The next "Swiss Army Knife?" New Toolcat utility vehicle from Bobcat Co. designed for unlimited task versatility in many applications - Industry News - Ingersoll-Rand

Diesel Progress North American Edition, Jan, 2003 by Mike Mercer

It is generally accepted that Bobcat Co. was the key creator and developer of that most ubiquitous and versatile of all engine-powered machines, the skid-steer loader, considered the "Swiss Army Knife" of mobile machinery for its amazing versatility and ability to do all kinds of jobs.

And now the West Fargo, N.D.-based division of Ingersoll-Rand may have done it again with the introduction of its new Toolcat 5600, a four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer vehicle with a single, front-mounted loader arm that the company has dubbed a "utility work machine."

"The Toolcat machine is the result of more than three years of planning and development, representing Bobcat Co.'s commitment to provide customers with innovative equipment solutions," said Doug Freitag, vice president of sales and marketing for North America. "The result is a new product category we're calling utility work machines."

The Toolcat 5600 is designed to go through tough ground conditions, including mud and snow, while still being agile enough to work in sensitive areas, such as turf. The machine was designed to be simple and intuitive in control layout and operation, using a steering wheel rather than Bobcat's usual joystick controls.

"The design and functionality of the Toolcat work machine is based on the feedback we got from compact equipment users in several markets," said Mike Henline, Bobcat utility products marketing manager. "In our research, equipment users told us they were looking for a steerable machine that would work well on all surfaces, and versatile enough to handle several applications, including grounds maintenance, mowing, snow removal, ground leveling, lifting pallets, planting trees and shrubs as well as fencing and decorative landscaping. The customers were also looking for a machine that had four-wheel drive and could travel quickly from jobsite to jobsite, and also had the ability to carry supplies and a coworker."

The Toolcat 5600 is full of innovations -- there were 17 patents applied for during the design of this machine and as of this writing, six have been granted, Bobcat said. It is part utility vehicle, part lawn mower, part wheel loader, part skid-steer loader, part pickup truck and really, with the correct attachment, part anything the operator needs it to be.

"The multi-attachment versatility of the Toolcat machine will make it ideal for many different markets," said Henline. "It was designed specifically for the needs of professionals in grounds maintenance, parks departments, municipalities, colleges and universities, schools and medical institutions, golf courses, nurseries, as well as landscape and animal farm operations."

In many ways, the Toolcat is a significant departure for Bobcat, but even at that, the company made sure that from a production standpoint, it wasn't too unique. "When the machine was in the development phase, a concerted effort was made to use existing, off-the-shelf components," said Jeff Dahl, product development engineer; new products group at Bobcat. "The components may or may not be directly off of other Bobcat products, but in most cases they are right out of a supplier's standard product range."

Whenever possible, the company avoided developing custom components. This kept costs in line wherever possible and also shortened and simplified development, Bobcat said.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Toolcat 5600 is the installation of the engine and ancillary components. The Toolcat is powered by a four-cylinder Kubota 2203 diesel engine rated 44 hp at 2850 rpm. In an interesting bit of packaging, the engine, which includes a Donaldson air filter and muffler, is mounted transversely between the frame rails just behind the cab and under the cargo bed. Just behind the engine, also between the frame rails below the dump box, the engineers have horizontally mounted the Blissfield oil cooler and Thermasys engine radiator. A thermostatically controlled hydraulically driven fan is used to keep air flowing through the coolers.

The cooling air is drawn from below the dump box and pushed downwards through the radiator assembly in an attempt to minimize the amount of debris potentially clogging the radiator. The design is also configured to allow easy separation of the radiators for cleaning.

For vehicle ground drive, two Bosch Rexroth 28 cc/rev electronically controlled hydrostatic axial piston pumps are belt driven off the engine. The pumps power two Corner two-speed axial piston hydraulic motors, which deliver power to the wheels through a Corner gearbox and drive axle assembly The rear axle incorporates a differential lock feature. The tires are available in either a turf tread design or a lugged design for more rugged conditions.

The Toolcat's two-speed, hydrostatic drive system can be shifted on-the-fly and a drive pedal controls travel speed. The engine throttle is independent of the ground speed control pedal. This allows full engine speed to be used while running hydraulic attachments as the vehicle is either stationary or being maneuvered at varying ground speeds.