MT52

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trencherman

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Feb 14, 2005
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Looking for anyone that owns or operates a mt50or52. I am looking to purchase a unit soon and want to know the good and bad. Thanks
 

Mow Me Over

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Feb 14, 2005
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I have a MT52 scheduled to be dropped of at my inlaws house tomorrow with the stump grinder, lanplane/carry all, 4-1 bucket and a regular toothed bucket. I will try to post some pics of it in action and the work that it did. I am trying to decide between the MT52 and MT55 also the Toro Dingo TX420 and TX425 models. Those are the two clossest dealers for mini skid steers in my area. Later
 

Mow Me Over

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Feb 14, 2005
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I used an MT50 last summer. It performed great and saved a lot of hand labor. Here's a link to the thread I had hear about it (http://www.bobcatforum.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=54&frmView=ShowPost&PostID=476)
Well Bobcat of VA dropped off the MT52 today with the attachments. I started off with the 4-1 bucket and man that thing is great. I hope whoever invented that design made some big bucks from it becuase it is some dam usefull. I then used the stump grinder attachment but it took a while and I found out tonight that I was not using the correct technique so I will try it differently tomorrow. The 36" wide bucket works well with the teeth on it but takes a little getting use to when trying to dig with it becuase of the lack of visabilty being blocked by the bucket. I think you have a little better visibility when digging and sitting inside a machine but I might be wrong on this. After about 15 minutes of using the 4-1 bucket I saw that it was leaking hydrolic fluiid so I did not get to use it nearly as much as I needed to today. I tried to tighten both lines that were leaking but with the wrenches that I had they would not fit in the small space so Im waiting to here back from the salesman to see if they can get it fixed tomorrow. I was able to pick up some 24-30" thick logs with the 4-1 bucket though when I was using it. All in all this machine worked great on the slopes that I was working on especially since there was no real traction, the hills dont really have any grass on them anymore. The controls are very easy to get use to, very similar to the Toro Dingo tracked machines controls. The only thing that I did not like about the controls was the auxilary lever will stick in the up or down spot when using it to move the 4-1 bucket but I guess that is something that I need to remember. Overall impression for the first half day of demoing it very good and the compaction of the wet ground was not as much as I thought that it would be with the narrow tracks. Now I am curious to see how light of a footprint that the MT55 has. If I figure anything more out in the next couple of days I will let you know. Justin
 

Mow Me Over

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Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
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Well Bobcat of VA dropped off the MT52 today with the attachments. I started off with the 4-1 bucket and man that thing is great. I hope whoever invented that design made some big bucks from it becuase it is some dam usefull. I then used the stump grinder attachment but it took a while and I found out tonight that I was not using the correct technique so I will try it differently tomorrow. The 36" wide bucket works well with the teeth on it but takes a little getting use to when trying to dig with it becuase of the lack of visabilty being blocked by the bucket. I think you have a little better visibility when digging and sitting inside a machine but I might be wrong on this. After about 15 minutes of using the 4-1 bucket I saw that it was leaking hydrolic fluiid so I did not get to use it nearly as much as I needed to today. I tried to tighten both lines that were leaking but with the wrenches that I had they would not fit in the small space so Im waiting to here back from the salesman to see if they can get it fixed tomorrow. I was able to pick up some 24-30" thick logs with the 4-1 bucket though when I was using it. All in all this machine worked great on the slopes that I was working on especially since there was no real traction, the hills dont really have any grass on them anymore. The controls are very easy to get use to, very similar to the Toro Dingo tracked machines controls. The only thing that I did not like about the controls was the auxilary lever will stick in the up or down spot when using it to move the 4-1 bucket but I guess that is something that I need to remember. Overall impression for the first half day of demoing it very good and the compaction of the wet ground was not as much as I thought that it would be with the narrow tracks. Now I am curious to see how light of a footprint that the MT55 has. If I figure anything more out in the next couple of days I will let you know. Justin
Trencherman I demoed the Toro Dingo today and it seems to be a little more manuverable in tight areas, I think it is shorter then the MT52 or 55. The thing that I liked about the MT52 is that it is build like a damn tank but that shows in the weight of it versus the Dingo 420TX. I will be demoing the same Dingo again next week with some different attachments so see how I like them. I was kindof surprised at how well the Dingo would push into the brush pile that I was removing of a lot of twigs and small branches and then grab on to them with the lighter weight of it versus the MT52. If you have your heart set on the Bobcat then go out and buy it but if you have other dealers close to you also then demo their mini skid steers and see how they stack up to the Bobcats. Good luck and let up know which way you go. Me personally I think that I will be getting the Dingo instead of the Bobcat. Justin
 
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trencherman

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Trencherman I demoed the Toro Dingo today and it seems to be a little more manuverable in tight areas, I think it is shorter then the MT52 or 55. The thing that I liked about the MT52 is that it is build like a damn tank but that shows in the weight of it versus the Dingo 420TX. I will be demoing the same Dingo again next week with some different attachments so see how I like them. I was kindof surprised at how well the Dingo would push into the brush pile that I was removing of a lot of twigs and small branches and then grab on to them with the lighter weight of it versus the MT52. If you have your heart set on the Bobcat then go out and buy it but if you have other dealers close to you also then demo their mini skid steers and see how they stack up to the Bobcats. Good luck and let up know which way you go. Me personally I think that I will be getting the Dingo instead of the Bobcat. Justin
Thanks so far for the input Mow Me Over. I wil be demoing the machine this Thursday for trenching and loader work. I'll let you know how it goes.
 

StuZ

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Nov 22, 2003
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133
Thanks so far for the input Mow Me Over. I wil be demoing the machine this Thursday for trenching and loader work. I'll let you know how it goes.
I think the 500 lbs weight difference would be in the engine and frame. Just the fact that the dingo has a Kohler command, and the MT52 has a Kubota diesel would change my mind. The MT will still be running when you go after gas for the dingo. Plus the fact that the MT52 base price is $600.0 less
 
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trencherman

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Feb 14, 2005
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I think the 500 lbs weight difference would be in the engine and frame. Just the fact that the dingo has a Kohler command, and the MT52 has a Kubota diesel would change my mind. The MT will still be running when you go after gas for the dingo. Plus the fact that the MT52 base price is $600.0 less
This is definitely a well built machine. It does many operations good just not great other than the narrow spaces it can get into. I tried to trench a 2 foot deep trench and the chain would bind up consistently, granted we have some rocky soil conditions here in Arizona but I use a Ditch Witch 1820 walk behind with no problems most of the time. They use a large sprocket for the digging chain which has a tendency to bind up with small rocks. It's possible the sprocket needed to wear in more or the hydraulic flow needs to be higher for this soil. 1 foot or less deep trenches worked better. Mind you this is only a 4" wide trench. The crumber on the end of the boom is worthless. I used the 3 foot wide bucket and 44" wide combo bucket for several hours. Not a bad digger lots of traction and a good travel speed as well. I could see getting very strong or sore hands operating this machine. It takes a lot of grip for the direction control. Steering is easy. The bucket controls are not bad, just a little hard to lift and level for loading a trailer for example. Limited height and reach for loading a trailer. I used the stand on platform - works great and gives you a better view. I would be interested in trying other attachments for this machine. As of right now I don't think this machine is for me. I had high hopes it would be the ultimate walk behind trencher with its weight and tracks for traction. Ditch Witch sells a walk behind loader but only comes with a gas engine and costs more money than the Bobcat.
 

Mow Me Over

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Feb 14, 2005
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This is definitely a well built machine. It does many operations good just not great other than the narrow spaces it can get into. I tried to trench a 2 foot deep trench and the chain would bind up consistently, granted we have some rocky soil conditions here in Arizona but I use a Ditch Witch 1820 walk behind with no problems most of the time. They use a large sprocket for the digging chain which has a tendency to bind up with small rocks. It's possible the sprocket needed to wear in more or the hydraulic flow needs to be higher for this soil. 1 foot or less deep trenches worked better. Mind you this is only a 4" wide trench. The crumber on the end of the boom is worthless. I used the 3 foot wide bucket and 44" wide combo bucket for several hours. Not a bad digger lots of traction and a good travel speed as well. I could see getting very strong or sore hands operating this machine. It takes a lot of grip for the direction control. Steering is easy. The bucket controls are not bad, just a little hard to lift and level for loading a trailer for example. Limited height and reach for loading a trailer. I used the stand on platform - works great and gives you a better view. I would be interested in trying other attachments for this machine. As of right now I don't think this machine is for me. I had high hopes it would be the ultimate walk behind trencher with its weight and tracks for traction. Ditch Witch sells a walk behind loader but only comes with a gas engine and costs more money than the Bobcat.
As far as the Bobcat still running when Im filling up the Dingo might be correct but the Bobcat tank was not that far behind in needing filled up when using the stump grinder attatchments on both machines. They are very hungry when you are using the auxilary hydrolics for most of a tank of fuel. One of the things that I did not like about the Bobcat was that the engine is stuffed in there and looks very hard to service or repair when needed, granted it might be a little later then the Dingo gas motor but none the less still very tightly packed in there. Talking about the pricing, If you go into the dealership and let the salesman know up front that you are going to be demoing other manufacturers then you automatically get about $2,500 to $3,000 off the list price up front and most of the time the other manufacturer will meet or beet the other guys price to get you into their line up. I thought that for my business that the Dingo TX420 would work better, I also got a lot better response from the Dingo salesman. He answered his cell phone everytime I called it, was there with the demo unit at my location before I even showed up at the time I told him to be there. I had to wait around 2 1/2 hours for the Bobcat to show up after I was told it would be there about 10am. They all have there pluses and minuses, you just have to sit down and figure out which unit fits in with your company the best and see which one has better after the sale service and will remember you when you call after buying the unit 2 years later. Just my thoughts about the machines and situations.
 
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