Rara Avis
Veteran Member
My questions are imbedded near the related points of your review....radman1 said:Saw and drove the 5610 today. There is no dump box but instead a cap over the rear with 2 side pockets, each measuring about 2'x1' and about 1' deep. Big enough for a toolbox, few tools, chainsaw and similar sized items. The front of the plastic/fiberglass cap flips back to get access for maintenance.Are they going to have to redo their sprayer package, since the tank et cetera currently sits in the bed of the 5600?? It looks a little stubby without the rear dump but the rear hydraulic 3 pt worked very smoothly with the external lift cylinder. Very easy to do fine grading movements up or down with the box blade that was on the back. Easier to control than a tractor 3 pt lift either up or down. The 5610 is only available with hi flow hydraulics. The hi flow is required to acheive the 30 pto hp. PTO is standard on the 5610.
The attached 3 pt box blade seemed far back when compared to a tractor. This is because the operator sits near the middle of the toolcat while on a tractor the seat is near the rear axle and closer to the attachment. Just kind of strange to see the box blade 5-6' behind rather than the typical 2-3'. Visibility however was very good and easy to see the rear implement.
I pulled a heaping load of dirt in the 6' box blade. Toolcat handled it with ease at 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. It seemed to pull it easier than my JD 3720 with cab (44hp). I think this is because of the heavier weight of the toolcat. No wheel slippage. Didn't seem to decrease the rpm to any significant degree despite partial throttle.
The 3 pt lift seemed very well built and maybe overbuilt. The all wheel steer is just fantastic and turns tighter than similar sized CUT. The salesman said Bobcat recommends using the rear attachment with front steering only. This makes sense, especially if you're doing ground engagement activity This is because of the considerable rear end swing with the all wheel steering. A rear mounted rotary mower is going to have a big swing with all wheel steering. Watch out for those nearby fences or buildings! The rear 3 pt also had a metal rod with numbers to help determine a repeatable depth setting by looking at the numbers. A CUT with the usual adjustable depth stop is better. The current lever used on the 5600 to raise/lower the dump box is now used to operate the 3 pt lift.Did you get a lift capabilty, # of lbs, of the 3PH?
It has only 2 rear hydraulic outlets. I wished it had an option for 3. I could use 2 for TNT and a third for hydraulic scarifer on box blade, hydraulic angle for rear blade or other use. If I buy one, I would either add a hydraulic multiplier to the rear or run a set of hoses from the front auxilliary hydraulic to the rear for a 3rd set. Rear hydraulic output is 9 gpm which is a good flow rate for most rear attachments. The rear outlets are operated by momentary switches in the cab. The switch has to be held down to operate the rear flow. There is no detent for constant flow.I'll be willing to bet there will be a Field Order Change in the offing If constant flow is need, then they recommend running it from the front hydraulic.
The original prototype had a tractor type drawbar. This model utilizes a typical 2" receiver. I prefer this due to more flexiblity in use of any hitch, hook, pintel or whatever.No big deal to fabricate a drawbar that fits a 2" receiver
The higher rear mounted radiator and cooling fan should allow much cleaner air flow with less debris in the radiator.Anything to lessen maintenance...
A complete MSRP price list is not yet available. However, orders can be taken. They priced out a unit for me. Currently they could price out only a loaded unit which had been ordered. 5610 with 2 rear hydraulics, hi flow, power hydraulic bob tach, road kit, cab a/c, radio, 68" low profile bucket with teeth, back up alarm, larger r4 tires, keyless start and attachment control kit was quoted at 48K. A similarly equipped 5600 would be about 42K. They estimated delivery in about 1 month.
If $$ wasn't a major factor in the buying equation, this machine would be clear winner over a similar CUT. The only other drawback would be the 84" FEL lift height compared to a CUT FEL. I really loved this machine and have had considerable experience with Bobcat skidsteers, JD 3720, JD 5300, Case-IH DX29 and Kubota 3710 for comparison.
I took some photos but will post them later. They requested I not make them public at this time.
Nice review, thanks
