Tool Cat 5610 vs Compact Tractor

   / Tool Cat 5610 vs Compact Tractor #1  

MileHiGuy

New member
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Messages
14
Location
Denver Co
Tractor
Bobcat Tool Cat 5610
New member here and I'm hoping not to ask too dumb of questions. I have done searches and have not found the answers to help me make my significant purchasing decision.

I have read some good comparisons and have actually gotten to use two similar machines. If I was solely judging by the front loader, I would certainly go with the Tool Cat for the visibility factor and the performance that I have witnessed. I tried putting the 68" HD bucket from the Bobcat onto the Kubota and although it certainly helped it dig, it still was not as usefull as the 5610. Love the passenger feature as well but I am guessing that for many chores, a passenger will not always want to tag along (Kids are now teenagers if you know what I mean).

I will post this on the Tool Cat Forum because I figure many of you have both pieces of equipment so the question is if you could only have one, which would need to come first?

Background:
We have some recently acquired property (14 Acres) on a small private ski lake and terain is native. We have roads to cut in, barns to plan for by leveling different pad areas over the years, irrigation and power to run to various areas, tree痴 to plant, fences to install, sand to spread along soft beach areas (this will be a continual process as the lake is mostly clay lined), manipulate the beach line grade when the water level is down (reshaping beach area getting rid of some high spots and building up a protective berm), manicuring some existing gravel roads and as the water rights fall into place some general irrigation and cultivating about 10 acres for some native grasses and rid myself of too much bind weeds.

If I did not have access to my brothers L5740 about an hour away, I would for sure say the Tractor is the most versatile but time is of the essence and I don稚 want to spend much of my available time shagging a different piece of equipment.

In our testing, we have had trouble with the Tool Cat on the soft shoreline getting stuck or leaving huge trenches that were counter intuitive for the spreading of sand and mixing mud in it. Not sure what the answer is but I am guessing that the L-series tractor with the large rear tires would be much better pushing the sand in from the back with a box plow. Is there a tire option for the 5610 that is better for suited for reducing the ground pressure? The track thing seems cool but pricey and I am not sure how they would hold up.
As a side note, the unit will spend its winters at our city home and hopefully make short work of clearing the drives in our suburban home that take 1.5-2.0 hours to clear with an ATV and a power angle 60 plow. The Tool Cat would rule supreme here I believe with either a V-plow or a rear blade and front snow blower.
The price on the Tool Cat is high in my book for the power that it comes with. I can have a Cabbed Kubota L5740 with a BH92 back hoe, 3rd function on the loader, round back heavy duty bucket with bolt on teeth, 3 rear remotes, and a box scraper with hydraulic scarifiers for about the same money as a loaded 5610 but only a heavy duty 68 bucket.

Sorry for the long post but let me know your experiences and thoughts relative to these machines.

Thank you
 
   / Tool Cat 5610 vs Compact Tractor #2  
Before I purchased my TC (5600) I also took a look at the Kubota L5740 (with cab). That was back in 2008. My work at hand...at the time...was very much oriented towards commercial snow removal and I already had a Kubota BX23..and I still do...so I was already sold on the Kubota brand. Unfortunately, back when I was comparing the 5740 and the TC, the Kubota dealer did not have the 72" front-mount snow blower so I couldn't see how it was built. (The snowblower for my BX23 is effective, but pretty lightweight...and I wanted to ensure the blower for the 5740 was the "right stuff".) On the other hand, the Bobcat dealer did have a 72" blower and the thing was/is flat-out tough-as-nails. I ended-up with the TC...which was probably the best choice for that work; however, I'm now exiting the snow removal biz and I think I'd rather have the L-5740 for use around the place.

I've found my TC to be pretty reliable rig; however, one thing I hate about it is that it cannot be towed. Once it died in a client's driveway due to a bad FPR switch wiring harness short and I pretty much had to leave it there until I could get back to fix it rather than towing it back home and working on it in my shop. Also...if you are a person that likes to work on your own equipment, I'd say tractors beat the snot out the TC in terms of accessibility to gears, gizmos, and whatnots. Pretty subjective...but that's my opinion. YMMV.

The seating arrangement in a TC is very, very nice as you pointed out. I think the center of gravity is also lower than that of a 5740. I have two snowblowers for my TC. A 72" Bobcat and a 85" Quick-Attach that I've not yet adapted to the TC's CAN-bus attachment control. Both blowers are outta-this-world tough.

This comparison could probably go on for quite awhile...but these are my first thoughts... Good luck!
 
   / Tool Cat 5610 vs Compact Tractor
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks Spudgunner. I think I will go with the 5740. I am tired of getting stuck on the beach

For snow removal I think I will go with a FEL Kage plow which might be a challenge steering wise sometimes but I am not doing this commercially and cannot see bolting their under carriage bracket on each year.
 
 
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