Bobcat Toolcat.

[Jacka]

Well tired of UTV troubles.I.always liked the Toolcats.I never thought I afford one but looks more and more the way to go.I want to use on the farm and up around the house. My wife likes the idea of having it to use at the house, garden etc.It would also keep wear down on the skidloaders to run them up just to move stuff. Does anyone on here own one and do they like them?

[vtfireman85]

They have had one at Bromley for years, been rode hard, put away wet, and looks it, but it’s out all day every day doing its thing. Must be tough, they can break cannon balls. 

[Big Bud guy]

We own two.  One stays in town and mows and moves snow.  The other is on the farm used a lot during winter to run bin augers and move snow.  Use it for fencing too and a little dirt work. And it you don’t need the lift capacity of a skid steer, a Tool cat is the way to go.  One major advantage over the skid steer is getting in and out. 

[yellowrosefarm]

The one we had at work for 10 years was a royal pain the whole time. It had some problem in the electrical system that caused it to randomly not move. I lost track of how many warranty repairs it went through to try and fix it.  Usually, if you shook the boom enough, it would go. But, there were plenty of times when I had to flat drag it on a trailer with a large back hoe. There was no "tow valve" or neutral, so it was dragging the whole 8000lbs. And, usually it would drive off the trailer on the other end, leaving no way to troubleshoot. We also had to replace a number of suspension parts that broke in the field. The skid steer tires that came on it didn't last any time, so we went with a radial truck tire which lasted until it left. It was really good with a snow blower. Decent heat and air and great visibility. Operators liked it, mechanics hated it.

[acem]

I've never owned a UTV but many friends do.

They all seem to have poor reliability and longevity.

 

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

Unless you are digging basements or are in knee deep manure with your skid loader, they will probably last forever on a small farm/home site. I wouldn’t worry about trying to save wear on them.

[Jacka]

4 hours ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Unless you are digging basements or are in knee deep manure with your skid loader, they will probably last forever on a small farm/home site. I wouldn’t worry about trying to save wear on them.

Well I do want to save wear and time.Tramming a skidloader 3/4 of mile to move something around the yard is excessive to me.Building fence,fixing fence,checking cattle,spot spraying invasive weeds is faster,easier,safer with a UTV than a skidloader,pickup or tractor and loader.I have tractors and loaders but they are just to big for the job.My Mules get run almost everyday and are indispensable.I have 3 skidloaders and they have be very good to me.They are large 2 spd older non computer or electric board machines and just would last longer with less running around doing something that really don't need to do.I am just over the UTVs that are either 9000 mph glorified goat carts,UTV that last a  maybe a 1000 or 2 hrs,cost arm and a leg and get cheaper made every year.

[Doc Egor]

Have had a couple of toolcats -

If they are operated very carefully and maintained meticulously they are ok.

The suspension is a weak point and last I knew there were no aftermarket parts so the frequent strut replacements were spendy.

The booms are quite easily sprung - best to keep small buckets on them that aren't any wider than the machine and stay out of situations where one side might catch on something. 

Electrical issues were also very common - wet environments were very hard on them....lots of corrosion issues resulting in glitchy operation and faults.

Hydraulic hoses were a common failure point too

The radiator being put under the box is something I never understood either.

I found working on them to be a frustrating experience, but no worse than other modern skid loaders.

On the positive side - they are a lot easier to get in and out of than a skid loader and are handy....you just have to respect their limitations and treat them carefully. 

 

 

[B.B.]

How much is a new tool cat??   

[yellowrosefarm]

10 hours ago, B.B. said:

How much is a new tool cat??   

Around $80,000

[searcyfarms]

10 hours ago, yellowrosefarm said:

Around $80,000

holy bobcats batman...........thats insane...........i will stick with my two legs to get here n there around the buildings and a mule that the folks have 

i do lil stuff with a CUT and big stuff with a CTL 

[B.B.]

11 hours ago, yellowrosefarm said:

Around $80,000

Yikes!!   I figured they were high but wow! 

[Jacka]

New price is insane. I am looking at used machines in the  20 to 30 k range with lower hours..I seen plenty of used UTVs in the teens and a few low hour Kubotas utv in the high 20's like 27,28 thousand.I think thats really insane. .I also seen a few non running ones for 9,10 k.So I rather spend a little more to get something built better and stronger in my opinion. 

 

.