Toolcat

thecarman · Jul 14, 2015

Im brand new to this site and im looking to purchase a new G series toolcat 5600, 2015. I'm going to use it to clean and maintain around 100 acres. i will be mowing smooth fields which look like most peoples lawn. im purchasing the 90 inch finish mower for that job. i was wondering if anyone has had exeperience mowing with the toolcat and if so, how fast will it mow on "lawn" like conditions and does the newer model have overheating issues? the area i will be mowing is fairly flat groung and smooth. i currently us a ferris 5100z which is an absoulte beast of a mower and has a true suspension....but no cab or radio....thanks for any advice

Xfaxman · Jul 14, 2015

We mow with a brush hog, so can't compare to the finish mower. I think it would pretty fast, put the boom in float and watch the quality of the cut.

The radiator on the 5610 is up high in the back, so no problem like the 5600's.

The problem we had was the air conditioning quit cooling because we didn't open the access door on the left side and brush off the dust and clippings. If you keep it clean it will keep you cool in the cab.

Keep us posted on the 90 inch finish mower, I think it would be easier for my wife to use. :thumbsup:

thecarman · Jul 14, 2015

I'm actually buying the 5600....i hope they don't have overheating issues. I will let you know how the finish mower does. It's scheduled to be here this Monday.

yellowdogsvc · Jul 16, 2015

Finish mower does a good job in medium-high material. On the low material that's lawn-like, I'd get the mulching kit and have at it. I have the 72" and mow everything from light brush to fields. It's good an leaves very little marks. Only issues I've had is grease fittings coming loose, wheels coming off from pins coming out (my fault for getting it into brush), and the blade hubs vibrated loose (Bobcat didn't use locktite or something). I think you'll like the mower.

My F series 5600's air filter clogs in a short time. Poor location. I had a B series with a pre-cleaner and it worked great to keep the machine breathing. The radiators are another story. Get some "cut to fit" ac filter and lay over the radiator housing and close the bed down on it. Change it or beat it against something when your temp starts to climb. These things suck a lot into the radiators. A/C filter location is not very smart, either. I get a lot of dust in my cab when I mow. A LOT and my B series didn't.

thecarman · Jul 16, 2015

What speed can I expect to be able to mow on very smooth ground with 6-8 inch grass. Any fix from getting dust in the cab? Or any changes on the G series that fix the problem. Also I either heard or read that the G series has a pre cleaner? Any information on that? Thanks

Xfaxman · Jul 19, 2015

thecarman said:
What speed can I expect to be able to mow on very smooth ground with 6-8 inch grass. Any fix from getting dust in the cab? Or any changes on the G series that fix the problem. Also I either heard or read that the G series has a pre cleaner? Any information on that? Thanks

Your speed will be determined by the quality of the cut. Today I mowed with the brush hog in the rough pasture at 4.5 to 5.5 mph. That was the first time I used the speedometer.

I don't get any dust in the cab of our series F.

Looking forward to your report on the finish mower.

thecarman · Jul 20, 2015

Got my 5600 in today. I mowed with it for 4 hours. Grass was close to a foot high. Some spots a little lower. I was able to mow at over 7 mph and close to 6 in the taller grass. Used a 90 inch finish mower while my dad used the ferris 5100z. It cut just as smooth. I have to say I'm highly impressed with the performance of my toolcat. Incredible ride and will mow lots faster than I ever imagined. Ac will freeze you out of the cab. I did have to clean the top portion of the radiator and the ac twice during almost 5 hours of hard mowing.

Xfaxman · Jul 21, 2015

thecarman said:
Got my 5600 in today. I mowed with it for 4 hours. Grass was close to a foot high. Some spots a little lower. I was able to mow at over 7 mph and close to 6 in the taller grass. Used a 90 inch finish mower while my dad used the ferris 5100z. It cut just as smooth. I have to say I'm highly impressed with the performance of my toolcat. Incredible ride and will mow lots faster than I ever imagined. Ac will freeze you out of the cab. I did have to clean the top portion of the radiator and the ac twice during almost 5 hours of hard mowing.

Thanks for the report, glad it did a good job and fast. :thumbsup:

Do you put the boom in float?

SSdoxie · Jul 24, 2015

thecarman said:
Got my 5600 in today. I mowed with it for 4 hours. Grass was close to a foot high. Some spots a little lower. I was able to mow at over 7 mph and close to 6 in the taller grass. Used a 90 inch finish mower while my dad used the ferris 5100z. It cut just as smooth. I have to say I'm highly impressed with the performance of my toolcat. Incredible ride and will mow lots faster than I ever imagined. Ac will freeze you out of the cab. I did have to clean the top portion of the radiator and the ac twice during almost 5 hours of hard mowing.

Don't know if your salesman mentioned this. There is an optional side discharge kit for the mower. This will through put the clippings to the left side so your are not running over them, will reduce amount of clipping sucked into the radiator screen but likely slow your ground speed down especially in long grass.

thecarman · Jul 24, 2015

i have been going back and forth on the side discharge....i like the way the rear discharge dispenses the grass better, but it does cause me to have to clean out the filters fairly often. and if the side discharge slows my pace down that is a bust for me, we keep around 30 acres mowed like a lawn and slow doesnt work for me....

yellowdogsvc · Jul 27, 2015

I have problems with grass getting sucked into the air cleaner. I just found a precleaner that will bolt up nicely. I think it's approved by Bobcat for F series and later.

Xfaxman · Jul 28, 2015

yellowdogsvc said:
I have problems with grass getting sucked into the air cleaner. I just found a precleaner that will bolt up nicely. I think it's approved by Bobcat for F series and later.

Need more details please.

Pictures, part number.

I need one!

oneal · Jul 28, 2015

thecarman said:
Got my 5600 in today. I mowed with it for 4 hours. Grass was close to a foot high. Some spots a little lower. I was able to mow at over 7 mph and close to 6 in the taller grass. Used a 90 inch finish mower while my dad used the ferris 5100z. It cut just as smooth. I have to say I'm highly impressed with the performance of my toolcat. Incredible ride and will mow lots faster than I ever imagined. Ac will freeze you out of the cab. I did have to clean the top portion of the radiator and the ac twice during almost 5 hours of hard mowing.

First, congratulations on your machine.

I recently demoed a 5600 that was also equipped with the 90" mower. My experience was much the same as yours with exception of my evaluation of the mower, I felt the cut was borderline terrible. We have been experiencing tremendous amounts of rain so even though my grass was less than 5" tall it was very thick. The BC mower has a claimed FPM blade tip speed equal to or better than most pull behind finish mowers so I was at a loss why I had such bad results. I even checked to make sure the blades were mounted correctly for the direction they were turning ?????? I sure would have embraced the chance the watch how well yours worked and maybe made a discovery why my trial was a failure.

In general I loved the Toolcat and plan to purchase a 5610 in the spring but based on my personal mowing experience have been researching hydraulic flail mowers. It's good to hear yours is working well for you but baffling why mine did not.

SSdoxie · Aug 3, 2015

Xfaxman said:
Need more details please.

Pictures, part number.

I need one!

Go to the parts illustrations in bobcat.com then look in the Accessories/Options section under your model & serial number to find all kits available with parts illustrations.

Xfaxman · Aug 4, 2015

SSdoxie said:
Go to the parts illustrations in bobcat.com then look in the Accessories/Options section under your model & serial number to find all kits available with parts illustrations.

That doesn't work on my computer. After I click the item, nothing comes back.

Xfaxman · Aug 6, 2015

SSdoxie said:
Go to the parts illustrations in bobcat.com then look in the Accessories/Options section under your model & serial number to find all kits available with parts illustrations.