Got to try a toolcat... pretty cool!

[radman1]

If you can get the Toolcat for $22-$25k then I feel a lot of people would pay the extra for it given the added utility features.

You are right. They are just too expensive to become widespread. My local bobcat dealer has only sold a few. He only orders them when needed. He said if they were 25-30K with cab and a/c, he could sell lots of them. A large frame SS will sell for a little less than the toolcat. My other dealer 50 miles away sells quite a few toolcats. Some of the difference has to be due to marketing and sales dept.

 

[jmfox]

I thought long and hard before I decided on the ASV SR80 rather than the Toolcat. I had some serious land clearing to do besides maintenance. It wasn't so much the short comings of the TC as it was any option with tires. My property contains many steep slopes and plenty of thorns. I knew either machine could not handle the large trees (I plan on renting an excavator), but the SR80 was better equipped to handle the drainage work and debris removal. I also had a Polaris Ranger and a Ford 4000 and wanted to keep them for snow plowing, mowing and finish grading. When finances allow, I see the SR80 and TC a good compliment.

jmf

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

The lift is sized appropriately if not slightly too strong when you consider the size of the unit. Pallets of sod are usually 2000 lbs. The Toolcat is rated for 2000 lbs to 4 feet (lift the pallet off a flatbed and lower it for transport).

Is it rated for that much? I never really looked it up, but I'm rather shocked. I went into a dirt pile with a 60" low profile skid loader bucket and had to backout to lift it out of the pile. I would have guess'ed it at more like 800lbs or so.

I guess what impressed me most was how nice it drove.

 

[theoshin]

Is it rated for that much? I never really looked it up, but I'm rather shocked. I went into a dirt pile with a 60" low profile skid loader bucket and had to backout to lift it out of the pile. I would have guess'ed it at more like 800lbs or so.

I guess what impressed me most was how nice it drove.

i lift 2500lbs with my fork out of the back of my 3500 dump truck without any major issues - 63 bags of 40lb salt on a wood pallet. i have about 400lbs of counterweight in the back.

ts

 

[radman1]

Is it rated for that much? I never really looked it up, but I'm rather shocked. I went into a dirt pile with a 60" low profile skid loader bucket and had to backout to lift it out of the pile. I would have guess'ed it at more like 800lbs or so.

Like I stated earlier, the forward swing of the lift arc is different then SS or FEL. The forward swing makes it want to dig more. Just isn't possible. Need to back up slight when lift. Same as with FEL but more noticeable with toolcat.

 

[dsb5610]

I went into a dirt pile with a 60" low profile skid loader bucket and had to backout to lift it out of the pile.

I guess I never tried that. I always enter the pile flat then lift and curl to fill the bucket, same way I do with a rubber tired end loader. If I'm not careful on mine I over fill it and gravel/dirt spills over the bucket onto the pivot points. Not a good thing on the 'A' series as the material gets pinched when the attachment is fully curled.

A while back I had four loads of gravel delivered for a barnyard project. I cored out the area off the cement then built it back up with gravel. Also built up the inside and around the outside of the cattle shed. Having done that project with a SS and a FEL I would say the Toolcat is faster than the FEL but slower than the SS.

dsb

 

[Scott-62]

I had a 800 series bobcat and a case 580 loader w/backhoe before I bought my toolcat The toolcat is more useful around the house and faster to get my jobs done and its a lot easier on the grass. They are not for every job but nothing is, they are a good multi-task piece of equipment. A little expensive for what I do but makes my life easier and that worth it.

 

[Rolando]

Having now had some experience with a tractor, you can't overstate the control you have on the FEL with the increased visibility of the Toolcat. You just cant' do any kind of delicate work with an FEL on a tractor.

The FEL is rated at 1,500 lbs at full height, but like others have said, it's designed to lift a pallet of sod off of a truck bed. I've lifted a one ton pallet of fertilizer without any problem. I like that I can do some heavy lifting without worrying about attaching counter weight on back. I can lift very little with the tractor unless I have a heavy implement mounted on the 3-PT hitch.