Cleaning my Bobcat T300

[Gixxer600]

I opened my back door for the first time today (because my battery was dead, DOH!) and it is NASTY on the bottom under the engine, battery, etc. I literally scapped out 4" of oily dirt from beside where the battery sits.

Also, under the cab is nasty and there is a lot of hydraulic fluid in the pan.

What is the best way to clean all this out?

 

[razvy]

Spay Engine Brite and power wash whit caution.

 

[heavylift]

Hire a rent a drunk to wash your machine....that's what one place I worked did... the shop foreman said most of them only last a day or two..... and some don't even show back up after lunch...

there always stoddard solvent and a hotsy

 

[Gixxer600]

haha ... rent a drunk.

So the question is if I open the back door and start blasting into the engine bay, where is that crap gonna go but back at me?? Most of the gunk is under the engine and to the right all up in there. Even if the engine wasn't in the machine it still seems like it would be difficult to get it out without blowing it all back on myself.

As to the pan under the cab, is there a way to drain that out? If I blast down into there I would like to know that I can get it all out without using a soup can. :-D

 

[bill onthehill]

Does your machine have belly pans you can drop? I pull mine up on timbers and drop the pan plates to clean it out with a pressure washer. If you have that much oil and crap it is a fire waiting to happen unless you clean it out and find the oil leaks.

 

[mrfixitpaul]

Look under the machine...there are a couple of holes, maybe a couple of inches oval. They may be tough to see when packed with mud but are there. Start pressure washing there first and work your way through the muck so when you get up above things can drain out. You'll probably have to clean from below occasionally as you loosen up the mess. A hot water machine works best but cold will get it, higher pressure is better, just try not to blast the electrical stuff too much.

 

[Gixxer600]

Thanks guys!! Great info!

Next question .... I don't really want to wash all this mess right out onto my property. Any ideas for how to contain it, and dispose of it?

I could drive it up on a huge piece of plastic and bring up the edges to make like a big funnel and let it drain into a barrell or something (sounds like a lot of work) but am not sure wha. To do with it when I get done.

I could take it to a carwash and do it :-O

craig

 

[spitzair]

Thanks guys!! Great info!

Next question .... I don't really want to wash all this mess right out onto my property. Any ideas for how to contain it, and dispose of it?

I could drive it up on a huge piece of plastic and bring up the edges to make like a big funnel and let it drain into a barrell or something (sounds like a lot of work) but am not sure wha. To do with it when I get done.

I could take it to a carwash and do it :-O

craig

Yeah, I did that once with the engine for my Cat, I was told never to come back, and not in a polite way...

 

[Gixxer600]

haha ... well that's what I am afraid of - being murdered by the carwash owner. : )

So what would you guys do? I really don't want to muck up my property.

 

[willie59]

Bobcats are one of the hardest things in mans creation to clean. No belly pans to drop. just a few small holes in underside that clog easily with crud being washed. I have an oil/grease seperator wash area. For those who don't, washing a Bobcat is bi-itch! :Banghead

 

[Gixxer600]

oil/grease seperator? Can you splain how that works? Maybe I can build something.

The two holes might work to my advantage, I may be able to "funnel" the crud where I want it.

As for washing around and under the engine, just blast away and try to get it to drain out?

 

[willie59]

What our shop has is an underground system that has a 1,000 gal tank that seperates oil from wastewater, very expensive system. The best you can do is drive your unit up on a very large piece of plastic film and let the crud land on the film. Even then, your going to have some oily runoff on your land. The crud will be on the film, but the water will wash the oil residue to wherever it will. Dispose of the crud on the film? Your local regulations prevent me from advising to dump it in a trash can. I don't make the regulations...just have to live with them much like you.

 

[Gixxer600]

Well, I have a creek at the back of my property .. and even if I didnt I still wouldnt want that muck going onto my property. I wonder if there is a place I could take the machine to and clean in there, somewhere that has a seperator system like your place does.

 

[bill onthehill]

Get a dump truck load of wood chips and make a nice feather bed to set it on. Do all your washing so the grease stays on the chips. Wait 2 weeks and burn it!

 

[Gixxer600]

Now that is an excellent idea!!

I was thinking of how I could do it this morning .. Dig a hole, line it with plastic, fill it with wood chips (or sawdust), pull the bobcat over the hole, and go to town.

The only problem is .... I realized in the process of thinking of exactly how to do it that I don't have water out there to run the pressure washer!! DOH!!

I could bring this to my house in my subdivision but I hear neighbors complaining to the homeowners association right now about me just thinking about it.

I guess the car wash is my best bet for right now. I suppose I should find an old busted carwash where people don't care to monitor it as much anymore. Surely they are setup for gunk and stuff, they have engine degreaser right in the machine.

 

[willie59]

I hope ya get it sorted out bro. Nothing better than having a clean machine on the inside. I'm compelled to tell you to be patient, it takes time to clean one of those things. I've washed a lot of Bobcat skids of all models, and they are one of the most difficult things to get all the crud out of the innards because of the way they're built. And if it's full of leaves, twigs, pine needles and dirt, geeezzzz, this is a PITA! I think on the T300, there are two small cover plates under the belly of the machine, about mid way, at edges of belly, these are a little help washing the area under the seat, but the one on the left side is underneath the hyd tank, so it's help is minimal. And be sure to raise the loader arms and install safety prop, gives you better access to clean innards. These things are a b-i-itch to clean, so where ever you find a spot to clean it, your going to be there a couple of hours. :yup

 

[mrfixitpaul]

When I lived in the Boston area there were a few companies that did portable pressure washing for trucks and equipment, and they had containment mats to keep the mess under control, and took it all with them when they were done. No idea what it cost but maybe someone in your area offers this??

 

[Bructer]

Howdy all, not meaning to hi-jack but I'm in the middle of adding some lights to a 2009 S185 and the manual is at my office in the city.

Looking for the fuse box, anyone know where I might be able to find it? :beatsme


Cheers,

 

[willie59]

Is the fuse box not below the seat right between your legs? You have to remove a small cover to access it.

 

[Bructer]

Thanks man, got it!