First Day with ToolCat--Inexperienced User Reports

Gadgetnut · Nov 14, 2005

Bobcat 5600 was delivered today by local dealer. Not the turbo, just the 44HP unit. Had front loader, grapple, and 72" brush mower. I had not driven a tractor much so I just spent some time getting used to control inputs and handling. It seems very easy to drive, very car-like and friendly. Super easy to get in and out of. I like raising the armrest and the parking brake goes on.

It had been raining here for weeks so the ground is soft wet and some standing water in spots. Good traction, I went up and down hills and everywhere from one end of my property to other. If I was gentle with steering, 4 wheel steering was pretty easy on the grass. Sharp turns are amazingly maneuverable but left ruts in the wet grass.

While dealer was here, we mowed several swaths thru five foot high fields, including going over small branches. Very easy. Dealer suggested high flow hydraulic of turbo model would make even easier work.

With FEL. Today I filled in lots of potholes in my dirt portion of my access road and scraped it really flat. Real time saver. Later, very maneuverable in my orchard, moved vehicle inbetween trees and put bucket flat on ground and raked a bunch of debris and hauled away.

Then I mounted the utility grapple. Moved lots of fallen wood and small debris piles. Pulled out fallen logs. Carried my chainsaw and trimmer in the back bed. Did a lot of clean up. Handy. Very efficient.

At 5pm, the Culligan guy showed up, we threw some boots, flashlights, tools, clipboards and bags of water softener salt into the back bed of TC and we (two big guys) drove over to the well head and pumphouse in the ToolCat on other side of property. During that job, the sun set, so turned on headlights, used as worklights, and then drove back to the house.

This thing is more useful than pockets in a pair of pants.

Dealer demonstrated the mower attachment and grapple attachment, the ease of changing implements, etc., once this morning. Looked simple enough. After he left, on my first implement change of the day, I lined things up, closed the attachments handles, connected the hoses, etc. Everything worked great as I put together a big mouthful of a load. When I went to dump.. how surprised was I (dealer doesn't know this yet) when the grapple attachment slid off the ToolCat because, I guess, the lower hooks were not properly seated. I saw the grapple hit the debris pile and lightly bounce/anchor off the hydraulic hoses which were still connected. I expected spraying hydaulic fluid with this mistake. No drama whatsoever. I disconnected hoses (easy) and realligned ToolCat and reattached (completely) this time. Used it rest of day no problems.

As I've mentioned in another post, I might miss a backhoe with ToolCat by itself, compared to a Kubota medium sized tractor or TLB. I see some attachments for TC that might do some backhoe work. But actually for some of the trail work I want to do here, I think a mini excavator might be much more useful and might buy that in addition to TC.

I will need to move people (guests) and luggage around my property... I envisioned a utility vehicle for this use... but a four person gas powered golf car may fit that bill better.

Anyway, guys, try to recall your first day. VBG. I had a blast today with ToolCat. Very comfortable (from comfort angle, love that suspension,)easy to hop in and out of, lots of space in cab (I'm a big guy). I love the cab, the hydraulic bed, the maneauverability of 4W steering. This feels like a great fit.

I think I'll be joining the fold. Thanks for your input. --Chris /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BrianSouthernMD · Nov 14, 2005

Gadget/Chris,

Congrats on your first day with a Toolcat on your property! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You'll get the hang of lining up the Bob-Tach with attachments and making sure top and bottom of plate are seated; usually you'll have difficulty even closing the handles if they're not seated snugly.

It sounds like you demoed a 2003 or early 2004 A-series Toolcat with the original 44hp engine and the old-style lift arms with less breakout force and different curl mechanism. The new more robust lift arm on C-series helps with self-leveling buckets, using fork lifts with heavier loads at a higher lift, etc.

Your very wet conditions were a good test. But you've got the Walker coming for much of your grass finish mowing when it's wet.

The 72" Bobcat Mower you tried out can handle grass, weeds and light brush, but you might alternatively consider a 60" rotary brush cutter such as one made by Ammbusher (or even Brushcat).

I've been told the Bobcat utility grapple for Toolcat has been known to break and you might consider an alternative, such as the locally fabricated 63" root rake brush grapple my dealer sold me instead.

Keep posting your questions and reflections and get some more attachments out there to test! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

BrianSouthernMD · Nov 14, 2005

Wait a minute... Did you demo the Bobcat 72" Mower (3-spindle unit with heavy finish blades, not brush blades) or the 60" Bobcat Brushcat rotary brush cutter or some other brush mower?

Gadgetnut · Nov 14, 2005

B., I don't know what brand the mower was. It was huge. 72" across. Cutting was done by many free swinging knives on a rotating cylinder. It was a rough cut mower, suitable for grass and or hard brush, if not small trees. I don't think I would OWN that attachment. I might rent it to clean things up once, then mow with a lighter mower on TC or the Walker.

Rip · Nov 15, 2005

Congrats on your demo !!! If I had to pick one word to describe the TC it would be Versitile. Looks like you found the center piece of the puzzle for your equipment needs.

For something like a mini excavator you may be able to rent one for even several weeks at a time for a lot less than owning such a task-specific machine. Dealers will often apply a significant portion of rental charges toward purchase if you find you can really justify buying it at some point. This would also let you figure out what type/model would best suit your needs as there are a lot of choices in that market.

A new or used gas or electric golf cart set up with a combination second seat/utility platform can be a handy yet inexpensive option for just getting around.

The Bobcat utility grapple with the individual removable tines looks like it would be best for agricultural type uses although I have not used it. I have an AnBo grapple rake on my PT that is made up north of Spokane that has worked well and is quite well built. There are certainly other brands and styles that may be even better for your needs.

In any event, glad the demo showed the machine off well.

Gadgetnut · Nov 15, 2005

Hey Rip, you're right on about renting the mini excavator on a trial basis. I have many development ideas here that I would like to extend over several years and it would be a great luxury to have the equipment to work on it when I want to... we'll see. I may start by sub'ing some work out, to see how it's done, because I have a lot to learn. But I'm having a great time, just want to stay safe. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Thanks again. --Chris