ToolcatMax
Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2025
- Messages
- 8
G'day from Australia and yes that's how we greet people over here, not just Paul Hogan
I recently moved up from Sydney to Oberon NSW which sits up on the Great Dividing Range which is the main mountain range, running North/south the entire East coast of Australia and is classed as high country with occasional snow, but is only 1150 mtrs or 3372 ft in your language. Our highest mountain is only 7309 ft, just a hill.
Was a builder and have had 2 Bobcats previously. A 610 with Wisconsin engine from memory and a 743 years ago. Last 12 years an Avant loader from Finland which imo, is the most versatile machine you can buy and a Takeuchi excavator.
So why a Toolcat?
When I first saw them online 15 years ago I thought it was the ultimate machine for farm duties. Being rearer than hens teeth over here, when i saw this last month I jumped on it sight unseen.
I mean what could go wrong right?
Ha.....The owner was a corporate fellow with not much of an idea as to what was wrong with it. Said it had a few leaking somethings around the machine.
So after 16 hrs round trip and first thing is flat tyres. De rimmed the tyre getting off the tilt tray and the fun begins. I fixed the puncture and took her for a spin. Hydraulic fluid pissing out everywhere, so i stopped her and checked the sight guage. The ball was sitting on the bottom. I panicked as I thought id stuff the pumps, so grabbed the old oil I had and poured away, not realising it was milky. Just gets better and better, so back to the shed and now have the extra job of removing the milky Hydraulic oil as well. Nothing like getting a new machine and have it jacked up from the get go, hey.
Toolcats dont have a drain plug, so they say to remove via a 12v pump. I'd only removed 1/2 gal before the new pump went up in smoke. Must be the viscosity.
Leaking "somewhere" turns out to be front tilt ram, cargo box lift ram and the 4 in 1 bucket. Next is the constant velocity boots which I have repaired with silicone for the moment.
Surface rust here and there, but not like your machines as seen in videos.
The fellow who owned it paid $100k back in 09, i paid $38k delivered, so I guess it'll owe me $40k odd by the time I get her up to speed, which in Australia is ok i guess. There's a down under tax over here for everything more from the States.
After 3 weeks waiting on parts and some extra tools for the job, I gave her a fluid change with filters. I'd say she's never had these changed out by the looks of the filters.
So current issue is air in the system, which I'll address in the proper forum.
Thank you
I recently moved up from Sydney to Oberon NSW which sits up on the Great Dividing Range which is the main mountain range, running North/south the entire East coast of Australia and is classed as high country with occasional snow, but is only 1150 mtrs or 3372 ft in your language. Our highest mountain is only 7309 ft, just a hill.
Was a builder and have had 2 Bobcats previously. A 610 with Wisconsin engine from memory and a 743 years ago. Last 12 years an Avant loader from Finland which imo, is the most versatile machine you can buy and a Takeuchi excavator.
So why a Toolcat?
When I first saw them online 15 years ago I thought it was the ultimate machine for farm duties. Being rearer than hens teeth over here, when i saw this last month I jumped on it sight unseen.
I mean what could go wrong right?
Ha.....The owner was a corporate fellow with not much of an idea as to what was wrong with it. Said it had a few leaking somethings around the machine.
So after 16 hrs round trip and first thing is flat tyres. De rimmed the tyre getting off the tilt tray and the fun begins. I fixed the puncture and took her for a spin. Hydraulic fluid pissing out everywhere, so i stopped her and checked the sight guage. The ball was sitting on the bottom. I panicked as I thought id stuff the pumps, so grabbed the old oil I had and poured away, not realising it was milky. Just gets better and better, so back to the shed and now have the extra job of removing the milky Hydraulic oil as well. Nothing like getting a new machine and have it jacked up from the get go, hey.
Toolcats dont have a drain plug, so they say to remove via a 12v pump. I'd only removed 1/2 gal before the new pump went up in smoke. Must be the viscosity.
Leaking "somewhere" turns out to be front tilt ram, cargo box lift ram and the 4 in 1 bucket. Next is the constant velocity boots which I have repaired with silicone for the moment.
Surface rust here and there, but not like your machines as seen in videos.
The fellow who owned it paid $100k back in 09, i paid $38k delivered, so I guess it'll owe me $40k odd by the time I get her up to speed, which in Australia is ok i guess. There's a down under tax over here for everything more from the States.
After 3 weeks waiting on parts and some extra tools for the job, I gave her a fluid change with filters. I'd say she's never had these changed out by the looks of the filters.
So current issue is air in the system, which I'll address in the proper forum.
Thank you
