BoB Cat Bolt/W pix.

SON finished re-asembling (SP) the internal drive parts, Bearings ,seals chain link(master) so now it"s waiting for oil and adjustments for levers, The bolt in question is an EXTREEMLY HARD BOLT & NUT that holds the chain sprocket and bearings on a plate assembly.That Bolt is N.L.A.from Bobcat. Called the company and asked for close dealers that may have one in stock they never sold. No SUCH LUCK. Wonmdering if a grade 8 or better would do the job if we cut it down and re-threaded the end.?If not, I could get some foundry Coke,heat a standard bolt when we finished the cuts and threading the end,and Re harden it so it would out last the machine.That bolt is critical in the operation of the drives .Each wheel sprocket has one so if we cant purchase em , guess it"s up to us to make em. Gonna look for a small lathe or milling machine. Something we don"t use a lot but when we need it we need it. BoBCat parts yard is non exhistant as far as we know. Searched the internet with No Luck. Was wondering if any one has information on BoBCat scrap yards. Sure would make it a lot easier for us to just by em then re-make em,considering the cost of the lathe, Milling machine etc. Any help here? Sure would appreciate it if you do .REguards
LOU& VICTOR.

I'd just get a machine shop to modify a standard 1" bolt. The bolt could be a grade 8, 9 or 12. A good machine shop could probably tell you that too with a hardness test. Dave

135 Dave, Not a bad Idea.! Seems like there would be a market for em , as many as the 700 series was made. The thought crossed my mind to see what hardness bolts were available here .Then buy several and have em /make em ,cut down. Bird in the hand so to speak. Hate it when the news of parts NLA, hits the street. With a die, we could accomplish the making of new ones. Cuting em down would be no problem but wondered about threading new bolts with a die. That's where a lathe or mill would come in handy.But again, I would think there is a scrap yard somewhere close by that junks old Bobcats. Can't find hide nor hair of any. Thanks for the reply.
LOU

Just use a 1 x 2 3/4 bolt with the right thread pitch.
Diameter of only .0005 over & length of .010 under are well within tolerance standards.
Willie

Finding a bobcat salvage yard is hard enough never alone trying to find a specific bolt in that salvage yard. Most salvage yards just throw the bolts in a bucket because they are more interested in selling the sprocket the bolt held.

But you could try external_link

I'm with Willie. A 1"X 2 3/4" NF grade 8 bolt will serve the purpose very well. If clearance is the issue with the head, you may have to machine it down to match.
Even a piece of B7 all thread with a jam nut for a bolthead would do the job in a pinch.

Does look to be a custom part - it looks to me like a undercut next to the bolt head. Normally, this would be a radius, to avoid a stress riser. The bolt seems to be a modified shoulder bolt. And the standard thread length would be 1.5x the nominal diameter. I think that a standard 3 in 1-14 grade bolt could be used. If too long, just shorten it.

I think there is a scrap yard at Dassel Mn. I don't know the name of it as it has been a number of years since I went through that town. Try Google.

Teddy. Thanks a lot.Looked on their site. Expensive units and much smaller plus theirs are AIR COOLED Not water cooled. (older unit). Thats what we are finding. Smaller More expensive then what we gave for ours. Most don't look as good as the one we have.We've had ours since 1999 For $2,900.00.When we got it , it was full of Sh!!! clear up past the seat. took 3 days with a steam jenny ,pry bars ,hot water,just to get to the gas tank and seat frame. This break down is the first since we we got it. Ours must be worth $8.000.00 by the looks of their pricing lol. Any way we will still be on the look out for parts/scrap yards. Again Many thanks for the reply. Reguards LOU & VICTOR

Instead of trying to find one with the right length and machining threads on it why not find one a little longer with a shank length a bit shorter than you need and just cut the extra threads off? Too unless the bolt itself is being used as a bearing surface then it really isn"t going to matter whether the threads go all the way to the head or not as a bearing race isn"t going to care as long as it"s help in place and not allowed to spin. About the only reason I can see to have the threads a cetrain length is to allow the nut to bottom out but this problem can be overcome by using two jam nuts locked together instead of a single nut, or if you wanted an even more sure joint then use a thin lock nut tightened against a regular jam nut.

Check out McMaster Carr"s bolt selection and I think you might find what your looking for. They have a 1" 14TPI that is 4 inches long and has a shank length that has a standard variation in length from 2 1/4 to 2 7/8. Given the application one of those bolts with any of the given shank lengths up to right at 2 3/4 ought to work just fine without doing anything but cutting off the extra thread.

If McMaster can"t "guarantee" you the shank length will be less than 2 3/4 then you can try Earnest Machine Products. Fasteners is all they do and they may be able to help you out also.
Good luck.

I think you might be over complicating it. The bolt has a thinner head and less threads so it will fit in a tight spot. That's it. A used one might not be any better than the one you have. Dave

Farm=Rite, Dassel, MN- easily the largest dealer in MN. New and salvage. Tim Cox- 888-679-4857.

Thanks JMS/MN,
I'll try them and see if they have one or know of where I can get one. Really appreciate your time in answering this.
LOU

Thanks NC WAYNE,
The bolt does have 2 bearings that ride on the shank, along with 3 spacers, 1 on each outside edge, and 1 in between the 2 bearings, to keep a certain amount of space for the bearings to ride and not bind up. The bolt has to be torqued to at least 230#,and fit right next to another sprocket for the hydraulic motor.The engineers weren't thinking as to when you have to disassemble everything for replacement.The original nut came loose and was rubbing on the sprocket off the hyd motor,I think because the bearing went bad.We had the machine overfilled a little on the oil so I know it wasn't because it was run low on oil.
There is very little room between the sprocket and the final drive adjuster bracket, so a double nut won't work,just to get the bracket out you have to spread the tank enough to have the final drive sprocket bracket come out, alot of fun.LOL.Thanks for the information and I'll keep this in mind.Seems like they would discontinue the nut and not the bolt,but since I don't run the company,my opinion doesn't count.LOL
Warmest reguards,LOU

Thanks SPOOK,
The bolt also has a oversized head,I think for spreading the 230 ft lb of torque,over a wider area. A washer under the new smaller bolt head may work,but the next thing,will it hold up and not allow the bolt to spin and oval out the hole,or worse allow the bearings to come loose and disentigrate?The original bolt is very hard,as taking a hacksaw blade to restraighten the first thread,was a job unto itself. A GR8 bolt is easy to cut, so it must be even harder than that,guessing 9 or even 12.I definately thank you for your answer,as any ideas are a definate help.
Warmest reguards,LOU

What is actually wrong with the one you have?

Lou, assuming you replaced the bearings that went bad, I would look through what McMaster-Carr has, and If you can't find it, then take it to a good machinist, have him fill the worn area with weld, re-machine, and re-thread the bolt. It's not likely to wear, unless the same bearings go bad. If they do, it will likely occur in the same number of hours, as the machine now has. With that in mind, keep a check on the repaired bolt, as that hour number approaches.

We have a place called Iowa/Nebraska fastener in Omaha. They have had all sorts of 'impossible to find' bolts when I needed them-shoulder bolts and all. I don't know if you have a specialty supplier like them, but would recommend you take it in to match if you do. Greg

Checked at our local Fastenal, couldn't get anything close,but for a "SPECIAL" price they could have one made for EXTRA cost.Since we are almost in the "land of the lost" most places around, won't know what you need,unless it's 1/4 nut and bolt,but that would take 3 weeks to get.LOL. that is if you know the wheel base and cu inch of the engine.LOL.Thanks for the reply,LOU

Thanks DIY DAVE,I hate to say this,but around here, a good machinist is about as available as a yeti.LOL. Closest one is about 50 miles away, so What we did was order a new nut, used the old bolt,and Loctited it back together then peened the nut to the bolt.We figured with it broke down, and snow time, it wouild be needed soon.So when we get new oil,Monday, and get the steering readjusted, it should be good to go for a while.New bearings,sprocket,will definately help, so we'll keep ya posted. Been used for 11 years and this is the first problem we have had with it ever,not a bad record.
Thanks LOU