Bobcat S550 rolls when not moving

[JakeKraft]

Hello all. I have a new to me 2014 Bobcat S550 skid steer. Hand/foot controls, 2000 ish hours and in good overall condition. Problem is when parked on a slope it creeps down hill, forward or reverse doesnt matter. Set the park brake, it stops right there. Is this normal? Our T300 doesnt move on a slope unless you want it to, but thats tracks so Im not sure if I can expect the same. Is there a check valve or something wrong, or should I just get used to it?

 

[willie59]

Yes, on a wheel Bobcat machine, if you were on a steep enough incline it would roll with the sticks in neutral. Set parking brake to prevent this. Also, when you set the parking brake in this instance, you may have to reverse direction of the slope with the sticks to get the parking brake to release.

 

[JakeKraft]

If it were a steep slope, I could understand, but its any slope. Almost like putting a car in neutral. Our old cat wheeled machine didnt do it, neither does our hydrostatic tractor. A slight creep on a steep slope seems normal, but this doesnt, which leads me to believe there is something wrong. Any more thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[willie59]

Well, I haven't seen one roll that easily so I don't have experience with that. First guess would be drive motors have excessive progressive wear (age) that's causing internal bypassing, but that's just a guess

 

[JakeKraft]

Would that also cause it to not track straight? It drives arrow straight and all the other travel seems to function great. Can anyone chime in on whether their bobcat wheel machine coasts forward on a slight slope?

 

[phil314]

I was in my 2013 S650 today moving some brush around.
On a slight slope, if I let go of the controls, the machine does not move.
On a steeper slope, it will roll very slowly.
There is definitely resistance hold it back, no where near free wheeling.

 

[Txhayseed]

Been my experience all wheeled machines roll. My s150 does also on the slightest of grades. On a wheeled machine if your not moving the controls the pumps are not moving fluid. Every wheeled bobcat I have personally owned or been around that's wheeled will creep. Its not like I let go and just take off. Its slight depending on shallow grade or a little more noticeable on steeper grades. As far as tracking On wheeled units its done through the linkages and bracketry on the pumps.

 

[ThreeCW]

We had a 2002 New Holland LS160 skid steer that would creep down a minor slope with the engine off if the park brake was not applied ... it would not roll away, rather would creep a bit then stop, then creep a bit more ... it was like something was bleeding off then pressuring up again, then bleeding off. With the park brake applied it stayed in place.

Our Cat 242B does not creep anywhere as the park brake is automatically applied when the lap bar is lifted.

 

[JakeKraft]

Thanks for the replies everybody. Now that I've got some seat time in it, ive gotten used to it, and now I dont notice it. Its probably normal, I just wasnt accustomed to it since none of our previous machines did. Thanks all!