Moving a dead skid steer

[thdrduck]

Hi folks, happy belated Thanks Giving.
I just purchased an old non running Gehl 3000 skid steer. Now I need to get it home. I have a guy with a car hauler coming to get it sometime next week but I need to know is what I need to do to it to move it when it's not running. Would just tying the directional control do it? Don't want to break it more than it is.
Thanks

 

[NDIHC]

Does the guy with the car hauler have a set of skates? If so, that's what I'd use.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

If it's hydraulic driven, there's no easy way to get it to roll. When they're dead, they're dead weight. I have no idea why manufacturers did not provide a release valve like they do on hydrostatic lawn mowers. The only way is to remove the drive chains on each side.

If it's belt driven it should roll.

Otherwise, brute force and slide it.

 

[JIM MN]

I was thinking my Gehl skid-loader had the bypass valve on the hydrostatic transmission? If not, a set of skates as NDIHC said. Do not move the wheels with no engine running.













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[M Nut]

Hi folks, happy belated Thanks Giving.
I just purchased an old non running Gehl 3000 skid steer. Now I need to get it home. I have a guy with a car hauler coming to get it sometime next week but I need to know is what I need to do to it to move it when it's not running. Would just tying the directional control do it? Don't want to break it more than it is.
Thanks

They pull very hard when dead. My mustang 960 had a battery fail with the access door tight against the shed wall. My 830 Case tractor could barely pull/skid the skidsteer forward enough to get the door open to change the battery. Heck of a pull!

 

[Duner Wi]

My hl3030 gehl will coast with engine off. Guessing that is why it has drum brakes.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Hi folks, happy belated Thanks Giving.
I just purchased an old non running Gehl 3000 skid steer. Now I need to get it home. I have a guy with a car hauler coming to get it sometime next week but I need to know is what I need to do to it to move it when it's not running. Would just tying the directional control do it? Don't want to break it more than it is.
Thanks

Those skates are a good idea. When mine died, I dragged it up onto a tilt bed trailer with the arm of my backhoe. Then I dragged it off into my shop with my forklift. Once repaired (hose had blown and dumped oil) it worked just fine again.

 

[NDIHC]

Those skates are a good idea. When mine died, I dragged it up onto a tilt bed trailer with the arm of my backhoe. Then I dragged it off into my shop with my forklift. Once repaired (hose had blown and dumped oil) it worked just fine again.

They work well. You can pound them under the tire with a hammer or lift with a jack and set back down on the skates. Only thing is that to unload you have to turn them around to slide back off.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Loosen the hoses on the drive motors, let the oil out of the motor and it will roll freely.

The reason tying the levers back won't work is because the drive motor becomes a pump when you push on the unit, trying to pump the oil through through the pump which is now trying to be the motor. Working backwards like this, a vane or lobe rotor motor has way less mechanical advantage than when the engine is running and the pump is doing the pumping.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Hi folks, happy belated Thanks Giving.
I just purchased an old non running Gehl 3000 skid steer. Now I need to get it home. I have a guy with a car hauler coming to get it sometime next week but I need to know is what I need to do to it to move it when it's not running. Would just tying the directional control do it? Don't want to break it more than it is.
Thanks

I don't have a skid steer. I do have a Terramite with HST. The terramite has no brakes. If the go pedal is in the neutral position it stops.
I never had a dead engine. I would try putting the skid steer in the forward position and gently try pulling it forward.
Again I don't have a skid steer. Just something I would try. Please post back and let us know if it works.

 

[cumminstinkerer]

If it's hydraulic driven, there's no easy way to get it to roll. When they're dead, they're dead weight. I have no idea why manufacturers did not provide a release valve like they do on hydrostatic lawn mowers. The only way is to remove the drive chains on each side.

If it's belt driven it should roll.

Otherwise, brute force and slide it.

That is not entirely true, case for sure and I believe bobcat have tow release valves, they are in the sides of the pump housing, they look like a plug for a hole but you turn them to allow the oil to bypass, depending on the pump the Gehl may have tow valves too, I have never worked on one so I can't say for sure

 

[cumminstinkerer]

I don't have a skid steer. I do have a Terramite with HST. The terramite has no brakes. If the go pedal is in the neutral position it stops.
I never had a dead engine. I would try putting the skid steer in the forward position and gently try pulling it forward.
Again I don't have a skid steer. Just something I would try. Please post back and let us know if it works.

Like Fritz said it will not work, for the same reasons he stated, also if it has the hydraulic actuated swash plates moving the levers with a dead engine does nothing but turn a little tiny spool valve that will have zero effect on anything internal to the pumps, either look for tow valve or crack the motor hoses and sacrifice the oil, the only other option is a machine big enough to lift the entire unit on both ends of the journey, done that many times at case rather than mess around with a dead unit out in the cold parking lot, grab a big squirt boom and carry them into the shop.

 

[Janicholson]

Loosen the hoses on the drive motors, let the oil out of the motor and it will roll freely.

The reason tying the levers back won't work is because the drive motor becomes a pump when you push on the unit, trying to pump the oil through through the pump which is now trying to be the motor. Working backwards like this, a vane or lobe rotor motor has way less mechanical advantage than when the engine is running and the pump is doing the pumping.

Would you agree that hooking the hoses from the motors together in a loop would save most of the oil! Jim

 

[cumminstinkerer]

Would you agree that hooking the hoses from the motors together in a loop would save most of the oil! Jim

that will save most of the oil, however the cooling shuttles and the case drain will push it some back to tank, it is a no win situation, you will lose oil while swapping hoses and some don't have the same fittings to be able to make a loop, I would seriously search the pumps over hard for tow valves, like I said I have not worked on a Gehl but many other brands, that pretty much use the same pumps, one design or another, have tow valves incorporated.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Would you agree that hooking the hoses from the motors together in a loop would save most of the oil! Jim

Yes... if he had the fittings... but really want them hooked to the motor anyway after some of the oil is removed, will give some measure of safety if it's in a hilly neighborhood... if it gets away with the motors disconnected, it'll keep going until it hits something.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

I have just picked them up with a loader, if they aren’t too big. Another cheap alternative is to get something under the skid steer like an old car hood, to use as a sled, and drag it onto a trailer

 

[Destroked 450]

A bit different as mine has tracks an weighs nearly 10,000 lbs

Had a drive motor lock up once, had to remove the track tension adjuster and drive table guide stops, then pull it forward to slide the drive table forward releasing track tension. Once the drive table is far enough forward it can be pined to a bracket on the frame and swung out once the track is lifted off the sprocket
Once this is done one each side the tracks will free roll so the machine can be towed, but on a grade it will free roll until something stops it

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

That is not entirely true, case for sure and I believe bobcat have tow release valves, they are in the sides of the pump housing, they look like a plug for a hole but you turn them to allow the oil to bypass, depending on the pump the Gehl may have tow valves too, I have never worked on one so I can't say for sure

I've never seen one with tow release valves. Every one I have ever seen towed has been a lump of dead weight. No, worse than dead weight, more like a stubborn heifer. A stone the same size and weight would be easier to drag.

 

[thdrduck]

Thanks for all the great advice (I really love this forum, everyone is willing to help). I posted this same question on a skid steer forum and so far have had over 40 views and not one answer.
I decided to have my local guy with a car rescue truck haul it for me. He used the winch to drag it onto the flatbed and we used my little Alis as an anchor to get it off. Not perfect but it worked and didn't make a mess (plus it was about 10 deg out). Now it's in the shed and I can start messing with it. Thanks again folks.

 

[Jim.ME]

Got a set of manuals ordered for it yet? That should be the first "parts" purchase.