Hi everyone...
Yeah - I know I promised I'd be back with feedback long before this!
Well, I've been using my Toolcat here in S.E Queensland, Australia for the best part of five months now. Here are my thoughts:
Great machine but too light in the bum! I have constant traction problems (am currently building a 'weight box' that hangs off the tow bar to give me some low down weight which, I hope, will give me low down grunt.
I'd strongly recommend anyone buy the turbo rather than the 44hp model. I do a lot of work in hilly terrain and the machine often loses power at the wrong time (is there ever a right time???)
I have a 4 in 1 bucket, ripping tynes (*), a heavy duty, twin head slasher capable of cutting through two inch hardwood, a 6ft root rake, a 100 litre spray unit and an auger and bits.
(*) The unit can't dig to save it's life (or mine anyway) - hence the tynes to break up the area prior to moving the soil. Mind you, no wheeled skidsteer can dig either. Only the Positrack type machines have any digging ability purely because of their enhanced traction.
I do contract vegetation management. The Toolcat is a good allrounder capable of doing many tasks well, but few brilliantly. On the other hand, if I was a dairy or chicken farmer, I couldn't think of any machine that would be 20% the equal of the Toolcat!
I run a Positrack RC50 as well and find between the two, I've got all bases covered.
Other thoughts:
When I first got the machine, I felt it was unstable/likely to fall over at the first opportunity. I put another operator in it and watched from the outside and discovered that it was only my perception - certainly not reality. The Toolcat is a very stable machine easily able to tackle very steep and difficult terrain (subject to operator stupidity)! The suspension is - I think - the reason for the perception of instability.
Like all utililies, it needs the proverbial 'bag of concrete in the tray to get it to behave - hence my weight box (which will have lead ingots in it)!
Anyone using a GP bucket needs to find someone to sell it too and get a 4 - in - 1 instead. One is toy, the other is a tool.
The machine uses a lot more fuel than I would have expected when I am slashing. Admittedly, the slasher needs full power to get the necessary tip speed of 11,000 ft per minute. None-the-less, I still consider 8+ litres per hour excessive.
The 'gear lever' (vs a joystick) has almost got me in real trouble on more than one occasion. When you ae nose up to a 20 ft drop, it's a real challenge to discover you are in forward rather than the anticipated reverse when you hit that pedal! With a joystick, there's no mistake.
On the same note, the gear stick and steering definitely slow work down when you are in tight conditions.
Turning circle is fantastic in 4ws and great in 2ws.
Ooops, almost forgot! The radiator/oil cooler layout is a seed/chaff trap and needs constant attention when slashing/mowing. This is a real design flaw as I need to take two bolts out every time I need to clean the radiator - and that could be every 30 MINUTES in really heavy going!!! After those two bolts are removed, the radiator is tilted back on it's rear hinge to gain access to the (very clogged) space between the oil cooler and the radiator. As the radiator assembly weighs MANY. MANY pounds and has no visible means of support, it would assist you to have your local Arnie on standby so that you can then use BOTH your hands to clear the buildup!!!
So, is this a love/hate relationship or what????
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