I hate skid steer loaders

[Lu47Dan]

Hey Stan .
Anymore news on this ? inquiring minds want to know . I heard of some crazy stuff people do to engines but that takes the cake .
I have run a few skid loaders on jobsites to haul around pipe around the site but would not own one for here at home that is why I am in the process of building one of these .

Will be highly modified from the plans and that is putting it lightly . But it will should be pretty fun to run . Dan

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Well, nothing wierd, anyway. The engine is out and apart. Number 1 rod bearing was worn to the point that it was about to spin, but it *was* still there - unlike number 2!

Someone forgot to check the oil one day, I suppose, and killed the poor little thing. Such a shame, really.

The crank is chewed up, but can be built up and turned back to what it ought to be. So, that's in the shop now. The cylinder bores and pistons are OK - a little cleaning up and some new rings is all that's needed there. The head is good all the way around, but got a valve job just for grins and giggles. The injection system went into the shop. The pump is OK, and all the injectors needed were new nozzles, so that's all good to go.

Once the crank comes home, she'll go back together and I'll truck it out to his dad's place where we'll see what else might need a 'little service'. Until he puts it to work in earnest, we'll not learn about the rest of the driveline, hydraulics and whatnot.

Y'all know how *that* works out!

Later!

Stan

[Lu47Dan]

Stan , Thanks for the update , I just found this thread last night . Dan

[NNAATZ]

refering to my previous post about filing the rod cap, back in my younger and broker days, i needed a mower i had found a toro rider with a 7 hp techumsh (????? can't spell) that had to of been run out of oil. i freed it, took it apart seen the rings were there. polished the crank with emery cloth clearanced the rod by filling the cap reassembled with new points. it smoked realy bad but run like a ding dong all summer till it shucked the rod that fall.
not proud of doing that OR maybe i am but it worked..... for a while

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Well, the crank is fixed. So is the #2 rod. The #2 cylinder is ovaled out some 18 thou, so the machinist is simply going to bore and sleeve all three so that the original pistons can be reused. That option was $200 cheaper than boring alone with oversized pistons, so that's what'll happen.

Should be about two weeks before the engine is back in the machine.

Then we'll see if the rest of the machine is ready to go to work, or if we need to start a new project!

Later!

Stan

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Well, the poor thing is *finally* back together. In the end, it wasn't so bad. Just rebuild the engine is all.

We did have to up and replace that #2 con rod. It was just too chewed from running without a bearing to save, although we did try. Parts for these little engines cost more than parts for the larger ones. If y'all think Deere is proud of their parts, don't get one of these little Japanese guys!

Of course, there were lots of 'little things' that needed attention once we were neck-deep in the alligators there. You know, those that add up to costing more than the main problem to correct. Poor old Fred now has a skid-steer that cost him more than he could ever hope to sell it for. I tell him it's cheap as he bought an education along with the fool thing!

Now it sits alongside his garage in his subdivison waiting for snow. maybe he can make some of the $$$ back digging his neighors out. I have this feeling that we're in for a North Carolina winter that features significant snowfall. It's been about five years since the last one of those, and so we're due.

For those that don't know how it is down here. No one is prepared to deal with snow. Not even the Relocated Yankees. Most folks moving here buy in subdivisions with the Size Five houses on the Size Four lots. So, at best they have a push lawnmower. Not even a snow shovel! If it snows *one* flake here, everyone leaves work early and hits the stores for bread and milk. I love going to the store after they've all been there and see the empty bread and milk shelves. I don't know what they all do with all the bread and milk - make milk sandwiches???

I'm one of the rare fools. I have a farm and so have ways to deal with the snow. I keep a well stocked pantry so can hole up here for six months in need be. I even have a 420c dozer if the snow should get deep enough to where the old 'M' and backblade can't handle it.

Anway, Fred and I might need that snowplowing work. We're now both unemployed. Seems that Sony Ericsson decided that they had too many R&D sites, so we 'got gone' back on October 1st.

So, in bewteen putting the skid steer back together, we've been looking for somewhere else to go to. Technically, we're employed until December 8th, but were told to pack up and go home but be available to come in should they need us for something. I had two other jobs lined up, but can't start until after 12/8, so in the meantime both companies announced their own layoffs. So, no joy to be had there....

Looks like we get to run on backpressure for a while. This won't last long, I figure 6-12 months. By then, lots of the folks that were let go this fall will have moved away (I'm staying put no matter what) so what is now a no-hope situation will turn into a pick-and-choose one. Eventually.

In the meantime, we do what we can, and if snowplowing becomes an opportunity, both Fred and I can take advantage of it.

I'm also going to greatly expand the gourd patch I have here for the wife's craft use. Those things sell really well, as I've only recently found out. I grew 10x what she needed this year just for the fun of it, and she's been selling off the extras for $3-$30 each. Huh?? You know, these things don't spoil? Once they're dried, they keep for decades. Forget the seasonal pumpkins we were playing with. It's gourds for me from here on out! I can grow a lot of gourds on ten acres!

Maybe I'll become a gourd farmer and give up engineering. If I don't go back to work by April, then I'm planting a bunch of these things!

Later!

Stan

[Lu47Dan]

Stan sorry to hear about the job going south on you . But it was good to hear that you and Fred got the the skid steer running again . I know parts are very expensive for my Lombardini diesel made in Italy , the Camshaft for it is $750 and three to six weeks lead time , must make them from scratch . Good thing I still have the serial # for it or I could not get parts . Pray for snow As we are getting pounded up here , maybe another year like '77 . Dan

[Lavoy]

Stan,
Sorry to hear about that, the job I mean. If you get real bored, come up North for a visit, plenty of work here. Unemployment is viturally zero, if you aren't working, it is because you don't want to.
Lavoy

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Yeah! I'll come up there and bring the skiddy along for some real snowplowing testing!

It's still running. Starts right up each time he tries it. Unlike that little issue you were having with the stuck plungers in the pump.

We must have done something right, which is good news. Sure are costly little parts in there, though. Oh, well. A dead skiddy isn't even useful as a boat anchor and it sure isn't a pretty lawn ornament. Looks much nicer moving than standing still, you know.

Well, there's lots of work around here, but not the Senior Staff Engineer type I need. Most places that are hiring won't hire the likes of us as were too overqualified. So, we get to sit and suck down the maximum unemployment payments instead. I'm not sure that all makes sense, but there it is.

I'm not too worried yet. I'm now released and able to make some contacts with folks I could not freely speak with as long as I was still on the payroll. I think I'll become a consultant before the first quarter of 2009 is past. I was doing some pretty leading edge stuff for the past five years. Even with layoffs and hiring freezes all around, that kind of stuff is in pretty high demand. Companies can't hire an engineer at the moment, but they can pay for short term consulting contracts, which can be extended and eventually work into a full time slot when things get better later in the year.

If none of that pans out, we're OK for a year anyway. Lots can change in a year. Heck, this same thing happened to me when I was with IBM, back in April 1993. By July 1994, the panic was over and I went back to work in August. I figure something similar will happen this time around.

In the meantime, I might open up a crawler shop South.

Later!

Stan

[Tigerhaze]

We must have done something right, which is good news. Sure are costly little parts in there, though. Oh, well. A dead skiddy isn't even useful as a boat anchor and it sure isn't a pretty lawn ornament. Looks much nicer moving than standing still, you know.

Well, at least you can get parts to keep your running My Melroe (Bobcat) was manufactured in the late 60s with a Kohler enginer. While Bobcat still stocks most of the parts for the mechanical drivetrain and the hydraulics, the fuel and engine related parts are unavailable. Specifically, I have a stuck float and inlet needle in my carb and they stopped selling the needle and gasket kit- air emission reasons. I can get a new engine for $1200, but the engine in it works great, if it could get fuel

I'm not too worried yet. I'm now released and able to make some contacts with folks I could not freely speak with as long as I was still on the payroll. I think I'll become a consultant before the first quarter of 2009 is past. I was doing some pretty leading edge stuff for the past five years. Even with layoffs and hiring freezes all around, that kind of stuff is in pretty high demand. Companies can't hire an engineer at the moment, but they can pay for short term consulting contracts, which can be extended and eventually work into a full time slot when things get better later in the year.

I am an engineer as well, and our CEO came yesterday and gave us a pep talk about the state of the company and the economy. Our company does environmental and infrastructure engineering, so the infrastructure stimulus package that Obama is pushing may help us out. However I have other engineer friends in manufacturing (one works for Ford) and they are really sweating it out right now. Luckily engineering is pretty cyclical and there is long-term demand for qualified engineers that don't require an H-1B Visa!

[Lavoy]

Can't you get the carb parts from a Kohler distributor?
Lavoy

[Tigerhaze]

Hi Lavoy-

I went to an authorized Kohler dealer, and they told me that Kohler no longer supplies parts for that carburator. The dealer told me that EPA had made agreements with manufacturers to discontinue parts for some smaller engines to phase them out and meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act.

There is still the possibility of finding NOS parts, but I have checked some of the larger dealers nationwide and on Ebay and can't find them. If anyone has some ideas let me know- it's a K662 engine.

I could also try to make my own gaskets, but the parts schematics for my carb shows the gasket for the carb bowl is pretty complex with various ports. I may have to do that.

[snowshoveler]

kohler didnt build the carb on that one or the iginition for that matter.
A friend of mine had one of the little melro cats and he got a new float and inlet needle and seat at farm tractor shop.
same make of carb is on a lot of the older tractors.
Yours has a smaller venturai (sp) but the carb is basically the same.
post the name of carb and a pic if posible and i can get some numbers for you.
chris.
Ps ...im a small engine mechanic and have had my way with more than a few of the iron kohlers.

[Tigerhaze]

Hi Snowshoveler-

I appreciate you offering to help me out with this. I had actually written the part numbers down from the local dealer, but don't have them here with me at work. I'll try to post up tomorrow after I verify which of the K662 series and carb type I have or if I can find the list I wrote down.

Thanks again!

[digitup2]

Look across the boarders for those parts .Up here in Canada the emisions police haven't hit us with the same B.S..If you get stumped get in tuch with me I have a Bob cat repair man in my shop most of the winter this winter and parts are no problem .I can ask him when I get the time .Lately I have been into pushing SNOW [Dam I am sick of that stuff and it isn't even christmas yet!!. ] Winter came several weeks early this year for us and the snow came deep and quickly.We have more now than in mid January last year I have over 700 triaxle loads in the snow dump now and we never opened it till Jan 10 th last year . Digitup.