Opico Skidster or sherpa mini loaders

[AHPP]

Did my Opico Skidster the other day. Filter in there was Donaldson P169797. Cleaned with kero and air and put it back in since the one the shop sold me (apparently same as the Donaldson doobin gave me the number for a few posts up) was an inch shorter. Diameter looked OK. So maybe Sherpas use a 2" filter and Skidsters use a 3" (both approximate).

 

Mental amount of oil in there. It was five or six brimmed catch cans, either 4 or 5 litres each. Very pleased to find clean fluid, not even as dark as a rum and coke. No shit or steel in it and I've used it hard. New fluid is basically invisible on the dipstick. Bit of colour would help.

[doobin]

8 hours ago, AHPP said:

Did my Opico Skidster the other day. Filter in there was Donaldson P169797. Cleaned with kero and air and put it back in since the one the shop sold me (apparently same as the Donaldson doobin gave me the number for a few posts up) was an inch shorter. Diameter looked OK. So maybe Sherpas use a 2" filter and Skidsters use a 3" (both approximate).

 

Mental amount of oil in there. It was five or six brimmed catch cans, either 4 or 5 litres each. Very pleased to find clean fluid, not even as dark as a rum and coke. No shit or steel in it and I've used it hard. New fluid is basically invisible on the dipstick. Bit of colour would help.

Mine was similar, looked like new after 500 hours.

 

With the volume of oil in them and running at relatively low pressure through a little 13hp driven gear pump, the oil is far less stressed than a similar volume running through a triple piston pump on a 20hp mini digger, regardless of how hard we think we are beating the machines
🤣

 

[AHPP]

Yeah. I take back what I said about the oil volume. Its not excessive. It’s right. Other things have too little. Things should work easily, not marginally.
 

He says using everything he has at 150%, 95% of the time…

[dangb93]

Opico Skidster Mini Skidsteer with Log Timber Grab Skid Steer Tree Surgeon Arb | eBay UK

EBAY.US

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Here I have my Opico loader. This machine is the standard Opico skid steer with the following upgrades: Painted in...

 Selling my opico if anyone’s interested?

[Dan Maynard]

On 12/06/2025 at 15:44, dangb93 said:

Opico Skidster Mini Skidsteer with Log Timber Grab Skid Steer Tree Surgeon Arb | eBay UK

EBAY.US

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Here I have my Opico loader. This machine is the standard Opico skid steer with the following upgrades: Painted in...

 Selling my opico if anyone’s interested?

Yes, me. Ironically my chipper is yellow so the orange not an upgrade, but you can't have everything.

[Blah]

Anybody else finding connecting the aux hydraulic lines an absolute pig? I can't ever get the "quick release" hydraulic connectors to connect up by hand, guessing pressure build up through temperature variation. I almost always have to do unspanner the hydraulic connector to let pressure out to get the grab lines connected. Which is a pain and makes a mess.

 

Any tips?

Edited Tuesday at 10:34 by Blah

[AHPP]

Throw the auxiliary lever with machine off. I’ve found it’s more often pressure left in the implement though. Crack those and get used to storing them in such a way that they don’t exert push/pull on rams. I have to make sure I shut my grab fully before storing it on its knuckles or its own weight shuts it harder and builds pressure. 

Edited Tuesday at 11:02 by AHPP

[doobin]

58 minutes ago, Blah said:

Anybody else finding connecting the aux hydraulic lines an absolute pig? I can't ever get the "quick release" hydraulic connectors to connect up by hand, guessing pressure build up through temperature variation. I almost always have to do unspanner the hydraulic connector to let pressure out to get the grab lines connected. Which is a pain and makes a mess.

 

Any tips?

I have no idea, it's got me stumped also (Sherpa 100).

 

There is no logical reason for it- the auxillary lever is a direct mechanical connection to the spool block, so wiggling that with it off as @AHPPsays should depressurize it. I'd have to disagree with him about pressure left in the implement- so long as you bleed it first, it will not 'build' pressure except possibly in extreme heat. These are tiny lightweight grabs, and any pressure left from not closing the grab fully shouldn't matter when reconnecting (and it shouldn't even be an issue if you bleed it to a relaxed position before disconnection) The problem is more that for some reason the machine doesn't seem to depressurize properly.

 

I've changed the quick connectors from the original to top quality (Hombury). which made a good difference but didn't totally solve it.

[AHPP]

How should one take an implement off, bleed it and store it?

[Mick Dempsey]

You don’t bleed them.