MetroX
Member
First off, many thanks to everyone on TBN for the help and information, it is a great resource!
Recently my 2004 B series Toolcat went back to the local dealer for repairs, I too was a victim of defective drive motors, just over 1200 hours total on my machine. I didn't know at first I had bad motors, or even that there was an issue with them, but found out about it here!
First symptom, noticed my top speed was reduced, and worse when fluid was hot.
Second symptom, vibration in drive, more pronounced at high speeds. Would come and go like an unbalanced wheel on a car at 60 mph. Was worst in 'Rabbit' mode.
As it progressed, my third symptom which got me looking into a fix was loss of lift / tilt strength, only when asking for drive. An example would be trying to lift the full bucket from a large pile while pushing into it. Could lift if standing still, but not when pushing forward. I thought this was strange, and starting looking for a problem in the hydraulic system.
Fourth symptom, hydraulic filter restriction warning would pop on occasionally. First time I had less than 100 hours on new filter, thought maybe I got a bad filter. I have 5-6 spares on the shelf, so popped a new one on. Next day, light comes back. Hmmm. Took hydraulic filter adapter off, looking for debris in bypass valve, but was clean as a whistle. Cut open filter, looked clean, like white fabric soaked in gold oil. No chunks, sparkly bits, nothing. Changed the case drain filter too, but didn't cut that one open. In retrospect, I wish I had.
Fifth symptom (seems like I can put up with a lot, eh?) that forced me back to the dealer, loss of aux hydraulics when traveling. One of my main uses for the Toolcat is finish mowing about 1.5 acres around the house, barns, fencelines, etc. I found it very hard to mow without being able to move at the same time. The lawn looked really crappy!
I do all my own maintenance on the Toolcat, always changed filters early, before maintenance schedule. Always bought the filters / fluids from the dealer, anticipating having to prove maintenance was performed to schedule. They never gave me any problems, never asked if I kept up on the maintenance. Either they didn't care, or it was obvious by my purchase history.
So, when I finally dropped it off for a diagnosis, I had read on TBN about C series having drive motor issues, which gave me a little ammunition. Also with a little research from y3110w and Timm9 I knew enough to ask about the drive motor issues with the service department, they acknowledged the problems and said they could test to see if that was the problem I was having. Next thing I knew, new drive motors were on the way, and the district service rep agreed to cover the cost of parts. I thought this would be the drive motors only, but as it turned out they paid for all filters and fluids too. Not a small expense when the thing holds near 10 gallons of hydraulic fluid! I had to pay for the labor, which they billed me for 10.5 hours total, including the replacement of a couple worn bushings on the front axle. I thought that was very fair, especially as my 1 year warranty ran out in August of 2005.
I was without my Toolcat for a couple weeks, had to borrow a mower from a friend (Hustler Laser Z, awesome mower! Anyone want to buy a 72" finish mower deck? I gotta get one of those zero turns!) so I was really glad to have it back. Works great, just like new! I can't believe how much more power it has when pushing, driving up hills, etc. I guess when things wear slowly you don't notice as much.
Anyway, I thought I should post my experiences with having my Toolcat repaired, even though I don't expect too much from the local dealer (read some other posts for details on their electrical prowess) they did a fine job, machine came back clean, works great, and it cost me a lot less then I expected. I might even buy a couple new front fenders to replace the cracked ones!
Recently my 2004 B series Toolcat went back to the local dealer for repairs, I too was a victim of defective drive motors, just over 1200 hours total on my machine. I didn't know at first I had bad motors, or even that there was an issue with them, but found out about it here!
First symptom, noticed my top speed was reduced, and worse when fluid was hot.
Second symptom, vibration in drive, more pronounced at high speeds. Would come and go like an unbalanced wheel on a car at 60 mph. Was worst in 'Rabbit' mode.
As it progressed, my third symptom which got me looking into a fix was loss of lift / tilt strength, only when asking for drive. An example would be trying to lift the full bucket from a large pile while pushing into it. Could lift if standing still, but not when pushing forward. I thought this was strange, and starting looking for a problem in the hydraulic system.
Fourth symptom, hydraulic filter restriction warning would pop on occasionally. First time I had less than 100 hours on new filter, thought maybe I got a bad filter. I have 5-6 spares on the shelf, so popped a new one on. Next day, light comes back. Hmmm. Took hydraulic filter adapter off, looking for debris in bypass valve, but was clean as a whistle. Cut open filter, looked clean, like white fabric soaked in gold oil. No chunks, sparkly bits, nothing. Changed the case drain filter too, but didn't cut that one open. In retrospect, I wish I had.
Fifth symptom (seems like I can put up with a lot, eh?) that forced me back to the dealer, loss of aux hydraulics when traveling. One of my main uses for the Toolcat is finish mowing about 1.5 acres around the house, barns, fencelines, etc. I found it very hard to mow without being able to move at the same time. The lawn looked really crappy!
I do all my own maintenance on the Toolcat, always changed filters early, before maintenance schedule. Always bought the filters / fluids from the dealer, anticipating having to prove maintenance was performed to schedule. They never gave me any problems, never asked if I kept up on the maintenance. Either they didn't care, or it was obvious by my purchase history.
So, when I finally dropped it off for a diagnosis, I had read on TBN about C series having drive motor issues, which gave me a little ammunition. Also with a little research from y3110w and Timm9 I knew enough to ask about the drive motor issues with the service department, they acknowledged the problems and said they could test to see if that was the problem I was having. Next thing I knew, new drive motors were on the way, and the district service rep agreed to cover the cost of parts. I thought this would be the drive motors only, but as it turned out they paid for all filters and fluids too. Not a small expense when the thing holds near 10 gallons of hydraulic fluid! I had to pay for the labor, which they billed me for 10.5 hours total, including the replacement of a couple worn bushings on the front axle. I thought that was very fair, especially as my 1 year warranty ran out in August of 2005.
I was without my Toolcat for a couple weeks, had to borrow a mower from a friend (Hustler Laser Z, awesome mower! Anyone want to buy a 72" finish mower deck? I gotta get one of those zero turns!) so I was really glad to have it back. Works great, just like new! I can't believe how much more power it has when pushing, driving up hills, etc. I guess when things wear slowly you don't notice as much.
Anyway, I thought I should post my experiences with having my Toolcat repaired, even though I don't expect too much from the local dealer (read some other posts for details on their electrical prowess) they did a fine job, machine came back clean, works great, and it cost me a lot less then I expected. I might even buy a couple new front fenders to replace the cracked ones!
