Help me order a Toolcat

[radman1]

Getting close to ordering a TC 5610 - 3 pt version. Cab a/c is a must. It will come with hi flow on the 3 pt version. Will also get larger 29" R4 tires, block heater and 68" low profile bucket without teeth. The low profile bucket is heavier duty and few inches longer to allow cutting edge to be seen better (according to dealer).
The only front attachment I am going to order for certain is the 90" mower. I already have some other skidsteer buckets, grapple bucket and tine grapple buckets, trencher, and post hole auger. I have a good variety of 3 pt rear attachments (blades, tiller, box blade, rotary mower, seeder) and not considering and rear attachments.

Other things to consider are - road pkg, step kit, keyless start, radio, attachment control, air precleaner kit, power bob tach. Any of these worth while?

 

[Spudgunner]

Getting close to ordering a TC 5610 - 3 pt version. Cab a/c is a must. It will come with hi flow on the 3 pt version. Will also get larger 29" R4 tires, block heater and 68" low profile bucket without teeth. The low profile bucket is heavier duty and few inches longer to allow cutting edge to be seen better (according to dealer).
The only front attachment I am going to order for certain is the 90" mower. I already have some other skidsteer buckets, grapple bucket and tine grapple buckets, trencher, and post hole auger. I have a good variety of 3 pt rear attachments (blades, tiller, box blade, rotary mower, seeder) and not considering and rear attachments.

Other things to consider are - road pkg, step kit, keyless start, radio, attachment control, air precleaner kit, power bob tach. Any of these worth while?

In order to better answer your question it would help to know if you're going to use this commercially, for serious home/farm work, or as an expensive toy.
You are focusing on hardware in your post (the fun stuff) but if you plan on using this commercially or in other time-sensitive applications then you also need to consider service. Since you are an early adopter of the 5610 I would, without question, get an extended warranty if your usage of the unit is outside the "expensive toy" category. I would also see if your dealer has mobile service equipment so they can come to you. (Mine does and it has been a big deal...one that I would have never anticipated.)

But since you did bring up hardware... I have the 68" lowpro bucket and love it. Your sales guy is right on in terms of edge visibility. It's great. The 29" tires (I have both 27 and 29's) are a good choice as are A/C (for the defroster and summer coolness), hi-flow hyd, and block heater. A couple of your options I view as mandatory: attachment control and, depending on your situation, the road kit. With attachment control, make sure you get both newer 7-pin CAN bus and the older 14-pin attachment controls if you can.

I would pass on the radio (TC is too loud anyway), step kit, and, maybe, the power bob-tach. Keyless would be kinda cool but I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

BTW, I mean nothing negative when I refer to "expensive toy"...expensive toys are fine and I have a few myself. But when your livelihood depends on your equipment running your priorities change.

Good luck with your ordering! I look forward to your "After Action Report".

 

[radman1]

Honestly, it will be in the farm/expensive toy category. I live 90 miles from my farm land. I will stay mostly on my 10 acre lot with trips to the farm as needed. Easy tasks at my place but more moderate duty use on the farm. About 60/40 split farm vs my house. My brother does most of the tillage/planting farm work. I am more of the maintenance, odd job and fix-it guy.
Most likely will pass on the extended warranty. Being out of service is more of an annoyance rather than critical. Have access to other tractors and Bobcat S300 skid steer for backup. I figure about 200 hours/year. Not heavy usage but I tend to keep my equipment 7-10 years. I am not too worried about repairs. The 5610 has the addition of the hydraulic motor pto and 3 pt. The hydraulic pto and 3 pt are relatively simple to repair and parts easy to replace. Everything else is about the same and the D series has been good in reliability.

Can I get both the 7 and 14 pin attachment control? I don't currently have anything needing attachment control. On my SS, it can be easily added for about $125-150. I will check to see if the same on the TC.
I probably pass on the keyless start unless it is relatively cheap. I don't know the price yet.
The road kit is a tough one for me. Seems like a lot of $ for "lights, blinkers and mirrors". It will see some road use, mostly in rural areas but occassionally on highways.

 

[Spudgunner]

Honestly, it will be in the farm/expensive toy category. I live 90 miles from my farm land. I will stay mostly on my 10 acre lot with trips to the farm as needed. Easy tasks at my place but more moderate duty use on the farm. About 60/40 split farm vs my house. My brother does most of the tillage/planting farm work. I am more of the maintenance, odd job and fix-it guy.
Most likely will pass on the extended warranty. Being out of service is more of an annoyance rather than critical. Have access to other tractors and Bobcat S300 skid steer for backup. I figure about 200 hours/year. Not heavy usage but I tend to keep my equipment 7-10 years. I am not too worried about repairs. The 5610 has the addition of the hydraulic motor pto and 3 pt. The hydraulic pto and 3 pt are relatively simple to repair and parts easy to replace. Everything else is about the same and the D series has been good in reliability.

Can I get both the 7 and 14 pin attachment control? I don't currently have anything needing attachment control. On my SS, it can be easily added for about $125-150. I will check to see if the same on the TC.
I probably pass on the keyless start unless it is relatively cheap. I don't know the price yet.
The road kit is a tough one for me. Seems like a lot of $ for "lights, blinkers and mirrors". It will see some road use, mostly in rural areas but occassionally on highways.

Yeah, given your usage, money that you would've spent on the road kit might be better utilized by buying a nice tilt-bed or something that'd make your TC real easy to transport. I have 18' tilt and I like it lots. The furthest I've driven down the highway with my TC was 6 miles and that was more than enough.

I believe Rip has both 7-pin and 14-pin interfaces. I think the 14-pin can be added at any time...don't know about the 7-pin.

I still flinch with early adoption of any new design. But I'm from the computer world and "leading edge" there is actually "bleeding edge". Fortunately most of the 5610 is proven and the new parts do sound pretty straightforward.

Plus you have an S300 and other iron as backup...so yeah, if I were you I'd prolly pass on the extended warranty as well.

 

[Rolando]

The air pre-cleaner kit is a must in my opinion.

The keyless start is a bit tougher question. It's expensive, about $900 I think. But try to get a good description about all it does. The keyless part of it is probably not a big deal, as the operator time tracking also would not be, since it sounds like you will be the only person using it. But you also get problem codes if an issue comes up. Is that something that's available on all Toolcats, even without the keyless start? I only know about mine, which does have the keyless start.

The Power Bob-tach is something that I will want to get on whichever machine I order. Not real useful if you have to connect aux hydraulics anyway, but I have lots of implements that don't have hydraulics: the bucket, grubber bucket, pallet forks, box blade, the landscape rake when connected to the 3-pt hitch adapter. It seems to me that if I'm breaking up some hard soil with the grubber bucket, moving the soil with the regular bucket and then smoothing things out with the box blade, it would be real handy to be able to quickly switch between the implements without getting out to the cab. In case your dealer didn't tell you, this is an option that is only available as a factory install, so no second thoughts after you get your machine if you decide to order the Toolcat without it.

Parts of the road kit might be worth considering if not the entire thing. The extra lights up front might be handy if doing night work. I never have enough light. Speaking of lights, you didn't mention the rear work lights. That's a must as far as I'm concerned. Also, and this sounds kind of silly, but the backup alarm might be useful. Although the sound can be aggravating, I was thinking that it might be helpful the get an auditory cue that you're in reverse gear. I'll sometimes forget which gear I'm in and have to quickly step on the brakes if I start to go in the wrong direction in close quarters.

Does the attachment control kit address only electrical? How is angle control on a front implement like a power rake accomplished? Is that done through the auxiliary hydraulics? I have a little trailer-pull wheel rake with electric actuators that raise and lower the rake arms for degree of aggressiveness and for transportation. Would the attachment control kit be used for that? Do you get them for both the front and rear? What's the story between the 7- and 14-pin attachment control? What's the significance, and why would you want both?

You previously mentioned TnT. Without being able to control the top link from outside the cab, I'm not sure that the manual top link wouldn't be better. I can't see myself going back and forth from the cab to the top link making minor adjustments just to get the pin lined up.

I already had doubts about the tilt function. I have yet to need the tilt function on my tractor, but I'm forever fiddling with the control just to get the implements level with the tractor. I wish I had never gotten it. For the few times I might need the tilt, like doing some grading, I think it would be easier to manually adjust the lower link. That would also let you make a more precise adjustment. Grading is the only use I see for the tilt function. Perhaps others with more experience might share what the other uses would be and why on-the-fly eyeball adjustments would be useful.

Speaking of the TnT controls, could some of the more hydraulically inclined among us comment whether is might be possible to install a second set of controls outside of the cab and adjacent to the 3-pt hitch for the two rear hydraulic outlets? Not to replace the controls inside to cab, but to have an alternate control location for making adjustments when attaching an implement.

What's the story with the step kit? How does it work? I don't have an issue getting into my 'C' Toolcat right now, but I'm going to want the biggest turf tires and I don't know if the extra height might become an issue.

I don't know if you would need to consider the suspension seat option. I would expect that it would also be available in the 5610. I know the independent suspension is a lot better on the 'D' and I'm assuming it would be the same for the 5610, but my property is very rough right now, and until I get around to regrading and replanting grass, I think I'm going to need the extra back protection.

 

[radman1]

If the keyless start is $900, I will pass. I have it on my S300 and don't use it. Bobcat dealer says most of the units that come in for repair, don't use it either. As of now Bobcat doesn't have different packages available. The only 5610 offered has the keyless start. Dealer has contacted them and still waiting for option packages.

I have power bobtach on my S 300. I like it and will probably get it.

The tilt is best for grading when using box blade. I only use it for grading. If I tilt manually, then a few minutes later, I have to readjust because the angle is too much. Also if changing grade over different areas, it is painful to do it manually for landscaping. My tilt has a check valve and stays where placed. I have had others without check valve and they will change over time in position. The hydraulic top link is a pain with control in the cab if you have to use a pin to attach. If use quick hitch with hook, then it works great.

The hydrualic functions are controlled by a electrical rocker switch in the cab. My limited mind thinks it should be possible to put a simple electrical switch on the back linked to the cab switch and control it from the outside. Switch would need to be water proof and wires protected.

As of this time, I have no use for the attachment control. I will probably delete it unless it is a factory installed option. On my S300 I can add it easily and plugs into the wiring harness. However, the switches in the S300 are already in the cab. The toolcat would require removing the console, installing switches etc. I don't know if it requires programming the ecm. I don't think the attachment control will control anything but bobcat attachments and maybe a few other companies attachments that utilize a 7 pin attachment. My understanding is the 14 pin was used for some older style bobcat attachments.

I have only seen pictures of the step. Looks like a simple "U" shaped step and should be easy to attach and hangs down about 5-6". May have to get through parts. Dealer had never seen one. It wouldn't be so much for me, but my kids or shorter people could get in easier. The D series seems to have a higher step into the cab than the other series but maybe it is the tires on the machine.

DANG! Forgot to ask about the pre cleaner on the 5610. I will have to check on price and availability. Much rather have that than the keyless entry in my situation.

The suspension seat is still an unkown to the few dealers I have talked to. They have never ordered one but was standard on the earlier series. Don't know how useful it is or isn't.

 

[Spudgunner]

Regarding 7-pin and 14-pin... I've never a seen a 7-pin attachment other than newer Bobcat hardware. The 7-pin attachment requires some computational hardware on the implement to interpret the commands coming over the bus. The 14-pin appears to me to be both older and more common at this time and is implemented on a fair number of non-Bobcat attachments such as Quick-Attach (Erskine) and Skidsteer Solutions on equipment that needs hyd diverter valves for multiple functions (e.g. snow blower, sickle bar, etc). The 7-pin attachment is a true data bus while the 14-pin reminds of something much simpler...like the trailer connector on my pickup.

I have the 7-pin control on my TC and I'd like to have the 14-pin as well. Just depends on what attachments you plan on using. As yes, you can do your own attachment control on non-computerized attachments. Pretty straightforward as you suggested.

The trick setup would have a 7-pin/14-pin converter that'd include the microcontroller that'd do the 7-pin/14-pin conversion. But nobody makes that (yet).

 

[aczlan]

The hydrualic functions are controlled by a electrical rocker switch in the cab. My limited mind thinks it should be possible to put a simple electrical switch on the back linked to the cab switch and control it from the outside. Switch would need to be water proof and wires protected.

you could also make a wired "Remote" with a 10' cable to let you control the toplink from wherever you need to, a switch mounted in one place can be a pain to get to from the other side...

Aaron Z

 

[radman1]

Finally got some better info from bobcat/dealer on the 5610. Currently there is only one version available which includes the "deluxe version".

"Deluxe" includes:
cab enclosure with heater and a/c
deluxe road pkg (back-up alarm, turn signals, flashers, tail lights, brake lights, rear view mirror, side mirrors, horn, lower engine guard, rear work light and headlights)
heavy duty battery
high flow hydraulics and attachment control kit
keyless ignition system
power bobtach
pto package (rear pto-540 rpm, pto shield, pto tachometer)
3 pt hitch package (3 pt, depth position gauge)
rear remote package ( 2 sets of poppet style couplers for use with implement hydraulics)

Other factory options:
27x8.5 trac tires - 150.00
27x10.5 turf tires - 280.00
29.10.5 trac tires - 250.00
29x12.5 turf tires - 450.00 includes wide fenders

attachment control kit - 175.00
cab enclosure with heater and a/c - 4195.00
deluxe road package - 1760.00
heavy duty battery - 75.00
high flow package - 1240.00


The are many dealer installed items which are ordered from parts dept.

Dealer installed items include: (cost included)

air filter intake pre-cleaner kit - 235.47
attachment control kit - 7 pin -248.57
back up alarm - 104.67
engine block heater kit - 41.07
fire extinguisher kit - 73.74
floorboard riser - 596.25
hose guide kit - 29.44
keyless ignition kit - 972.45
lower debris guard - 717.85
lower engine cover - 290.79
rear view mirror - 38.05
mirror side kit - 295.31
radio, am/fm/weatherband/CD - 297.01
radio, am/fm/weatherband/aux-in jack - 253.53
radio, installation kit - 137.05
radio antenna - 15.28
radio headphones - 21.23
radio speakers - 51.25
rear work lights - 121.51
road light kit - 877.97
rotating beacon - 155.37
step kit - 216.39
strobe light - 152.57
suspension seat - 949.50
operator safety training video - 25.00
operator safety video - 25.00

As I said above, currently only the "deluxe" version is offered. I assume in the future some other versions would be offered without "all the stuff" as other packages and dealer installed items are available but many are already included in the "deluxe" version.

 

[Rolando]

I don't know if you got any more information beyond cost, but I would like to know more about the following options:

floorboard riser
What is this?

lower debris guard
Will this protect all the exposed hydraulic hoses and wiring underneath that some malicious branches have been known to attack?

lower engine cover
What is the purpose for this?

I would assume that the items listed under the "Deluxe" description are options, but then does that mean that the PTO and 3-pt hitch packages are options?.

If the Rear Remote Package is also an option as opposed to standard equipment, would you need to order this if you want to install TnT? Or would TnT be handled differently?

I was initially put off by the Deluxe package, but with more analysis, my only question was with the deluxe road package, and even there what I wouldn't need would only be the turn signals, tail and brake lights, and horn. That extra cost would probably be wiped out by the package cost savings, I would assume. So maybe that deluxe version wouldn't be so bad. The question of course will be the cost, and will there be any incentives once the unit is widely available?

Are you going to order this deluxe version, or are you going to wait until an a-la-carte version is available?