How do you operate a Bobcat 700?

Answer 1

Bobcats are fairly simple to operate but like anything require physical practice to get the feel of it. Remember how herky-jerky it is driving a car for the first time~ So do it out in a field somewhere where you cant hit anything/anyone. Bobcats are extremely powerful and with one flick of a wrist could send the bucket straight through the side of a house before you know it. Really! Make sure nothing is around the first day you drive one. There is a lap bar which must be lowered before you can operate the machine. This is to keep you from flying out while you are driving. Bobcats have zero suspension. You will be surprised by how rough the ride is. Start the machine and rev up the throttle a ways. You want full throttle for max performance, but you dont need it for driving around at first. As you sit in the machine, your feet are resting on two pedals which tilt by pushing with either your heel or toe. One pedal controls the height of the bucket up or down, and the other pedal controls the tilt angle of the bucket for scooping/dumping. The pedals are pressure sensitive. The harder you push on them, the more force and speed with which the bucket operates. The pedals are spring loaded and return to a stopped/locked state if released. Play with the pedals to get a feel for how they make the bucket move. It takes a little getting used to. You want the bucket off the ground a little bit before moving the machine. For moving the bobcat around, there are two hand levers sticking up, one on either side of you. They rest in the neutral position. Pushing each one forwards or backwards will move both wheels on that side of the bobact forwards or backwards. Both levers forward = straight. One lever forwards, one lever backwards = turning. Different combinations of the two levers allow you to maneuver around with amazing agility. Pushing them farther will make you go faster. Letting go will stop the machine very quickly. Always look behind you before backing up, every single time. There is limited visibility. The machine is so heavy and powerful you would never even feel a person in the way until it was too late. Also remember that the wheels stay straight all the time, meaning one or more of them has to skid when turning..hence the name skid steer. Turning sharply on grass creates an instant mess. Try to turn as gradually as you can if you don't want to make marks on concrete or tear up grass. Paved surfaces can be tricky since the tires grip so well. As you change speed or turn, the tires can slip and grab in a jerky series of movements, causing the machine to bounce around. In bouncing it can jerk your arms and change the wheel speed, causing you to bounce even worse. This can happen very quickly. If you find you are bouncing out of control, let go of everything and wait for it to stop. You CAN tip them over especially with a heavy load or with the bucket high in the air. When you are parking, make sure to drop the bucket all the way to the ground before you turn the machine off. Leaving it in the air invites something to be crushed underneath it. Those are the basics! Like anything else it takes some practice to get to the point of your feet moving the right way automatically to get the bucket to do what you want. It will be jerky and akward at first but just keep playing around with a pile of dirt!! Have fun~