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jumpy bobcat

andydap

New Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2026
Messages
1
Location
coventry, ct
hi everyone, just bought a bobcat s220 with about 3,000 hrs on it. turns out when i try to make a left turn it hop and jerks but when i turn right it is fine. i've use new holland skid steers and never had that issue, had others but not this one. does anyone know what's going on?
thanks,
andy
 

Arny L

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
404
Location
canada
hi everyone, just bought a bobcat s220 with about 3,000 hrs on it. turns out when i try to make a left turn it hop and jerks but when i turn right it is fine. i've use new holland skid steers and never had that issue, had others but not this one. does anyone know what's going on?
thanks,
andy
You could have a chain thats jumping, a wheel bearing piling up. I would block all 4 wheels in the air, and roll each side, or power each side, and see what it sounds and feels like.
 

Hondaracing02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2019
Messages
65
Location
USA
I’ve also heard people say controls are jumpy when the shock absorbers under the cab wear out. There’s two black shocks on the linkage directly under your seat. When they go bad, you get a jumpy effect. You can remove one side of the shock and see if the rod has oil pressure pushing back when moving in and out. If it slams in and out with ease, it’s blown
 

Urbanengineer

Member
Joined
May 10, 2026
Messages
16
Location
USA
When I had a Gehl with this issue it was related to three things: 1. Chain slap in the chain case, tighten that chain. 2. Loose heim joints in the drive sticks allowing slop in the hand controls. 3. operator error from being green and not knowing what to do when the machine starts to "dance."
 

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,938
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
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