Bobcat MT55

[KBacks1]

I have been thinking very seriously about buying a Bobcat MT55 first thing Monday morning, and I was just wondering how many of you have owned or operated one and your opinions of them.

Monday morning is right around the corner; replies as soon as possible please

 

[brendonv]

I think there is two amazingly priced mini loaders in treebay from the inventor of an amazing grapple.

 

[tomthetreeman]

[ QUOTE ]
I think there is two amazingly priced mini loaders in treebay from the inventor of an amazing grapple.

[/ QUOTE ]

I echo this statement. I wish I had the coin for the Thomas!

-Tom

 

[KBacks1]

I have seen the ones in treebay but I was just really wondering what every body thought about the usefulness of a smaller skidster.
The MT55m's specs look real good A little bigger then the ones in treebay.


http://www.bobcat.com/loaders/models/minitrackloader/mt55

 

[Lumberjack]

What's your budget look like? Centralia Illinois is fairly flat (mon-mountainous) and non marshy/sandy on average, correct? If so, I'd prefer tires to tracks. Is 36" a must?

The Thomas has the best controls of any mini skid I've ran. For the price of the Thomas, it's hard to go wrong for your first mini. You could recoup most of your investment after running it for a year or two. The Thomas is ~39" wide with stock tires/wheels. In nearly 4 years of owning mine, I've not had a job the width made me hand drag.

If I were buying new, I'd get a Boxer 427W and put Thomas controls in it.

If I had to go through a 36" gate, and wanted to buy new, I'd get a 500 series Boxer and put in Thomas controls.

I've not done it, but it's entirely possible to make a Thomas under 36" wide.


Bobcat specifically, they are a good machine with fair controls. They are a general nightmare to work on however. Get a sulky/chariot if you get one, walking behind is just silly.

 

[KBacks1]

I'm not all that concerned about getting through a 36'' gate.

The reason I really was going with the bobcat is that a dealers only forty min. away and from the research I've done there giving me a real good price on it. Taking in consideration the hours, wear & tear. Not to mention I'm giving them 5k down and financing the rest, witch getting credit has been a pain in the butt to get so that will help me out in the future on larger purchases.

Thanks for the great pics and advice

 

[Lumberjack]

If you could put $5k down, you could owe the Thomas outright and work some good fortune and have a Branch Manager grapple with no payments.

With the Thomas you don't need dealer support unless you're mechanically oblivious. Most minis are fairly simple, the Bobcat has an extraordinary amount of stuff crammed in there.

The Bobcat uses it's own attachment plate which the Gehl Al140 also uses. Nearly all other minis use the same plate which makes it easier to find deals on attachments.

Credit score matters, and credit history plays a part in most scores, but debt to income matters a lot more for loan approval unless you have no history. In that case a credit card would be an excellent start since you don't have to pay interest to "use" that credit.

 

[thood]

If the price is right, any of them do the job. Used one for a couple of years, loved it, if you get one I suggest leaving the platform off, so much easier to walk behind, plus the wheel can do turf damage.