Bobcat 440B 1987 Service Manual

I’ve seen what happens when a guy tries to rebuild a 440B hydrostatic pump using a Chilton or some generic PDF. The loader either won’t move or burns the belt off in ten minutes. Then he’s back at the parts counter holding a melted piston and blaming the machine. The problem wasn’t the loader – it was the lack of real Bobcat 440B 1987 Service Manual data. You need the factory procedure, not a translation of a translation. This manual is the dealer copy printed by Melroe Company in 1987, 174 pages thick, and every spec came off the same assembly line as your loader.

Safety Instructions: The First 15 Pages That Could Save Your Life

Page 1 kicks off with the kind of warnings you don’t skip. Lift arm support device. Hydraulic fluid injection hazard. Battery acid burns. The manual tells you explicitly: “Never service the Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader without instructions.” Fire prevention gets its own section on page ii. I’ve had one hydraulic fire in my bay – blood pressure still spikes when I smell burning oil. This manual lists the exact steps to avoid that: keep engine cool and clean of flammable materials, never fill fuel with the engine running, and use approved lift arm support devices. If you’re a home garage guy who’s never seen a loader, these pages will keep you from becoming a cautionary tale. Follow them.

Preventive Maintenance Schedule: What the Manual Tells You

Preventive Maintenance starts on page 1. You’ll find oil change intervals, hydraulic filter replacement, chain case fluid levels – all specific to the 440B. The manual doesn’t say “check fluids regularly.” It says drain and refill the hydraulic reservoir after the first 50 hours, then every 250 hours. It tells you the exact type of oil (ISO 32 or 46 hydraulic oil depending on ambient temp). Skip this schedule and you’ll eat a $1,200 hydrostatic pump rebuild. I’ve got a customer who thought he could run 10W-30 in the chain case. Three months later the drive chains stretched so bad the sprockets wore crescent-shaped grooves. The manual’s preventive section would have stopped that with a single chart. It’s on page 1. Read it before you turn a wrench.

Hydraulic and Hydrostatic Systems: Pressure and Flow Specs

The Hydraulic System section begins on page 2. This covers the loader’s entire hydraulic circuit: lift cylinders, tilt cylinders, auxiliary hydraulics. The Hydrostatic System starts on page 3 – that’s your drive system, the big variable-displacement pump and wheel motors. Without the factory pressure settings you’ll either have a loader that won’t climb a curb or one that blows seals. The manual gives you the test port locations, the relief valve adjustment procedure, and the exact spec: main relief 3,000 psi. Need the charge pressure? Page 73 has it. For a DIYer, the biggest mistake is thinking “tight enough” works on a hydrostatic fitting. One sniped o-ring and the whole system cavitates. The manual walks through bleeding procedures and torque sequences for the pump mounting bolts. Follow it.

Engine Service: 7 Cylinder and Fuel System Coverage

Engine Service is section 7. The 440B runs a diesel engine – likely a Kubota or Isuzu depending on year variant. The manual covers the complete engine: cylinder head removal, valve adjustment, injection pump timing, cooling system. You get the compression test procedure and the valve clearance specs (intake 0.008-0.010 in, exhaust 0.010-0.012 in – those are the numbers I’d write on the bay wall). If you’re pulling the head, the bolt torque sequence is laid out step by step. Most of the torque values you’ll need for the engine block live in the Technical Data section (page 8). I’ve seen aftermarket manuals list a generic “head bolts to 80 ft-lbs” – that’s how you warp a 440B deck. This factory manual gives the correct three-step torque pattern: 15, then 30, then 90 degrees. Don’t guess. Use the book.

Does This Manual Cover the Electrical System?

Yes. Electrical System is section 6, pages 6 through maybe 30 or so – it’s a full wiring diagram section. The manual includes the starting circuit, charging circuit, safety interlocks, and the instrument panel connections. If your 440B won’t crank or the glow plugs don’t heat, you can trace the circuit from the battery to the key switch to the starter solenoid. No aftermarket wiring sketch with faded colors. This is the actual Bobcat schematic with wire colors labeled (e.g., “red/white,” “black”) and connector pin numbers. You also get the alternator output test procedure and the regulator adjustment. For a shop owner, having this on the tablet when a tech says “I can’t find the ground” saves half an hour of guessing. For a DIYer, it’s the difference between swapping parts and fixing the actual broken wire.

How to Use the Technical Data Section

Technical Data is section 8, starting on page 8. This is where the numbers live: fluid capacities, torque specs, bearing clearances, electrical values. You want the chain case capacity? 1.5 quarts of 10W-30 oil. Hydraulic system capacity? 6.5 gallons. Wheel motor bolt torque? 60 ft-lbs. This section also lists the serial number locations (page iii) so you can confirm you’ve got the right manual for your loader’s build date. The whole manual is 174 pages of real OEM data – no reprints, no generic third-party copy. If you need to order the Bobcat 440B Service Manual from here, you’re getting the exact same PDF that a Bobcat dealer tech would pull up. For related models check out the Bobcat S175 2008 Service Manual – OEM Factory Repair Specs or the Bobcat S185 2008 Service Manual – 998 Pages of Factory Specs. Both are factory spec documents, same level of detail. And if you’re working on a manual transmission vehicle, the principles of torque sequences and fluid specs still apply – you can reference a Manual Transmission article for comparison, but for your 440B stick with this OEM source.

Is the Bobcat 440B 1987 Service Manual the same as the operator’s manual?

No. The operator’s manual only covers daily maintenance and safety. This service manual has full repair procedures, torque specs, hydraulic diagrams, and electrical schematics – everything a mechanic needs to rebuild the loader.

Does this manual include torque specs for the engine head bolts?

Yes. The Technical Data section lists the three-stage torque procedure for the cylinder head: 15 ft-lbs first pass, 30 ft-lbs second pass, then a 90-degree turn. Use that spec, not a generic value.

Can I use this manual if I’ve never worked on a skid steer before?

Yes, provided you read the safety section first and have basic mechanical skills. The manual uses clear text, but it assumes you can handle tools like a torque wrench and a multimeter. If you can follow a wiring diagram and understand hydraulic flow, you’ll be fine. If you can’t, get someone with experience to supervise the first few jobs – hydrostatic systems bite back when you mis-adjust them.

What format is the manual delivered in?

PDF format. You can view it on a computer, tablet, or print specific pages for the shop floor. No physical paper copy.

You’ve got a 440B that needs a hydrostatic pump rebuild or an engine swap. The difference between a weekend job and a second trip to the parts store is having the factory documentation open on the bench. This manual is the same one Bobcat dealers used in 1987 – no aftermarket rewriting, no missing pages. Every torque value, every fluid spec, every adjustment procedure is exactly what the factory intended. Stop working from memory and start working from the source. Download the Factory Manual and keep your loader running right.