Bobcat 843 skid steer loader with the lift arms raised, tipping a bucket load into a dump truck on an urban site

The Bobcat 843 is a skid steer loader with a 54 horsepower Isuzu 4JB1 four cylinder diesel, a 1,700 lb rated operating capacity and a 6,480 lb operating weight. Tipping load is 3,420 lb, auxiliary hydraulic flow is 16.1 gpm, and system relief pressure is 2,300 psi.

What You Need to Know

  • Engine: Isuzu 4JB1, 4 cylinder diesel, 54 hp
  • Rated operating capacity: 1,700 lb, tipping load 3,420 lb
  • Operating weight: 6,480 lb
  • Hydraulics: 16.1 gpm auxiliary, 2,300 psi relief
  • Width: 62.4 in, height to hinge pin 119.6 in
  • Engine advantage: the 4JB1 is used far beyond Bobcat

What Are the Bobcat 843 Specs?

The 843 sits in the middle of Bobcat's numbered series, larger than the 753 and 751 and below the 863.

Specification Figure
Engine Isuzu 4JB1, 4 cylinder diesel
Horsepower 54 hp
Rated operating capacity 1,700 lb
Tipping load 3,420 lb
Operating weight 6,480 lb
Travel speed 6.3 mph
Auxiliary hydraulic flow 16.1 gpm
System relief pressure 2,300 psi
Overall width 62.4 in (5 ft 2 in)
Height to hinge pin 119.6 in (9 ft 11 in)
Overall height, cab 80.4 in (6 ft 8 in)
Wheelbase 38.6 in

The 1,700 lb rated operating capacity is half the 3,420 lb tipping load, following the standard convention for wheeled skid steers. Height to hinge pin of nearly ten feet is generous for a machine of this weight, which is what makes it a useful loading machine rather than only a pushing one.

What Engine Is in the Bobcat 843?

An Isuzu 4JB1, a four cylinder diesel producing 54 horsepower. This is genuinely good news for an owner, and it is worth understanding why.

The 4JB1 is one of the most widely deployed industrial diesels ever built. It has been fitted across construction equipment, light commercial vehicles, generators and marine applications for decades. The practical result is that engine parts availability remains strong long after the machines themselves left production.

What follows from that:

  • Filters, gaskets and injection components are widely stocked because demand comes from far beyond Bobcat owners
  • Technical knowledge is common. Most diesel technicians have worked on a 4JB1 in some form
  • Engine parts are ordered against the engine serial, stamped on the block, rather than the machine serial

Compared with Bobcat machines of the same era running less common engines, that supply position is a meaningful advantage over the remaining life of the machine.

How Much Can a Bobcat 843 Lift?

Rated operating capacity is 1,700 lb, against a tipping load of 3,420 lb. Height to hinge pin is 119.6 inches, or just under ten feet.

That reach is the specification worth noting. Nearly ten feet to hinge pin clears the sides of most standard truck bodies, which means the 843 can load rather than only move material at ground level.

Auxiliary hydraulic flow of 16.1 gpm at 2,300 psi relief pressure defines what attachments will run. Buckets, forks, grapples, augers and general purpose tools are comfortably within range. Attachments needing sustained high volume, such as cold planers and large mulching heads, are not.

What Is the Difference Between the 843 and 843B?

Bobcat produced this machine in more than one variant, with the 843B appearing as a later revision. As with other Bobcat variants of the era, the letter is not decoration and it affects parts.

Where variants generally diverge:

  • Hydraulic and control components, which take most revisions
  • Engine specification and ancillaries
  • Cab and operator controls

Machine structure, Bob-Tach hardware, bushings and pins are more likely to carry across than hydraulic parts. Carry the full designation into every search, and where the plate or decal does not make the variant clear, work from the serial number instead.

Bobcat 843 key specifications including the Isuzu 4JB1 engine, rated operating capacity, weight and hinge pin height

Where Is the Serial Number on a Bobcat 843?

Look inside the operator station for the machine plate, mounted on a pillar or on the frame next to the seat. The Isuzu unit is numbered separately, stamped into the block.

The 843 predates the 17 character machine identification numbers used on current Bobcat equipment, so the manufacturing year is not encoded in a single character and modern decoder tables do not apply. If no year appears on the plate, the only reliable route is matching your serial to a Bobcat production range chart.

Parts changes on machines of this era occur at serial breaks rather than at model year boundaries. Our guide to Bobcat serial numbers and models covers where to look on every machine type in the range.

What Are the Most Common 843 Parts to Replace?

Based on our catalog data, machines of this age return for four groups of parts.

Bushings and pins. Loader arm and Bob-Tach wear defines maintenance on a high hour 843, showing as play in the attachment before anything fails. A Wear Bushing replacing Bobcat 6730997 and a Press Fit Bushing replacing Bobcat 6665701 are typical of what these machines need.

Steering and control linkage components. Ball joints and linkage hardware wear and introduce vague control response. A Steering Damper Ball Joint replacing Bobcat 6599744 is a common item.

Filters, hydraulic first. On a machine of this age filtration protects components considerably harder to source than the filter itself.

Vibration dampers, mounts and hardware, including items as small as a Rectangular Washer replacing Bobcat 6553709, which are easy to overlook and frequently needed alongside a larger repair.

What Should You Check on a Used 843?

Machines of this age vary far more by maintenance history than by hour meter reading, and the 843 has enough known wear points to make an inspection productive rather than guesswork.

Work through five areas:

  • Loader arm and Bob-Tach play. Raise the arms and rock the attachment. Movement at the pins means bushings are due, which is a known and affordable repair rather than a hidden one
  • Control response. Vague or notchy steering and loader control points at worn linkage and ball joints, which affect how the machine feels long before anything fails
  • Hydraulic performance at operating temperature, not cold. Cycle lift and tilt under load; slow response suggests pump wear or overdue filtration
  • Engine cold start. The 4JB1 is durable, but injection and glow plug condition show themselves on a cold morning rather than on a warm machine that has been running before you arrived
  • Chaincase for leaks and noise on turns, since these are sealed systems that cost real money to open

Pin and bushing wear is the most common finding and the least alarming, because the parts are available and the work is straightforward. Drive and hydraulic problems are the ones that change whether a machine is worth buying at all.

Are Bobcat 843 Parts Still Available?

Yes, and the 843 is better placed than most machines of its age on both sides of the parts question.

Engine side. The Isuzu 4JB1 is supported by an aftermarket serving applications far beyond Bobcat, so filters, gaskets and injection components remain readily available.

Machine side. Bushings, pins, Bob-Tach hardware, glass and cab components were shared across Bobcat machines of the era and remain well stocked.

Where availability thins is on variant specific hydraulic and electrical components, which is precisely why the serial and variant matter when ordering rather than being optional detail.

How Do I Confirm a Part Fits My 843?

Work from part numbers rather than the model designation alone, since variants and serial breaks both affect fitment.

  1. Record the machine serial from the cab plate and the Isuzu engine serial from the block
  2. Identify the variant where the plate or decal shows one
  3. Read the OEM number from the component being replaced
  4. Measure where dimensions decide fit, particularly glass and seals

Quality aftermarket parts are built to meet or exceed OEM specifications and are frequently the most practical route for a machine of this age. Customers are responsible for verifying fitment. Email the serial and OEM number to sales@partsonline.com and we will check the match against your build first. Consult a certified mechanic for engine and hydraulic repairs.

Browse the range at Bobcat Parts.

Four checks on a used Bobcat 843 covering pin play, hydraulic performance, cold starting and the chaincase

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Bobcat 843 a good skid steer?

The 843 is well regarded, helped considerably by the Isuzu 4JB1 engine, which enjoys broad parts support because it was used across many applications beyond Bobcat. Nearly ten feet to hinge pin also makes it a capable loading machine.

What is a 843 Bobcat worth?

Used value depends on hours, loader arm pin and bushing condition, and engine health. A current market check is the only reliable guide, and pin wear is usually the item that most affects the number.

What are common issues with the Bobcat 843?

On high hour machines the recurring items are loader arm bushing and pin wear, vague control response from worn linkage and ball joints, and hydraulic performance falling off as filters and seals age. These are wear items rather than design faults.

What year did Bobcat make the 843?

The 843 was produced across a multi year run with variants including the 843B. Rather than working from a year, confirm your specific machine by matching its serial against a Bobcat serial range chart, since parts change at serial breaks.

What engine is in a Bobcat 843?

An Isuzu 4JB1 four cylinder diesel producing 54 horsepower. Because that engine went into far more than Bobcat machines, the aftermarket serving it is unusually deep for a loader of this age.

How much does a Bobcat 843 weigh?

Operating weight is 6,480 lb before attachments. Anything heavier than a standard bucket pushes that up, so check the total against your trailer rating.

How much can a Bobcat 843 lift?

Rated operating capacity is 1,700 lb, against a tipping load of 3,420 lb. Work to the rated figure; the tipping load is where the machine becomes unstable, not a capability.

What hydraulic flow does a Bobcat 843 have?

Auxiliary hydraulic flow is 16.1 gpm with a system relief pressure of 2,300 psi. That suits buckets, forks, grapples and augers, but not attachments needing sustained high volume.