Bobcat 610 value

[Kevin N.]

I found a 1975 Bobcat 610 that I'm thinking about buying. The guy said he thinks it has a 28 HP Wisconson engine, which he said uses some oil but otherwise runs fine. He said 53" bucket, 2 new tires, and said the other 2 tires are decent. He said he's been having some trouble with the variable speed sheave on it; I don't know if the belt was coming off or something else was wrong. He wants $1500 for it. I haven't seen it yet; I was wondering if someone could tell me what all I should look for when I look at it to know if it's worth that.

Thanks.

 

[Ray]

They were a good machine in there time,BUT,most are wore out.They are mechanical drive machines,that means you have to pull hard on the levers to turn if the bucket is full.The newer ones are hydrostatic and easy to turn.The variable speed drives leak oil,the belts slip, and if the pully's are you have to hold the
variable speed lever foreward as you move,it takes three hands.

 

[Kevin N.]

Thanks.
I've read a little about the 610 and I've read about the mechanical drive but I think I also read that some are hydrostatic drive with the variable speed pulley controlling the speed of the hydraulic pump, which seemed to be what the guy was telling me. Is that possible? I'm not too interested in getting a mechanical drive skidsteer but I could probably live with a variable speed hydrostatic.

 

[Ray]

Never heard of that,i had one of the later ones and it was still mechanical.The variable speed is only for going faster,don't know how the hydro and variable speed could work together.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I think they were mechanical drive with no hydrostat at all. Old technology and the Wisconsin engines would only get about 1000 hrs. because they would overheat. In their day, they were apparently pretty fast for landscaping. Parts are a big ??? Dave

 

[Charlie]

Mine still zips around very nicely. I did just put in a new hydraulic pump to give it enough hydraulic power to run an auger. Homemade forks are extremely useful. Mechanical drive. If the main belt comes off, that's probably from lack of grease in a hidden fitting on it's shaft, and putting in new bushings was a bit of work, but still not bad. Manuals and parts have been no problem. Of course I wouldn't mind a hydrostatic machine, but there are still a lot of 610's out there. The price you mention could be quite reasonable.

 

[Kevin N.]

Is there some adjustment on the clutches? The guy said they slip some so, for instance, on dry concrete it wouldn't steer because the clutches would slip rather than turn the wheels.

 

[Charlie]

Adjsuting the clutches is a standard maintenance operation. I just let my 12 year old grandson, who is good with tools, do this operation solely by using the manual, and he had no trouble. It's a free play adjustment. Turning on dry pavement involves sliding the tires on any skidsteer, so it takes a lot of force. IN fact, fi the tires are low on pressure, you can break the bead doing this. So the key is to either push down with the edge of the bucket and get the front tires off the ground, or have a heavy enough load to take most of the weight off the rear, or rock the machine slightly to put all the weight on one end when turning. You don't have to go so far as those great Youtube videos on bobcat tricks, which I recommend for entertainment. When used regularly on concrete, solid smooth tires are best.