a 14-pin harness on your TC. That harness is made by Bobcat and prices seem to vary quite a bit. I started a thread on this forum about that subject if you're interested. If one could find the appropriate Bobcat info, one might be able to construct their own harness and use the blanked-out button holes on the TC dashboard for the required buttons for the TC harness.

As Rip mentioned, a simple solution would be to purchase the QA/Erskine "Pistol Grip" controller. Then one could just feed it through one of the TC's windows...or if you want to get fancy you could add some connectors and go through the firewall... I suppose if you don't want to leave a window cracked open.
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I've been studying my neighbors QA blower and its electrical interface actually appears to be quite simple. IIRC six wires will handle all its needs. I've not yet taken a 12V battery and voltmeter out to it so let me emphasize "appears". I'm at the point where the only way I'd spend the effort/$ to add the Bobcat/TC 14-pin setup is if I anticipated using a variety of 14-pin attachments; otherwise, I'm thinking I'd simply do a homebrew controller using momentary rocker switches or use the QA "Pistol grip controller".

 

[Rip]

My used '06 TC version C already had the Bobcat 7 pin harness since the previous owner had a Bobcat-brand blower and rotary broom, so adding the 14 pin harness was fairly inexpensive and used the same switch box.

I think even the 7 pin is an option on the TC, so if your machine does not have the 7 pin set-up already, and if you do not anticipate getting another multi-function hydraulic attachment (one that has two or three hydraulic functions), then the "Pistol Grip" controller would work just fine and be less expensive.

I expect the QA/Erskine pistol grip controller would work with any of their other multi-function attachments also. The trigger switch on the Toolcat loader control joystick still controls the aux hydraulic on/off/flow. The other switches or controller momentarily diverts a portion of the flow to operate the chute rotation and deflector angle via electric solenoid valves on the attachment itself.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.