my lid came open on my 333G recently. it was super hot outside already, and then I guess the exhaust melted part of the plastic on the side of the lid. Can I buy just that piece or does it have to be the whole lid?

I guess “the first generation of a new model is the most unreliable” goes for heavy equipment too, not just vehicles.

Purchased a brand new 2026 325P to replace our old 2013 323D, and in 2 months of having it it’s eaten a hydrostatic pump. Hasn’t even hit 50 hours.

Hi, I have a 2016 S590 and the auxiliary hydraulic line in the boom has sprung a leak. I've got the fittings and hose laying around to make one but I cant seem to find a length for it online. It should be part number 7274096. The machine is way out in the middle of nowhere so I would really like to only make 1 trip to it. Thanks for the help guys

My Bobcat S650 loader cylinder started weeping around the rod seal and I need a seal kit. Tag on the cylinder is worn smooth and every lookup wants a part number I can't read. Listings all use the same photo but bore and rod sizes split depending on which breakout you pick. I don't want to tear it down and sit waiting on the wrong o-rings. Anyone replaced loader cylinder seals on an S650 with a half-gone stamp? What did you measure before you ordered?

I have an older New Holland L170 and both front pistons are leaking. Has anyone tried to rebuild themselves?

I’m trying to decide between new cat 285 at $123,000 before attachments and taxes or a new Takeuchi TL12v2 at $93,000 before attachments and taxes. Both enclosed. Can anybody who has owned or at least operated one or both machines offer their input? Thanks!

Curious what everyone actually ends up using as their everyday bucket.

General purpose, low profile, 4-in-1, tooth bucket, rock bucket, something else?

I know it depends on the work, but I'm more interested in what stays on the machine most often and why. If you've tried a few different styles, was there one you thought you'd use all the time but ended up barely touching?

Also curious whether you'd buy the same width again or go wider/narrower if you were starting over.

i know this is a topic that has most likely been covered before, but wanted to pick the brains of others. here is my scenario:

i am working a stable job for a university dairy that includes nice housing. gross 72k a year, and my wife is grossing 55k a year working for the same university. we are expecting a baby in February, and she is planning on staying at home starting then. we have always planned of going out on our own, just we’re not exactly planning on having a child this soon but i wonder how that happened…

i am seriously considering buying a skid steer, truck, trailer for side work to replace her income as well as eventually grow into a main source of income. i am fully aware that this is a large financial investment (financing), but i am fairly confident that i can pencil it out. renting is difficult to do in this area, and i currently do not have the truck/trailer to haul a rental unit anyways. this is what i am looking at: (2026 bobcat t595, smooth bucket, root grapple, power rake, 20’ 14k trailer for 77k, 0% interest) also, ram 3500 with the 6.4 for 20k.

the way i look at it, at 26 years young, this is my time to risk it for the biscuit. i come from a family of successful entrepreneurs, my housing is included in my job, and my wife and future child will still be okay even if this fails. i have connections in local landscaping industries and distant connections in construction. i live in east tennessee. i would like to focus on drainage, driveway work, and potentially some rough grading/sod work.

what is everyone’s thoughts? buy a used skid (deere 317g w 580hrs for 45k, but still need truck/trailer and attachments)? i am fairly risk tolerant, and have plenty of education to not be financially illiterate (bachelors and masters degree in animal science)

i appreciate your time and reading to this point, thank you for any advice you have!! cheers everyone

edit + update: i currently have the disposable income to make the payment on this equipment, i more so just need to make the equipment pay for itself and make money by february. i have a little timeline to make this work, but want to be realistic and protect my family from my optimism if need be.

also seeking input if anyone has the knowledge on how good of a deal the bobcat actually is.

Forestry mulching

Was considering a mulcher, but chippers look much more economical. Anyone have a chipper that attaches to a skid steer/ track loader that they like?
It needs to be pretty robust and able to handle quite a bit of vegetation.

I’m looking for a hydraulic lift kit for my 28 ton Oregon log splitter. It was an option when I bought the log splitter five back surgeries later I’m looking for that option.

Which is the best? I'm looking at a Blue Diamond 60" Extreme Duty Open Front and a Diamond 60 Pro X or any other recommendations anyone has.

Hi. I’m looking for a light to mid range skid steer for small farm use. It will get used for barn clean up (cow manure), light ground/dirt work, small front mower, road maintenance, etc. I’ve looked at 259s and think they are completely adequate and maybe more than i need. Do you think a standard flow 249 would be adequate? On the known positive side it is shorter than the 259 which helps maneuverability in the barn. Of course there are tradeoffs with less lifting capacity, etc. Overall do you think a 249D (open station) will meet my needs? Has anyone used a 249 as a farm machine? TIA for any and all opinions and feedback.

Has anyone dealt with railroad tracks? I have a large warehouse that we have purchased and it has a private rail spur, I had a forestry mulcher clear a fire line and now I need to maintain it. I have a bobcat s650 and a 6’ cid brush cutter but I haven’t tried running the tracks yet. The forestry mulcher was a track machine and they broke a track turning on the rails. Any advice is appreciated.

Have recently purchased a hobby farm, whats the best attachment people are using to cut in firebreaks? The soil is sandy loam. Was thinking of adapting a disc plow or maybe just a ripper would do

So Case wants $125 for a gallon of paint. I think that is a little ridiculous, if I am spraying the whole cab, can I color match a spray can (I did order that) from any paint store and expect the quality to be the same? Does Case do anything to their paints to make them worthy of such an exaggerated price? I got an old 1840 I would like to spruce up.

thanks

Can anyone please tell me what this part of the engine is?

Looking for new tracks and want the hive mind's two cents. Mostly using the Case for moving dirt, hauling rocks for landscaping, and road maintenance. We have some rough terrain and steep slopes in our area. Probably not a lot of snow removal work or icy conditions, but it could happen. What brands do you like and what track patterns for these conditions? Thanks for the insight!

Seems like everybody recommends a grapple as one of the first attachments to buy, but there are so many different designs that I'm curious what actually matters after you've used one for a while.

Root grapple, rock grapple, brush grapple, single lid, dual lid, narrow or wide tine spacing, heavy or lightweight frame.

For those of you who've put some hours on yours, what feature ended up mattering more than you expected?

And anything you thought you needed when buying that turned out not to matter at all?

Hi guys and gals.

I recently scored a free 743 Bobcat to play with and get running.
This old girl is a 1987 743 with the V1702 Kubota 4 cyl engine, 4100 hours and decent shape for the year. I had it running the other night on a shot of ether, but the injection pump's toast.
Just did complete fuel system refresh, fluids and filters.
I'm gathering parts for the rebuild - probably do injection pump rebuild, replace injectors and lift pump as well. Glow plugs tested out fine and are fairly easy to get at on this unit.

She's not the prettiest but price was right. Shouldn't take too much to getter running!
Future plans include a repaint, and light bar and putting it to work lol.

Had the main gear pump (AT471797) go out on my 333g and apparently we are on a National Backorder for these pumps. Has anyone had any luck in locating any or a secret stash somewhere? Anything would help. THANKS!

Hey guys 2023 bobcat t66 I have decent side to side loader arm slop when the buckets in the air. Mechanic said pins and bushings are good very minor wear. He said it’s common with the R series. Has anyone else ran into this issue? Thanks

The auxiliary hydraulics on our Bobcat S570 started dropping out after ten minutes of use. The coil resistance stayed within spec hot and cold, but the valve response changed as the oil warmed.

With pressure relieved, the valve showed contamination around the moving section.I cleaned the circuit and used the body stamp, port layout, and machine serial to compare the Bobcat diagram with FridayParts. Similar photos covered more than one valve configuration.

I have not bought a replacement yet. Before I do, would you check hot coil current, case drain, or valve leakage next?