Jim,
You make a lot of valid comments that I need to think about. I appreciate the time you've taken to put them down and hopefully folks won't mind a longish post to respond to them in some detail. Here are some thoughts:
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I think Sky is talking about the actual GPH the machine burns, not how efficient it is. It's a 56hp turbo...it's going to burn diesel. )</font>
They also make a 46 hp model that I need to consider. It would certainly be strong enough, it's just that the price increase is only about $1,800 which didn't seem like a lot for a 10 hp bump. How significant is the increase in fuel use?
I think a lot of folks are looking at the hp rating and comparing it to tractors. A 56 hp tractor would be a behemoth that would barely fit into a 5 acres lot! But I don't think the comparison is appropriate. No one would ever assert that a 300 hp truck would have more capability than a 56 hp tractor. It's apples and oranges. The horses are going to different uses, speed verses torque, etc. I think the same analogy can be applied to the tractor versus Toolcat. The Toolcat is built to lift with the FEL, just like the tractor, but the Toolcat is also build to be able to carry and dump a 2,000 lb load, and pull a 4,000 lb trailer. It can also run at 18 mph.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Bobcat makes no suggestion that it is made to replace a tractor. It was not designed to replace a tractor. )</font>
I agree, but I'm questioning whether a tractor is the best machine for all the things I need to do.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( A toolcat would be belly-high the first five minutes on my property...stuck in the mud and rocks so badly I'd have to have a excavator remove it. It would also crush my lawn badly and likely wouldn't have a lawn. )</font>
I have sand, no rocks, and a water table that is 40 ft. below the surface. you can't make mud on my lot, even in heavy rain. Besides, I don't think you give enough credit to 4-wheel drive with the load evenly spread to four equally sizes tires. Which is also a factor in how the weight will affect the lawn. Again, you can't compare, pound for pound, how a Toolcat's weight will impact a lawn verses a tractor. They don't stand and move on the lawn in the same way. And the Toolcat weights 4,800 lbs., not 8,000, where did you get that number? It doesn't carry the weight of the mower, although that wouldn't be 3,000 lbs. anyway.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Toolcat has an awesome box on the back for material and tools. How are you going to load the box with material...Are you going to shovel it by hand? Bobcat knows that most companies that buy these machines have a general purpose utility tractor on site. )</font>
That's a very valid point. It would be nice if it could load itself! But this part is not that important to me. I'm looking at the truck bed in terms of carrying tools or 2x4's or potted plants, not dirt. Right now, I don't see the need for the dump function. The dump trucks will place the fill I need where I need it. From there it's loader work. I don't see my needing to move a lot of dirt around. If that changed in the future, I would need to think about some small loader to use with it.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Weight....How are you going to transport it? Do you have a 3/4 pickup and a big enough trailer for the machine and it's attachments. Maybe it will live it's entire 40 year life on the five acres. )</font>
Actually, this one isn't that hard. I can pull 7,200 lbs with my 1/2 ton Yukon XL, and an 18 ft. 7,000 lb aluminum trailer will leave me 5,620 lbs of carrying capacity. Enough for the 4,800 lb Toolcat and some implements.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Here's what I would get: 3030 tractor or similar CUT with a mower deck... )</font>
My main concern with the
B3030, which was my final choice in tractors, is that the loader capacity was a compromise from the beginning, and still bothered me to the end. I don't think 800 lb lift is enough for what I need. To get enough lift in a tractor I'd have to go to something like the
L3130, which in a tractor configuration weighs too much to mow with and would tear up the lawn even in 2-wheel drive. And to get a cab, I'd have to go to an
L3430, which would be even more weight.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Remember, you'll need to maintain multiple machines in order to do the jobs you want (correctly). There is no universal machine, or we'd all have one. Every "profession" has multiple tools. There are different tools for different jobs and that will never change. )</font>
Again, very true and valid. It's just that I'm not mechanically inclined, and to the extent that I could manage with just one machine, it would make my life a lot easier.
I forgot one other thing. With the tree clearing I need to do over a long period of time. I want to clear just enough for the house initially, then over time I will selectively clear more trees. I want to do it this way so that I end up with as many trees as possible while not living in a jungle. Right now I have full tree cover.
The weight and loader capacity of the Toolcat will make that work a lot easier than the
B3030 would. The
B3030 is capable of it, it would just take a lot more effort.
I know that renting equipment and even paying people to do this work would probably make more economic sense. I would hardly even need a tractor if I only got something to mow at the end of the process. A zero-turn would be better. It's just that I want to do this work myself. For the fun of it, and because I would take more care than anyone I could pay to do it for me. I know that I'm going to have to pay some premium for that preference.
By the way, I really appreciate Jim's and all the other comments questioning the suitability of the Toolcat for me. They test my conclusions and will help me make a better choice, whatever it is.
