Description

Bobcat 320, 322 1997 Service Manual – What You Get When You Stop Guessing

If you’re wrenching on a Bobcat 320 or 322 from 1997 and you don’t have the factory Service Manual in hand, you’re working blind. I’ve seen techs snap head bolts using aftermarket torque charts from some forum. That costs a cylinder head and a day of labor. This manual – 385 pages of original Bobcat documentation – is what the dealer used. It covers serial numbers 562313001 and above for the 320, 517811001 and above for the 322. No reprints, no third-party rewrites. Just the same binder the factory sent out in 1997.

Electrical System and Hydraulic Diagnostics – Two Chapters You Can’t Skip

Every electrical gremlin on these excavators traces back to bad grounds or chafed wires. The manual dedicates a full Electrical System section (page 6-1) covering the battery, alternator starter, cab electrical option, fuel level sender, light switch, and horn. You also get the hydraulic system layout (page 2-1) with the main relief valve adjustments and the port relief valve specs. I’ve used these pages to set charge pressure on a 322’s pump without burning a weekend. Need the exact adjustment for the main relief? It’s in there. The wiring diagrams are OEM – not some aftermarket sketch that missed the ground path.

What Torque Values Are Listed?

Torque specs live in the Engine Specifications and Hydraulic Excavator Specifications sections, both on page 8-1. That’s where you find the numbers for cylinder head bolts, connecting rod caps, and the mounting bolts for the swing motor. If you’re building an engine from the crank up, see also the Engine chapter (page 7-1) covering cylinder bore, piston and connecting rod, oil pump, and camshaft. I don’t touch a single bolt on a Bobcat engine without verifying the torque sequence against this manual. The aftermarket books always get the angle-tighten step wrong. This one doesn’t.

27 Chapters Covering Every System

Count the chapters yourself: starting with Maintenance Safety (page 1-1) through Bucket Specifications (page 8-1). There are dedicated sections for every cylinder on the machine – arm cylinder, boom cylinder, bucket cylinder, blade cylinder, boom swing cylinder, and the auxiliary flush face couplers. The hydraulic control valve and pump sections include disassembly sketches. The Cylinder group alone spans arm, boom, bucket, blade, and swing functions. If you’re rebuilding a boom cylinder, you use the Boom Cylinder procedure under Hydraulic Cylinder. No hunting through generic diagrams.

Cylinder Rebuild: Use the Right Procedure

Pulling a cylinder apart without knowing the seal stack order is a fast way to ruin a $400 seal kit. This manual gives you the blow-up view for each cylinder type – arm, bucket, boom – with the torque values for end cap and gland nuts. I keep a copy of the Arm Cylinder page (section 2-1) taped to my bench when I’m swapping seals on a 320. Same for the Blade Cylinder – it’s easy to mix up the port relief settings if you don’t have the numbers in front of you. That’s why I tell my junior guys: don’t touch a wrench until you’ve read the Hydraulic Service Information chapter on page 2-1. Period.

Source Authenticity: Factory Print vs Aftermarket

This document carries the Bobcat part number 6724910 and is stamped “Dealer Copy — Not for Resale”. That’s the same manual the Bobcat dealer techs used when these machines were new. The OCR excerpt on the first page includes the safety alert symbol and the warnings about welding painted parts and venting exhaust. Aftermarket manuals strip that safety content because they want to save pages. I’ve seen a guy get blinded by battery acid because a reprint skipped the battery safety section. This manual includes every warning from the factory. You want to know how to lift the excavator safely? It’s in the Maintenance Safety chapter. Need the service schedule? Service Schedule on page 1-1 tells you the intervals for fluid changes and filter replacements.

For other Bobcat service literature, check the Bobcat 320 320L 322 2006 Service Manual or the Bobcat 320 322 2006 Service Manual if you’re working on later models. There’s also a Bobcat 320 320L 2006 Service Manual covering the 320L variant.

If you need general knowledge on how a Manual Transmission works, that’s a separate topic, but the drive motor chapter in this manual (page 3-1) covers the hydrostatic components. And for those who want to understand the principles behind the gear reduction, a good read on Manual Transmission theory helps – but don’t confuse it with the hydraulic final drive case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this manual cover both the Bobcat 320 and 322?

Yes. Both models are covered from the serial number ranges listed on the first page: 562313001 & Above for the 320, 517811001 & Above for the 322.

Are wiring diagrams included?

The manual includes full electrical system diagrams in the Electrical System chapter (page 6-1). It covers the base machine and the cab option. The diagrams show the starter circuit, alternator connections, fuel level sender, light switch, horn, and the cab electrical harness. If you’re chasing a no-start or a short, you need these. Aftermarket wiring charts often omit the cab option circuits. This manual includes both. I’ve seen a guy spend three hours tracing a fuel solenoid wire that wasn’t in a knockoff diagram. The factory diagram takes fifteen minutes.

Is this a reprint or a digital copy?

It is a digital scan of the original dealer copy. Not a reprint. The file is the exact same binder that Bobcat sent to dealerships in 1997.

What safety information is included?

Maintenance safety procedures are on page 3 and throughout the manual. The first pages cover the safety alert symbol, warnings about battery acid, pressurized fluids, and proper lifting procedures.

If you’re serious about keeping your Bobcat 320 or 322 running without burning time on bad data, get the factory documentation on your screen. Access the Factory Manual now and keep it on the bench next to your torque wrench.