Review of Terex PT-50 Skidsteer
The Terex PT-50 is a pile of $#!^ dressed up to look like a skid loader. From its engineering to its power and performance, this thing is the redheaded stepchild of skid loaders. Wow, why don't you tell us how you really feel? As someone that owned and operated one, I'm going to share with you everything that I have learned for the three months I was stuck owning one. Today I'm going to cover the engineering, power performance of a Terex PT-50 so that you guys can make the right purchasing decision.
What was I thinking?
The story goes: I just needed a new track Skid Loader to get through a few projects I had coming up. I've owned and operated many Bobcat, John Deere's and New Holland, but I wanted a new toy to play with. What a fun experiment to try out a new Terex PT-50. It turned out it wasn't that fun, and that's where it all went downhill. The Terex PT-50 is meant to be a mid-size tracked skid loader but that's where the comparison to other skilled loaders ends. So the first thing you're going to notice when you crawl into the cab of a Terex PT-50 is the power (or the lack there of). It’s rated to 50 horsepower, putting it right in the middle of the pack of mid-size Skid loaders. But the perceived power to the tracks is far less. In fact, I will feel more comfortable taking one of these bad boys out of my job site than I would the Terex. Actually, I do have to give credit to Terex. It's the first machine that I've ever run that could get itself stuck not even working. Just backing up a two-to-one slope, without a load on, this machine would stall out due to lack of power. I know what you're thinking, and yes it was brought into the shop and checked out. There are so many flaws in the design, body, and track of the Terex PT-50, that I think the engineers misunderstood the "bring your kid to work day" for "let your kids do your work day".
I am really confused.
Me too! I also discovered the Terex undersized the pins and bushings on the PT-50. Now, even though this is a Bobcat, if you put any twist or torsion on these lower arms these would be the weak point that would rip and tear. This will cause major damage to the entire machine. When I found that out, I hated this machine so bad that within three months I would do just about anything to get it off my job site. The rest of Terex equipment might be great, but I'm guessing that Terex will probably never talk to me again. But if they're smart, they'll listen. This may not reflect the rest of the Terex line up. I have never run any of the other Terex equipment. “Don’t lie, you're just too afraid to try another one out”. The best thing I can say about the Terex PT-50 is: "I no longer own one". Now I want to hear from you guys. Tell me about your nightmare scenarios with a piece of equipment in the comments down below. God bless
