ASV

ASV RT-135

$132,000before options, dealer-quotedRadial LiftRubber tracks

Rated capacity of tipping load35%

3,500 lb rated10,000 lb tipping

The bright segment is what ASV RT-135 is rated to carry; the grey run past it is the rest of its tipping load. Bar length is tipping load drawn to the same scale on every machine on the site, so a short bar is a smaller machine and not a conservative rating.

The ASV RT-135 is the most powerful Posi-Track loader ASV builds - a 132 hp Cummins turbo-diesel, up to 50 GPM of high flow, and a 12,000 lb frame designed to run mulching heads all day. It's a purpose-built attachment powerhouse more than a bucket machine.

Suits: Vegetation management and land clearing with mulchers and high-flow attachments running full time Its radial lift path reaches furthest at mid-height, for digging, grading and backfilling.

Lifting and reach

Rated operating capacityTrack loader rating convention: 3,500 lbs
Tipping load: 10,000 lbs
Lift height to hinge pin: 125 in
Lift path: Radial Lift
Operating weight: 12,075 lbs

Power and hydraulics

Engine power: 132 hp
Engine: Cummins QSF3.8
Auxiliary flowStandard circuit: 20 GPM
Flow type: Standard
Warranty: 2 yr / 2,000 hr

Fitted or available

What this machine can be ordered with. Some of these are standard and some cost extra, and which is which moves between trim levels, so check them against the quote rather than against this list.

Radial LiftHigh-FlowEnclosed CabTwo-SpeedSelf-LevelingA/C & HeatTracksA/CHigh-Flow Available

What owners report

Summarised from the sources listed below. Nothing here was tested by us.

Flotation and hydraulic capacity are what this machine sells, and it sells them harder than anything else in the class. The Cummins QSF3.8 makes 132 hp and 360 lb-ft, the high-flow circuit runs to 50 GPM off an oversized 66 GPM pump so an attachment keeps working while the machine moves, and 12,075 lb spread over the suspended Posi-Track undercarriage comes out at 4.7 psi with 15 in of ground clearance. Land clearing and vegetation management crews are the intended buyers and the design reflects it everywhere.

The undercarriage is the whole argument. Two independent torsion axles per side, redesigned 20 percent stronger than the RT-120's, carry 24 polyurethane-and-rubber wheels per track on a flexible band driven by an internal sprocket - which is why ASV can offer a no-derailment guarantee alongside the 2-year, 2,000-hour warranty. The rest of the machine is built to keep debris out rather than to be dug out afterwards: sealed fuse panels, foam-blocked openings, a fuel tank that seals against the cab, tilting belly pans and a swing-out cooling package. The cost of all those contact points is that they are all things to inspect and eventually replace, and undercarriage work on a 12,000 lb machine is expensive.

Right for crews who mulch, clear and push on soft ground full time and wrong for anyone whose main job is loading trucks - the vertical-lift VT-100 carries the same 3,500 lb for about $34,000 less, and the premium here buys engine and flow rather than capacity. Two things to settle before signing: confirm the machine actually has the high-flow package, because at 20 GPM standard it cannot feed the attachments that justify it, and decide whether you want this or the separate RT-135 Forestry, which is a heavier machine with higher capacity and genuine forestry guarding.

What owners like

132 hp and 360 lb-ft from the Cummins QSF3.8, feeding a high-flow circuit of 50 GPM that is fed in turn by an oversized 66 GPM auxiliary pump. The oversizing is the part that matters: there is reserve oil held back so a mulching head keeps turning at full speed while you are also driving the machine, rather than the head bogging every time you move.
Flotation is the real argument for this platform. 12,075 lb spread across 18 in tracks works out to 4.7 psi, and the suspended undercarriage carries the machine on two independent torsion axles per side with 24 polyurethane-and-rubber wheels per track rather than a handful of steel rollers. On slash, soft forest floor and wet ground it floats where a steel-track machine trenches.
15 in of ground clearance, which is extraordinary for a compact track loader and exactly what you want driving over stumps and slash rather than dragging a belly pan across them.
Its 3,500 lb rating is quoted at 35 percent of a 10,000 lb tipping load - the conservative convention most of the industry uses for track loaders. Unlike the New Holland and Case machines that headline at 50 percent, this number needs no adjustment before comparison, and the underlying stability is genuinely there.
ASV backs the undercarriage with a 2-year, 2,000-hour warranty that includes a no-derailment guarantee, which is a meaningful commitment given that the flexible track and internal positive drive sprocket are the whole basis of the design.
Built to keep debris out rather than merely to be cleaned afterwards: heavy-gauge steel hood, foam seals over exposed areas, sealed fuse panels, and a fuel tank that intersects the cab for a tighter seal. Tilting belly pans, a swing-out cooling package and a hinge-up air conditioning condenser make the daily clean-down quick.
A roof escape hatch is standard, which ASV is alone in fitting to compact track loaders and which matters on a machine that works under standing timber.

What owners complain about

The 20 GPM standard auxiliary circuit is low for a machine of this size and price, so in practice this loader only makes sense with the high-flow package. A base-spec machine is not the loader the launch coverage describes, and a used one without high flow is a 132 hp carrier you cannot feed.
At roughly $132,000 it costs about $34,000 more than ASV's own VT-100, which carries an identical 3,500 lb rating. The money buys engine and hydraulics, not lift capacity - 132 hp against 104, and 12,075 lb of machine against 10,835. Be clear that is the trade you are making, because on the spec line that matters to a truck-loading buyer the two are the same machine.
Radial lift with 125 in to the bucket pin makes it a poor truck loader for its size. The VT-100 is the vertical-lift machine in ASV's range; this one is shaped for pushing, clearing and mulching.
Many wheels and bearings per track is what buys the flotation, and it is also what you maintain. Debris-heavy work means constant attention to the undercarriage, and a rebuild on a 12,000 lb machine is not a cheap afternoon.
This is the base RT-135, not the RT-135 Forestry, and the difference is substantial: the Forestry model rates 4,150 lb on an 11,858 lb tipping load, weighs 12,990 lb, and adds the 3/4-in polycarbonate frameless door, 1/2-in side panels, limb riser and level 2 guarding. Most of the press attention this machine attracts is about that variant. If you are buying for forestry, buy the Forestry.
Owner reporting on this machine is genuinely scarce, which is its own risk at this money. One operator running a 2024 Bobcat T86 forestry machine he was very displeased with went looking for anyone with comparative experience of the RT-135 Forestry or VT-100 Forestry, and got no answer at all. You will struggle to find another owner to ask before you commit.
ASV's dealer network is thin, and this is a flagship that by design works a long way from town. Fuel burn under continuous mulching load is serious too - the machine carries a 52-gallon tank for a reason.

Drawn from asvi.com, earthmovers-magazine.com.au, skidsteerforum.com, aglist.ca.

What buyers ask

What is the difference between the RT-135 and the RT-135 Forestry?

They share the 132 hp Cummins, the hydraulics and the drive system, but the Forestry is a different machine on the numbers that matter: 4,150 lb rated capacity against 3,500, an 11,858 lb tipping load, and 12,990 lb of operating weight. It adds a frameless 3/4-in polycarbonate door, 1/2-in polycarbonate side panels, a built-in limb riser and level 2 guarding meeting forestry rollover and falling-object standards. If you work under standing timber, the guarding is not optional.

Why buy this over ASV's own VT-100 when both are rated at 3,500 lb?

Because the shared headline hides two very different machines. This one has 132 hp against the VT-100's 104, weighs 12,075 lb against 10,835, and is radial-lift where the VT-100 is vertical. You pay roughly $34,000 more for engine, flow and flotation, not for capacity. If your work is loading trucks and stacking, the VT-100 is the better and cheaper machine; if it is mulching and clearing, this one is worth the difference.

Do I need the high-flow package?

Effectively yes. The standard auxiliary circuit is only 20 GPM, which is low even for a 74 hp machine, let alone a 132 hp one. High flow takes it to 50 GPM, fed by an oversized 66 GPM pump that holds oil in reserve so the attachment does not slow when you drive. Without it you own a very powerful carrier that cannot feed anything demanding - check the build sheet carefully on any used machine.

Is the rated capacity comparable across brands?

Yes, directly. ASV publishes 3,500 lb at 35 percent of a 10,000 lb tipping load, which is the conservative convention most track loaders use. That makes it straightforward to compare against a Bobcat or Deere track loader. Be careful comparing it with New Holland and Case track loaders, which headline at 50 percent - their numbers look bigger than the equivalent reserve justifies.

How much undercarriage maintenance does the Posi-Track system need?

More attention than a steel-roller machine, though of a different kind. Each track runs 24 polyurethane-and-rubber wheels on two independent torsion axles, so there are many more bearings and contact points to inspect, and debris-heavy clearing work means daily cleaning. ASV designs for that with tilting belly pans, a swing-out cooling package and a hinge-up condenser, and backs the design with a no-derailment guarantee inside the 2-year, 2,000-hour warranty - but a rebuild on a 12,000 lb machine is a serious bill.

What should I be cautious about before committing to one?

The scarcity of independent owner experience is the honest concern. This is a low-volume flagship, and operators shopping it have gone looking for comparative accounts against machines like the Bobcat T86 and found nobody to answer. Combine that with a thin dealer network and remote work sites, and the sensible precautions are a long demo in your own ground, a written answer on parts availability and response time from the dealer, and confirmation of exactly which options the machine carries.

Put the ASV RT-135 against

ASV VS-75 ASV VT-100 Cat 285

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