The interior cab light in my 2008 S185 skid steer quit working for the first time since I have owned the machine. Using a flashlight to take the covering off the light and remove the bulb (Here at almost 60 degrees N. everything requires a light right now no matter the time of day unless it's a sunny day.) I found the bulb to be a Phillips 12850 of a sort I will be able to find at the local NAPA. But after removing the bulb I spotted that the light itself has a clearly marked + sign at one end of the bulb bracket and a - sign at the other. Using a magnifying glass I can see that the bulb has no polarity markings. If the new bulb is similarly unmarked is there a right way and a wrong way to install this bulb, and if so what is it? Thanks. I have an 832 page manual for this machine but it does not mention nor illustrate an answer to this question. Thanks again.
BTW, when I purchased this machine 4 years ago from the widow of the fellow who had been plowing my driveway with it the machine had 250 hours since new (all plowing snow). The local dealer gave her a written appraisal of its value - higher than I would have liked to have paid and much higher than people here advised me to pay. But I was not inclined to beat her down in price (kind and stunning woman) so paid the appraised price. I have now put 130 hours on it plowing snow. I paid $600 to the dealer for what turned out to be an updating of the computer (machine would not move and gave error code for low on hydraulic oil which was not the case), bought one tire for $200 (unfixable, looked like a sidewall bullet hole but cannot believe it was), put in a cheap rear view camera (wonderful improvement) and rotating beacon, and bought new tire chains. It's been a good machine, at least equal to Deere crawler & log skidder I have owned and to lots of equipment of all makes I have run. Asking prices for low-time S185 (non-Tier 4) that look as good as this one now seem to be as much as 80% more than I paid for this. Having plowed now with a heated cab, great lights all way round, windshield wiper, etc. I am too sissified to ever go back to plowing with my Yanmar tractor.
BTW, when I purchased this machine 4 years ago from the widow of the fellow who had been plowing my driveway with it the machine had 250 hours since new (all plowing snow). The local dealer gave her a written appraisal of its value - higher than I would have liked to have paid and much higher than people here advised me to pay. But I was not inclined to beat her down in price (kind and stunning woman) so paid the appraised price. I have now put 130 hours on it plowing snow. I paid $600 to the dealer for what turned out to be an updating of the computer (machine would not move and gave error code for low on hydraulic oil which was not the case), bought one tire for $200 (unfixable, looked like a sidewall bullet hole but cannot believe it was), put in a cheap rear view camera (wonderful improvement) and rotating beacon, and bought new tire chains. It's been a good machine, at least equal to Deere crawler & log skidder I have owned and to lots of equipment of all makes I have run. Asking prices for low-time S185 (non-Tier 4) that look as good as this one now seem to be as much as 80% more than I paid for this. Having plowed now with a heated cab, great lights all way round, windshield wiper, etc. I am too sissified to ever go back to plowing with my Yanmar tractor.
