Third Axle Added To Bobcat Skidsteer
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Lynn Finlayson says he extends skidsteer tire life and eliminates skid marks on pavement by adding a third axle to his Bobcat Mini. With 2 axles, every time the skidsteer turns, it wears away rubber on hard surfaces and rips up the soil on soft. The caster wheels on his rear axle eliminate the problem.
“When I saw a Grasshopper zero-turn in our local scrap yard, the rear axle looked perfect for the idea I had,” says Finlayson. “I put solid rubber tires on the wheels, removed the bushings, and replaced them with sealed bearings.”
To accommodate rough terrain, the axle oscillates on a bolt and bearing to the left and right on the zero-turn. To retain that function, Finlayson fastened the bolt to a steel plate to which he then butt-welded a 2-in. male steel tube.
He then jacked up the back end of the skidsteer until the original “rear” axle was about an inch off the ground. With the wheels clear of the ground, he lined up the add-on axle steel tube with a spot on the rear of the raised skidsteer. He butt welded a 2-in. receiver hitch at that point and slipped in the male end. He then took the pressure off the lifts, and the skidsteer settled on its new rear axle.
“I needed clearance for the old rear tires,” says Finlayson.
He compares driving the augmented skidsteer to taxiing with a tail dragger airplane. “You have to be right on the controls,” he says. “With the casters, it can move to the left or right quickly. If you need more traction, just jack up the machine and remove the rear axle.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lynn Finlayson, 629 Conestoga Ave., Alliance, Neb. 69301 (ph 308 760-1396; fnlasn@yahoo.com).
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Third Axle Added To Bobcat Skidsteer TRACTORS Modifications Lynn Finlayson says he extends skidsteer tire life and eliminates skid marks on pavement by adding a third axle to his Bobcat Mini With 2 axles every time the skidsteer turns it wears away rubber on hard surfaces and rips up the soil on soft The caster wheels on his rear axle eliminate the problem “When I saw a Grasshopper zero-turn in our local scrap yard the rear axle looked perfect for the idea I had ” says Finlayson “I put solid rubber tires on the wheels removed the bushings and replaced them with sealed bearings ” To accommodate rough terrain the axle oscillates on a bolt and bearing to the left and right on the zero-turn To retain that function Finlayson fastened the bolt to a steel plate to which he then butt-welded a 2-in male steel tube He then jacked up the back end of the skidsteer until the original “rear” axle was about an inch off the ground With the wheels clear of the ground he lined up the add-on axle steel tube with a spot on the rear of the raised skidsteer He butt welded a 2-in receiver hitch at that point and slipped in the male end He then took the pressure off the lifts and the skidsteer settled on its new rear axle “I needed clearance for the old rear tires ” says Finlayson He compares driving the augmented skidsteer to taxiing with a tail dragger airplane “You have to be right on the controls ” he says “With the casters it can move to the left or right quickly If you need more traction just jack up the machine and remove the rear axle ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Lynn Finlayson 629 Conestoga Ave Alliance Neb 69301 ph 308 760-1396; fnlasn@yahoo com
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