Dirt Moving STRUCK RS 1000 Crawler Tractor Review

[Struck out]

RS 1000 Struck Crawler Tractor Review ~ purchased 5/13.
390cc Honda engine/Blade and rear rippers are hydraulic.
Total cost =$8100 at factory.

NEGATIVES: Tracks have optional grousers. The grousers are made from U channel steel and are bolted to the flat tracks. In mud or snow they fill and provide very poor traction. The U channel design is a bad choice.

The blade requires 2 ｾ inch wrenches to angle and 15 minutes time on ones knees to set the angle each time. When plowing snow, the angle is not adequate because large clumps of snow will exit the high side of the blade.

There are also no steering brakes in the design. Steering is controlled by two levers operated by one hand placed over both. The hydraulics are controlled by the other hand. Lots of luck trying to steer if the ground is even slightly uneven. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the transmission is a hydrostatic drive system, not a gear system, which means that even with minimal throttle the forward progress is too fast for the hydraulic front blade to cope with same. This makes a front 吐loat when grading Very hard to control This type transmission works well on riding mowers but not on dozers. I have owned and operated several dozers. I presently own a larger dozer and have many hours operating it. Correction is accomplished by steering brakes, a design that is much easier to operate.

Finally, the seat does not tilt up and when it rains it traps water very well.

POSITIVES: The quality of the materials is good and the workmanship is also very good. The Honda 390 engine is excellent and has more than adequate power. The rear hydraulic rippers are very good and work well when the ground is fairly dry, but add a little mud and forget it.

 

[orangeandgreen]

Does it have a TONKA decal on it somewhere? I looked at the Magnatrac web site, those little things look like they would be handy and fun to operate.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the forum Northwest Alabama. Sounds like not well designed.

 

[jd4310man]

i have a MH5000 hydro 1993 vintage. Yea the Magnatracs are neat little machines, but their design leaves alot to be desired. The appealing thing to me was of course the steel tracks and undercarriage. without that, its just a fancy piece of welded metal. I cant vouch for the smaller ones but the larger hydro models are too slow with their gear pump powered hydraulic system. The undercarriage is poorly designed and needs constant maintenance. The belt drive on the 1000 is to keep the cost down, but i can see your point on poor performance of it. Whoever is designing these things needs to redesign them to be of practical working use. 15 minutes to angle the blade, that is plain stupid! The only thing these machines have is a uniqueness factor, other than that they are just toys to play with. By the way the price they are asking for these is way over what their worth. So if you need a machine to be productive, easy to use and operator friendly, id look else where.

 

[Don Fuller]

I have an RS 1000, a new one to replace an old model, and I feel it lives up to expectations. I have the bucket and blade; the bucket for moving dirt and smoothing and the blade for grading and snow plowing. The blade angle does allow for snow to fall off the outside edge so takes another pass to clean up. The grouser shoes have allowed me to move snow even with a solid layer of ice under during our normal odd weather here in western Maine. My driveway is 600 feet long and the town leaves an impressive bank at the end which the dozer has cleaned up easily. Being small it requires more thought to be effective.
Kept under cover, the seat is no problem. I have also used it to drag trees out of the woods for firewood and to grade trails.
Regarding changing blade angle, I do not put nut on the bolt, just pull bolt out and move , replace bolt and go...no time on knees!

 

[Struck Corp]

Thank you for your input. The RS1000 does not have a hydro-static drive system, it is a belt clutch driven design, which is well time tested efficient, simple design. That is easy to adjust and replace for the homeowner. Please keep in mind, that this machine is designed to be a homeowner machine and can do a lot for it's size and weight. A larger machine like the MH4900 may be a better option for your needs. The power range for the RS1000 should be set to work in working speeds, not travel speeds on the decal. We do also have other bolt on shoe options as well. We offer a rubber bolt on shoe and also a grouser plate that does not have the U shape design that you speak of. The grouser can get packed full of mud, but we do recommend power washing the unit if it gets packed full of mud. As far as storage of the machine, we do recommend that it be covered with a tarp or stored in a garage or shed. Did you reach out to Struck support on your questions?

 

[Struck Corp]

The new MH4900 model offers tandem piston pump drive technology, which puts out double the amount of PSI to each track. Previous hydro models only put 1,500 PSI to the tracks, the new MH4900 model and future hydro models will put out 3,000 PSI to each track.

 

[agjones]

You have to compare these machines to the alternatives. Hand work, big machines or small & mini skidsteers.

I have two mh5000 machines. one w 6way blade & backhoe, one w loader and backhoe.

I do specialized landscape work in conservation areas, building trails and mitigating water problems.

I have a range of small machines and would be lost without the traction, reliability and well well applied power these machines provide.

These machines have displaced a Kubota excavator and a toro dingo. Parts, when needed are either common and available at northern tool or surpluscenter.com... Wear parts are generally available from struck.

I have found that the quality of material and build is very good. Documentation is ok. Company support is fast, friendly and efficient. Parts availability for older models is surprisingly good for a small relatively low volume manufacturer.

These little work horses are the best solution for my needs, easily modified and indispensable. I hope their niche is keeping this company strong.