Firstly let's get it straight. This is a Fecon Mulching head we are talking about and it is made for Bobcat. Many people cannot understand why a regular Fecon Mulcher will work on their machine but not the Bobcat brand. It is all about marketing. Bobcat installs a Canbus computer on-board of the mulcher so you will not be able to run it on standard 8 pin or 14 pin controls.
In our usual fashion we have found ways to bypass their computer and make it work the way Fecon normally ships their products.
Hydraulics: The Bobcat (Fecon) Mulchers' have an open center valve which requires constant flow in a forward direction at all times to perform. The first thing to check is that your flow is going in the right direction. Your standard forward pressure needs to be going into the block where the "P" or "A" is stamped and your return needs to be coming from where the letter "T" or "B" is stamped. Once the hoses are connected correctly you will not be able to operate the drum yet. If you set the mulcher on the ground and look at the block, you will see a small solenoid. That solenoid is normally closed so it blocks the hydraulic flow. You have two choices and ways of making the mulcher operate.
1: Bypass this valve altogether. There are two methods to do this. If you have a long cartridge try our short plug first. If this does not work, then use the plug that looks like the solenoid that you removed. This will bypass all of the Bobcat electrical controls and allow you to operate the mulcher on any machine with no electrical. The downside to this is that if you have the hood and you want it to operate, you will still need a bypass harness.
2: Genius has created a harness CLICK HERE TO SEE IT that will allow you to use the your controls to open and close the hood and have the drum spin up automatically. This will work on all machines except for JOHN DEERE machines prior to 2020. Why older John Deere's won't work? They do not supply a powered pin (Usually K) in their output harnesses, so unless you are handy and want to add one, there is no way to provide key on 12 volt constant power. For everyone with a 14 pin harness but John Deere, you can install the following harness this way. Unplug the two solenoids that are stacked on top of each other. These are your hood control. Plug the green wire connection into the top solenoid and the orange into the bottom. This usually corresponds to your left stick up/down buttons. For the keyed power, look inside your machines connector. Do you see a pin in the "K" position? If yes, then use our blue wire and move the pin internally to pin K. Here are some instructions - CLICK HERE.
This will be your key on power so if the drum does not turn when you turn on the hydraulics, check this connection. If the drum works, then the hood should as well when you tap the up/down buttons on your left stick.
You will still need to turn the machine on and lock the hydraulics on in the loader, but you will be able to do anything unless the hydraulics are locked on in the forward direction. This harness takes about 20 minutes to install and will circumvent all of the Bobcat computer controls.
JOHN DEERE OWNERS: You will need the harness found here CLICK HERE to operate the hood if you have one. In addition, you will need the following plug CLICK HERE. This will allow you to run without keyed power.
Caterpillar 14 pin machines 2014 and newer require a null plug for your machine to trun on high flow hydraulics. CLICK HERE to purchase.
Case/New Holland ENHANCED FLOW requires a null plug for high flow hydraulics to operate.
