safety tsb

[theoshin]

called by dealer - my "d" (build date nov 07) has a safety recall. software update needed to prevent tc from NOT slowing down/stopping after releasing drive peddle. need to get that - with the snowblower on i could take out a garage door pretty quick!

my d also had issues with wheels not staying straight in awd - dealer replaced master cylinder for drive - steers much easier now and wheels stay in alignment much better. been using the blower - the tc really excels in snow removal.

ts

 

[DEWFPO]

My 5600 is a brand new 2009 and I've had it for exactly 30 days and I got a Safety Notice today by Certified Mail from Bobcat.

A rapid, intermittent short to ground of the switched battery power wiring could cause the machine's controller to become unresponsive to operator input.

This could cause the following 2 issues :

1- Machine Travel - could continue based on the last operator command (forward or reverse) and the operator will not be able to stop the machine travel using the Drive pedal or the Brake pedal. The Parking Brake, Travel Direction Control Lever or Toolcat Interlock Control System (TICS) Arm Rest will not stop the machine travel.

2- Front Auxiliary Hydraulics - optional Rear Auxiliary Hydraulics or optional Power Take-Off - could continue based on the last operator command and the operator will not be able to stop the attachment and/or implement functions using the corresponding controls.

If this happens, kill the machine with the KEY SWITCH or the STOP button on the optional keyless keypad and contact your dealer.

The fix : The dealer will upgrade the software at no charge.

DEWFPO

 

[theoshin]

thx,
i have not got the written notice yet- just a phone call from dealer

how do you like the sb200? do you run it in high flow?

ts

 

[DEWFPO]

I've used my SB200 quite a bit the last couple of weeks. My observations....

- I wish I had gone with the SB240 (taller case, larger auger and larger fan).

- The SB200 doesn't throw the snow very far but it eats whatever I put in front of it. In fact I am disappointed at the short distance throw of this unit. This has been mainly light, dry snow.

- The horizontal auger spins fairly slowly even at high rpm with the high flow turned on.

- i find that the snow will 'pile-up' in front of the auger and I have to slow down to give it time to eat what I have pushed in front of it.

- The snow coming out of the chute piles up on the flat top portion of the blower case because of the chute design (open to the bottom) when throwing to the sides.

- Plugging in the 7 pin (attachment Control) connector automatically tells the Toolcat to go into high flow mod (if available).

- I switched off the High Flow to see if it made a difference and it did, the auger and the fan spin slightly faster with the High Flow turned on.

DEWFPO

 

[Spudgunner]

Thought I'd chime-in. I agree with DEWFPO on all counts, but I did want to make a comment about the short casting distance. My TC had some sort of bad relief valve on the hyd system that was only allowing the system work at a max of 2400 PSI. This was repaired by the dealer and the casting distance issue was markedly improved as was speed and lift capability on the boom.

The video of the TC (or was it a SS?) on the BC website blowing snow doesn't seem to be representative of real-life performance.

The hyd problem was discovered after I asked the dealership to perform a flow/pressure test.

 

[theoshin]

I've used my SB200 quite a bit the last couple of weeks. My observations....

- I wish I had gone with the SB240 (taller case, larger auger and larger fan).

- The SB200 doesn't throw the snow very far but it eats whatever I put in front of it. In fact I am disappointed at the short distance throw of this unit. This has been mainly light, dry snow.

- The horizontal auger spins fairly slowly even at high rpm with the high flow turned on.

- i find that the snow will 'pile-up' in front of the auger and I have to slow down to give it time to eat what I have pushed in front of it.

- The snow coming out of the chute piles up on the flat top portion of the blower case because of the chute design (open to the bottom) when throwing to the sides.

- Plugging in the 7 pin (attachment Control) connector automatically tells the Toolcat to go into high flow mod (if available).

- I switched off the High Flow to see if it made a difference and it did, the auger and the fan spin slightly faster with the High Flow turned on.

DEWFPO

interesting

i have a sb240 72" - i use it in low flow. in high flow i have to really slow down as the tc does not have enough hp to keep up - loose rpms even with hp management off. only time it works well is down hill. in low flow i never have snow pile up. i have been told by multiple sources the 200 is a better fit (including engineers at erskine). you are the first to say you wish you would have gone with the 240 - it is 1200lbs. my dealer is willing to help out by finding another dealer to trade mine in for a new 200. i am debating. it works great in low flow - we just got 5-6" of medium wet snow and i could go about 6-7mph on the driveway clearing it nearly to the asphalt. in high flow i could only go about 2.5mph (too slow). my only concern is that in low flow it does not throw the snow that far. debating if it is far enough.

thx
ted

 

[DEWFPO]

Looks like I'll be having the dealer check the hydraulic pressure. My old 22.5 HP tractor with a 50" blower threw the snow 2x as far as this Toolcat with a 72" blower, 56 HP and high flow. The dealer needs to come out to re-flash the software for the safety recall and replace the auger (makes a clunking sound as it goes round).

Thanks, DEWFPO

 

[Spudgunner]

Looks like I'll be having the dealer check the hydraulic pressure. My old 22.5 HP tractor with a 50" blower threw the snow 2x as far as this Toolcat with a 72" blower, 56 HP and high flow. The dealer needs to come out to re-flash the software for the safety recall and replace the auger (makes a clunking sound as it goes round).

Thanks, DEWFPO

Both the 200 and 240 have a semi-trianglar piece of heavy gauge sheet metal that is attached to the main blower housing in front of the fan but behind the auger. The lower "point" of the triangle, over time, can bend out towards the auger. When this happens, the auger will start rubbing on the stuck-out part. It makes kind of a clunking sound. I just rebend mine..but eventually it'll fail due to the (re)bending.

 

[DEWFPO]

Both the 200 and 240 have a semi-trianglar piece of heavy gauge sheet metal that is attached to the main blower housing in front of the fan but behind the auger. The lower "point" of the triangle, over time, can bend out towards the auger. When this happens, the auger will start rubbing on the stuck-out part. It makes kind of a clunking sound. I just rebend mine..but eventually it'll fail due to the (re)bending.

Mine made the noise from day 1 before I blew any snow with it. The clunking sound is coming from the auger where it mounts on the motor. The mechanic said they should have caught it before they delivered it so he ordered a new auger. We'll see if that solves it.

Thanks for the tip on the plate.

DEWFPO

 

[timm9]

I'm stunned to hear that your high flow TC/Blower combo is working better in low flow. My Blowers origionally did not meet my expectations and the dealer ended up changing out my blower motors to a different model motor. Made a world of difference. As previously posted, each blower is built to match the particular machine's pressure and GPMs. I suspect you are having a pressure/flow problem. The high flow (if properly matched) should well out perform the right motor in low flow mode.

You might also check your hydraulic filters, the large one under the bed near the rear axle in particular. Remove the filter and pour the fluid into a pan or container. Look for copper or brass colored flakes in the fluid. Just before discovering our drive motor issue last winter we were starting to see a reduction in performance (fan speed, blower performace, and road speed) just before the filters plugged.

 

[DEWFPO]

Thanks Timm9, This unit has only 17 hrs on it. Hopefully it something as simple as a relief valve. It that doesn't work, perhaps a blower motor change out is the best option. Do you have any specifics on the new motor you are happy with?

DEWFPO

 

[timm9]

DEWFPO,

I can get you the actual Char-Lynn Motor number if it would be helpful as I have a spare on the shelf in the shop just in case. The lead time for the motor was 5 weeks. My only concern in suggesting my motor number is if you have the same series (B) with the same pressure and GPMs. If my rusty brain remembers correctly, I'm 26 1/2 GPMs @ 3000 PSI. If you have the same series I can run out to the shop and get you the actual motor number. Just let me know.

 

[timm9]

DEWFPO,

I had to run out to the shop for something else so wrote down the motor number just in case.

Char-Lynn #105-1463-006

As I mentioned, if your flow and pressure are different this motor may not work for you. I spent lots of "phone time" with Char-lynn as well as Erskine before the switch.

 

[DEWFPO]

My snowblower does work better in hi-flow than standard flow. But disappointingly so. It only throws the snow about 12-15 ft max at full rpm in high flow with dry, light snow.

My D is rated at 18.9 GPM standard flow and 27.9 GPM in High Flow @ 3,000 psi.

Thanks, DEWFPO

 

[DEWFPO]

DEWFPO,

I had to run out to the shop for something else so wrote down the motor number just in case.

Char-Lynn #105-1463-006

As I mentioned, if your flow and pressure are different this motor may not work for you. I spent lots of "phone time" with Char-lynn as well as Erskine before the switch.

Thanks Much timm9!

DEWFPO

 

[timm9]

The Bobcat Blowers are actually Erskine designed as Bobcat bought Erskine then later shut them down. The Erskine employees later reopened themselves. The Bobcat dealer only has 3 or 4 motors they order for the Blowers while Erskine chooses from many different motors based on the particular tractor.

I would chat with your dealer and tell them you are less than happy and would like them to try a different motor and see what they say.

 

[DEWFPO]

The Bobcat Blowers are actually Erskine designed as Bobcat bought Erskine then later shut them down. The Erskine employees later reopened themselves. The Bobcat dealer only has 3 or 4 motors they order for the Blowers while Erskine chooses from many different motors based on the particular tractor.

I would chat with your dealer and tell them you are less than happy and would like them to try a different motor and see what they say.

Good idea, will do.

DEWFPO

 

[theoshin]

I'm stunned to hear that your high flow TC/Blower combo is working better in low flow. My Blowers origionally did not meet my expectations and the dealer ended up changing out my blower motors to a different model motor. Made a world of difference. As previously posted, each blower is built to match the particular machine's pressure and GPMs. I suspect you are having a pressure/flow problem. The high flow (if properly matched) should well out perform the right motor in low flow mode.

You might also check your hydraulic filters, the large one under the bed near the rear axle in particular. Remove the filter and pour the fluid into a pan or container. Look for copper or brass colored flakes in the fluid. Just before discovering our drive motor issue last winter we were starting to see a reduction in performance (fan speed, blower performace, and road speed) just before the filters plugged.

with my c the 240 worked better in low flow (other than shorter throw distance). they changed out the motors to the higher torque/lower fan speed motor - same issue. i got a new d and from day 1 same issue - the blower works great in low flow except for less than optimal throw distance. never have rpm loss unless clogging blower going into a hill of snow. with high flow anything over 3mph and i loose power/rpm. exactly the same as with the c. my d came in late nov so i bet it had all of 25 hours on it when i first used the blower. since the blower motors were replaced and both the c and d had the same problem (both were tested at 3000psi and expected flow rates in low and high flow by dealer) i think the 240 is just too heavy for the tc - that is what erskine told me also. i am debating weather i want to change to the 200 or keep my like new 240. i see on the website the tc is no longer listed under the 240. i wish i could try a 200 out on my d to compare.

 

[DEWFPO]

In the Snowblower O & P Manual (revised 01-08), it lists the 60" SB200 & the 72" SB240 as the only approved Snowblowers for the 5600T UTM. I run a 72" SB200. I'm not sure I understand the reason for the limitation in the manual.
DEWFPO

 

[DEWFPO]

I just found in the back of the manual, (as others have said) a list of several motor package (combinations) for the snowblower. I don't know what I've got on their but I'll have to dig around since they are covered in packed snow right now.

My dealer was a JD salesman and not an expert on Bobcats so it's possible he spec'd the wrong motor set for my application. We'll see what I find.

There are 6 sets listed and they are all rated at 2500-3000 psi.

Hydraulic Flow Range : 12-16 gpm
Fan Motor : 105-1398
Auger Motor : 104-1027

Hydraulic Flow Range : 14.5-18 gpm
Fan Motor : 105-1399
Auger Motor : 104-1027

Hydraulic Flow Range : 16.5-21 gpm
Fan Motor : 105-1400
Auger Motor : 104-1028

Hydraulic Flow Range : 21-26 gpm
Fan Motor : 105-1401
Auger Motor : 104-1028

Hydraulic Flow Range : 25-31 gpm
Fan Motor : 105-1402
Auger Motor : 104-1228

Hydraulic Flow Range : 30-38 gpm
Fan Motor : 105-1403
Auger Motor : 104-1228

DEWFPO