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