tractor / tool cat

[Deerlope]

I have a tractor and an RTV. How many of you guys that have tool cats had a tractor and an ATV or RTV and decided it was time for one machine. What was the determining factor for the change over.

 

[DEWFPO]

I have a tractor and an RTV. How many of you guys that have tool cats had a tractor and an ATV or RTV and decided it was time for one machine. What was the determining factor for the change over.

I had been using an ATV with a blade on it to plow the road, and a 4WD SCUT with a FEL, snowblower & mower deck to handle all the other chores. I sold my SCUT and have retired the ATV (which was 22 years old) and replaced them with a new ToolCat.

I needed more HP (I live at 7,200' elev.), wanted something more comfortable (as in an enclosed cab w/heat) for snowblowing, and I wanted to loose all the driveshaft connections. I've got a bad back and am getting too old to be on my hands and knees wrestling heavy MMM decks in place and disconnecting and reconnecting pto driveshafts.

I struggled with the cost of the Toolcat so I sat down and wrote out a list of the benefits the Toolcat had over my current tractor and ATV. I was really only expecting the list to be 2-3 items but when I was done I was surprised how long the list was. Here it is (in no particular order) :

- ease of changing attachments (fast & no lifting)
- turbocharged 4 cyl. (the turbo helps at this altitude & the tractor was a 3 cyl. non-turbo)
- ease of operation (the controls are easier for my wife to operate)
- stability (lower center of gravity), there is no flat ground around here.
- AWS (all wheel steering)
- Front & rear limited slip differentials (I need all the traction I can get)
- hydraulically driven attachments (no driveshafts, greasy PTO's, less vibration)
- hydraulic dump bed
- flexibility & versatility (I can rent most skidsteer attachments from the dealer)
- 4 wheel independent suspension (a smoother ride over our rough surfaces)
- ruggedness, durability, longevity, tough frame
- high flow hydraulics
- increased lifting ability (over my tractor)
- 2 person enclosed cab
- better brakes (than my tractor)
- automatic parking brake

The only negatives I could come up with were :

- high cost of Toolcat and attachments (if purchased)

I rationalized it by amortizing the cost over the number of years I plan to own it and the cost per month is very reasonable IMO.

Hope this helps

DEWFPO

 

[mouse]

tractors have their uses as do toolcats.

the running cost of an atv (if you mean a quad bike) is substantially cheaper but i reckon they're mainly just bloody dangerous toys good for moving a few sheep along or checking the mailbox.

the toolcat is not a large acreage toy (well on large holdings it is mainly a toy as you need serious tools) for here a tractor is a good thing especially if you are trying to sow 30k acres of wheat within a reasonable time frame...

where the toolcat excels is in ease of use, its handy to zip around and do all sorts of weird stuff depending how vivid your imagination is and how good your attachment collection is.

it makes a skidsteer look very very ordinary if you need to carry anything anywhere further than the dirt pile to truck. plus sitting your 1yo daughter on your lap is far easeir on the toolcat than perching her on the bar on a skidsteer...

i wouldn't go back to tractor even if it was free. I'm sick of wasting too much time trying to fit 3pl by myself, of looking over my shoulder all the time and putting up with never being in the right gear at the right time.

that said i'd probably consider a jcb fastrac with front 3pl if my demands were large...

 

[jsimonetti@bigpond.com]

Hello Mouse guess who this is? I have a CLAAS 456 tractor with a FEL enclosed cab seats 2 people 105HP on 450 acres it is indispensable for ploughing,spraying,even felling up to 60 feet high gum trees and clearing fire trails myATV is good for quick trips around the property my argo is good in the lowlands especially in wet and boggy conditions i have just sold my beloved skidsteer and after Mouse let me test-drive his toolcat I decided to buy a new D-series toolcat; in essence all equipment have their use but I am hoping that the toolcat will excell so I can minimize all these contraptions except for my tractor of course!

 

[DEWFPO]

I did forget to mention that I don't have much land and I can do what I need to do with a Toolcat and don't need a 3pt. Mowing, plowing , snowblowing and moving piles around. That's pretty much it.

DEWFPO

 

[bbonds]

Hey you all forgot to mention the HEAT and A/C!!! all those other things are great about the toolcat but those are most appreciated by me. A cab tractor costs more and isn't as nimble. I agree the toolcat is a great fit in-between atv/utv (weak for everything cut, plow, lift, haul etc) and a farm tractor or backhoe type machine which is typically much larger, costs more, oversized and less nimble. The one weakness I have hated is the lack of rear 3 pt and pto; which has now been added but at the cost of the dump bed. Somebody please make a bolt on kit for a regular toolcat with bed!!
I thought about getting one of those front adapters with pto for a regular bushog, anyone got one for sale? are they good and dependable?

 

[Deerlope]

Thanks for all The good feed back. I just call my toolcat dealer. He is supposed to call me back. I have 50 plus acres only 4 of it is clear. I cut my own fire wood for heating my home and once in a while I will bring out a few saw logs. I either sell these on the landing or take to a mill for sawing and my own use. The snow was very deep last year and on the average we will have at least a foot after it settles. Some of my land it low and a little soggy at times.
I have at present the equipment in my sig and attachments are a six foot rotary cutter, 7 foot finish mower and a 6 foot box blade. Yes I do have a FEL and in the winter I put an 8 foot Fisher plow on. My drive way is 1/2 mile and it driffs wicked.
It will be interesting to see if I can get into one of them. It will be the first step. I am 6' 5" and 270 lbs. My dealer is a JD dealer and the last that I was there I did not see one on his lot.

 

[radman1]

It will be interesting to see if I can get into one of them. It will be the first step. I am 6' 5" and 270 lbs. My dealer is a JD dealer and the last that I was there I did not see one on his lot.

The seat on the TC is positioned kind of high. At 6'5", your head may be at the ceiling.

 

[Redneck in training]

Look at those: Unimog for sale, Mercedes-Benz Unimog new and used
New one are very pricey but used one can be had for about 15 to 35K in Germany. Shipping would add few thousand I suppose. They are street/hwy and interstate legal. The small one are typically 80 HP.

 

[mouse]

I am 6' 5" and 270 lbs. My dealer is a JD dealer and the last that I was there I did not see one on his lot.

in that case you're a minnow... for you are both shorter and lighter than me.

you'll fit easy.

hi john, nice user name... don't expect your toolcat to go where the argo does unless you fir a good snorkel