ToolCat opinions and help for newbie

[SD_Dave]

Hello Guys

I am new to this forum but not to tractors etc…any help on this topic would be appreciated.

I am looking to replace my current medium sized tractor TN-75 Cab with a Toolcat. The reason is that I have added a new larger loader to my fleet and therefore I can now afford to have a smaller more versatile machine like the toolcat if it can handle my needs fully.
Here are some of my questions in regards to the ToolCat any help in answering them would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking at a new 2006 “C” Series ToolCat 5600 Turbo with full A/C cab rear PTO and Hydro.

Machine would be used at two locations I own for these specific tasks:

Commercial Site:
• Snow clearing at my commercial 5 acre business site, along with a 2.5 yd loader
• Sanding/Salting parking areas
• Mowing 1.5 Acres of Grass at commercial site
• General help landscaping
• Pulling a pressure wash trailer for cleaning around grounds
• Sweeping parking lot monthly

Residential Small Farm:
• Mowing 5+ Acres weekly semi finish type, ie. Golf course rough immediate house areas get commercial z-mower done by landscaper.
• Mowing 5+ Acres monthly to keep hay field areas from getting over 6” in height
• Brush hogging misc. field and trail areas twice a year
• Snow plowing/snow-blowing of 2000’ of paved road and driveway in farm area.
• General landscaping tasks

My impression is that the ToolCat would handle these tasks well; my concerns lie with the mowing/brush hogging tasks:
• I would order the 90” finish mower would I also need to order the bobcat brush hog also?
• At what speed can you effectively mow? Land is fairly flat with minor irregularities. I currently mow at 6.5mph in the tractor.
• How well does the toolcat traverse wet, soft ground, weight distribution good?
• Can the finish mower handle tall hay and weeds? No brush or saplings but heavy weeds
• What would be a good price for a cash price on the above mentioned machine

Thanks in advance for any answers from your experience.
SD-Dave

 

[IslandTractor]

Sounds like your needs are a good match for the Toolcat. Mostly utility functions and mowing but no rough stuff or serious digging. Have you thought of a flail mower as something that is sort of between a finish and rough cut mower.

 

[SD_Dave]

thanks for the vote of confidence...having expirence with equipment I also feel it will work well for my varied tasks. I have a loader and access to an excavator for real digging ruff tasks so that is no concern...my real issue is with the mowing function...it needs to be fairly neat and quick...will the toolcat mow at a good rate of speed and how well will it cut at that. I currently own a fail mower (72") for my tractor...works well in tuff stuff but is not very good on finish mowing.

Do you have any mowing expirence with toolcat?

SD-Dave

 

[IslandTractor]

Sorry, I don't have personal experience. I am surprised some of the toolcat guys haven't already chimed in here. Brian will be along any moment unless he's outside watching a movie in his climate controlled Toolcat cab. Be patient, they'll show up. You can also search mowing or mower in this forum and you'll get a lot of hits.

From what I have read just about everyone seems very enthusiastic about the routine mowing capabilities. I imagine that was one of the major targets in Bobcat's design specs as the machine is marketed for institutional grounds maintenance. With that big FEL capacity and 50 some horsepower you should be able to swing a pretty large mower off the front.

 

[dsb5610]

SD-Dave,

I have only owned a Toolcat a short time and have not had a chance to mow with it yet. The 30 or so hours I have put on it have mainly been using the utility grapple. With that said I will offer my expectations of it for my mowing.

I will be mowing 3-5 acres of area adjacent to two lawns (I have a JD commercial front mount for the lawns) with the 72" finish mower. I have been operating the utility grapple over this area and am expecting that I will be able to mow up to 4mph. Anything faster is too rough for my liking.

I have 20-30 acres of pasture that I will be dragging and mowing once or twice a year. Again, I will be using the 72" finish mower and would expect to travel no more than 4mph due to the roughness.

I will be mowing approx 25 acres of CRP as often as once a year. The CRP needs to be cut a 10" and I will be using a rough cut mower for this. I would expect 4mph max speed on this as well with a lot of time spent running slower.

I currently use an 84hp JD ag tractor for the pasture and CRP mowing. Even though it does not have a suspension it does ride smoother on the rough areas due to the much larger tires and longer wheelbase. I usually mow around 4mph with it, maybe a little faster in the pasture areas.

I would think it would be the cat's meow for the hard surface tasks you listed as well as the general landscaping tasks. I would expect it will do your mowing tasks as well but would expect you will be traveling less than the 6.5mph you mentioned. I would recommend you have one brought out for you to demo on your property or at very least run one around at the dealership off the hard surface area.

dsb

 

[SD_Dave]

DSB

Thanks for the info…based upon your comments I am a little concerned…mowing at a slow speed is not something I really want to do. I was hoping that with the toolcat I could mow faster and more efficiently than the tractor. With the toolcats suspension I assumed a better ride and therefore higher speed mowing. My current tractor is very similar in size to your JD, with a full cab/ac etc. The ride with mowing tires (not AG’s) is not bad…but with suspension I would expect more. My fields etc are pretty smooth and level. I am now concerned that if 50% of my usage (mowing) is not better and/or similarly served then the toolcat might not be an option. DSB any opinion on the soft-ground, ground pressure, ability? I have some wet areas (clay soil) to mow on.

I am hoping some others that have used the toolcat for significant mowing might chime in soon with other comments….guys?

SD-Dave

 

[Gadgetnut]

Hi, Dave, Gadgetnut here. I recently bought an '06 ToolCat Turbo rev. C with a garage full of attachments, including the Bobcat near finish mower and Brushcat mower. For my utility maintenance, transportation, and mowing plans I elected to start with turf tires on the ToolCat.

I am responding to your inquiry and saying hello, but I've not yet had enough experience with the mowing attachments to answer your questions. My experience with TC so far has been with trencher, farm grapple, fork lift, and combo bucket--and I've transported thousands of pounds of payload and I love the dumping bed.

Re: mowing. I have 6+ acres of mowing to do here at my place. My dedicated lawn mower (Walker MD, 42" wide, with grass handling system) mows at 5 mph and excels at maneuvering around obstacles. I bought the Bobcat near finish mower (72" wide) to speed things up in the wide open areas and distant fields... but it's been a record wet winter here and for the last two months the ground's been too soft to get out there.

I did use the Bobcat Brushcat about a month ago to clear several acres of high grass and saplings. No doubt the ToolCat cab environment is supremely comfortable and has a cushy ride, and I like the visibility onto the task area in front, versus looking behind on a farm tractor. The Bobcat Brushcat mower is very heavy (other compatible, lighter weight brush mowers are available) and the TC sunk quite a bit and in one low spot, got the TC thoroughly stuck and had to extract it with my pickup truck. But in fairness, I was jumping the gun working the fields in practically muddy conditions and during my regular mowing season I don't expect this to be a problem.

Nonetheless, you need to know how fast the TC mows with the near finish mower and that answer I do not know. Given the wide variety of tasks you've outlined, it seems like the TC might fit the bill very well. Not sure what your timeframe is, but before you decide anything I encourage you to demo the ToolCat ON YOUR property, complete with THE attachments you are considering. My local Bobcat dealer brought everything out here to my farm and left it with me for a few days as a no obligation demo. Based on that experience I decided to purchase and I've been very happy. My Bobcat dealer experience has been outstanding, by the way. Good luck!

 

[dsb5610]

SD-Dave,

I can't offer much experience using the Toolcat in wet conditions yet. Sounds like Gadgetnut had an interesting experience. I can tell you that where my HPX Gator can drive repeatedly and not disturb much you can definitely see where the Toolcat has been. I would not expect the same results though.

One thing I am looking forward to when mowing with the Toolcat is the manueverability. Between having the mower in front of you and the all wheel steer I gotta believe it will do a great job in tight areas.

Overall I much prefer operating the Toolcat than the ag tractor.

dsb

 

[SD_Dave]

Gaget/DSB

Thanks for the help and info...sorry that you haven't gotten to full utilize the TC for mowing yet or I am sure you would have more specific info for me.

I am going to wait until spring to make any decision. I really love my AG tractor and will kick myself if I don't love the toolcat as much. Pushing me is the greater use and versatility that I am certain I will get from it. Having a new JD 3800 Telehandler at my disposal really makes the lifting and heavy material task unnecessary for the tractor and that is why I feel I can move to the TC. I also like the two seat idea so my young son can ride along with me safely. Also looking constantly over my shoulder is getting old...as am I.

Mowing is a huge part of my usage during summer months and with the amount I need to do I don't want to find out it will now take considerably longer or that I am getting stuck on wet ground. My gut is telling me I am going to be OK but I am still somewhat uncertain. The local dealer (bought a couple units from him previously) will certainly let me demo one...I doubt seriously he will have a mower in stock to try though...

I will wait to see if anyone else who owns one
down south and is mowing regularly chimes in.

Thanks for your help info and good wishes

Cheers

SD-Dave

ps. I have strong knowledge in construction equipment, Super-Duty Fords and combat firearms...if need arises.

 

[CRJCaptain]

This is my third year with the Toolcat. I mow about 2 acres with it in the summer with the 72 inch deck. It does a great job mowing, in my opinion. My property has practically no flat spots, so I can't go all out on the speed, but I suspect if your terrain to be mowed is relatively flat you could get going at a pretty good clip, (and it's got cruise control...just grab a cool beverage in the air conditioned cab , and you're set! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif) It all depends how fast you need to go, I suppose. I think your cutting rate will keep up with, or exceed many faster ZTR's since the deck is considerably wider than most.

In fact, I think the Toolcat is perfect for all the tasks you listed. I would highly recommend asking your Bobcat dealer for a demo with the mowing deck. They had no problem doing this for me several years ago.

Here's a link to my original Toolcat demo report, including pictures of mowing some high pasture grass:

Toolcat Demo TBN thread

Good luck with your equipment decision...