I thought I would follow up with my impressions as I was able to locate a few machines to look at. I ended up getting a Scout as there were a few more available and its possible to find newer machines for reasonable money. The Japanese machines are either beat up, grey market machines or brand new (and sold out). Apparently, the 2/3 ton machines are popular with the drilling crowd and no dealers seemed to have any (Morooka, IHI or Canycom).
Mechanically, the Scout is an ASV PT-50 with a longer track and a different chassis. The engine, motors, hydraulics, tanks, etc., are all the same as the PT-50, so parts are easy to find. The steering system is weird. It uses a steering wheel and treadle pedals like a tractor/UTV with an HST transmission but the wheel can only be turned about half a turn to get full steering effect. This means you do donuts really easily and directions changes are abrupt. Sure, you get used to it but it takes a delicate touch. Pilot controls would have been better. The machine is low to the ground but it has a long, flat belly pan so you can slide over most things. The front approach angle isn't great as the operator sits out over the front idler great for spotting where to place the tracks but you can stick the nose into the dirt when coming off a hill. The tracks are also rather low and the drive motors are really close to the ground. While the motors are protected, I would be concerned about their vulnerability in the long run.
The Scout is very stable as the fuel tank and reservoir are mounted low down between the frame rails. The operator also sits low in the chassis. Its way more comfortable than the Japanese machines and is much faster. Although its an option, most machines have standard flat faced skidsteer connectors at the front and just behind the cab. This isn't a factory option on the Japanese machines. I went for an open machine with the ROPS very comfortable for two. The cab version is a bit home made and claustrophobic and noisy as ****. A Toolcat is a Rolls Royce compared to a Scout cab! Overall, the Scout is a much more flexible machine than the Japanese crawlers and can be used for lots of different functions.
I only got to test drive a Yanmar and a Morooka so my impressions are more limited. The Yanmar C-30RUS is a little longer and narrower than a Scout. The neat thing about it is the reversible operator station spin the seat around instead of turning. You sit up high and bounce around! The dump bed is also larger and better mounted (in the sense that it's integrated rather than an add-on). It's heavier built than a Scout, with metal everywhere (the Scout has a plastic front fascia). It has a lot less horsepower than a Scout so its slow as a wet Wednesday. It has a rigid undercarriage so its a bone rattler also. I don稚 think you can get these with a cab, the canopy is a lot lighter than the one on a Scout. The Yanmar is really a one function machine it carries and dumps - and if used solely for that purpose, would probably outperform a Scout. It's a bit of a hair shirt to use though.
The Mooroka I saw was older, crude and sort of junky. It only had single speed drive motors and used the old � handle controls. It was cramped and uncomfortable and strangely difficult to see around. As far as build, it seemed to be the most solid of the three. I didn稚 really like it that much though and they are hard to find parts for. The newer models are more like the Yanmar but with a bit more horsepower. Mooroka is the gold standard so I'm sure a newer machine would have left a different impression. The IHI's and Canycom's are pretty much copies of the Morooka as far as I can see.
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