Back in 1982 I bought a Williames Wildcat to use on a property I owned at Batlow NSW. It was powered by an ancient Wisconsin V4 motor and was very hard on the ears. I had a few initial problems involving the original chain. One side had been converted to a larger and more robust chain, the other was the original version and kept breaking at when stressed. I ended up doing a bit of work on that side, replacing the chain with a better quality and then rpelacing the two wheel sprockets with new units. That fixed the situation although that side of the machine needed a lot more regular tensioning that the other. I was really pleased with the way that it slashed blackberry and moved fallen logs.
I was also pretty amazed at the simple logic of the power unit/hydraulic set up. Remove a few bolts and you can lift the whole lot out as one unit – try doing that in your Austrak!!
Anyway when I sold the property I sold the Wildcat. It eventually ended up in Melbourne. If you see a red rusting hulk around the place it could well be mine. I repainted it…wish I hadn’t!
Prior to buying the Wildcat I had some contact with Geoff Williames, who at that time was marketing the new SuperCat (Supacat?). He was a great guy to speak with and sent me a heap of info about my machine for nothing….only a few years back when I enquired at Williames HiTech they generously offered to build me a new Wildcat….now I took a breath and thought that my pockets were not deep enough for that.
I ended up finding a site which is now defunct on which there was a fair bit of discussion about Austrak RT45’s and it was through that contact that I found a machine in Eildon Vic which I ended up purchasing to use on my property near Tumbarumba NSW…after a 20 year gap of not having a property. Through that site I also made contact with Jim Deering in Gippsland who has been a huge support. I don’t think there is much Jim does not know about Austrak.
In the last few years I have had contact with a number of other owners. Out of that we have mapped Austrak machines in Gippsland Vic, Otways Vic, South West Slopes NSW, South Coast NSW, North West Tablelands NSW and Tasmania plus one or two who haven’t given a location. Most recently a newer Austrak popped up on Trading Post complete with FEL and Backhoe …only to be sold almost instantly.
I also was contacted by a fellow in the Otways who had converted his Wildcat to a Subaru EA81 motor…a really elegant solution. I can supply the photos if poeple are interested.
My saga with the Austrak has been interesting. I had some major issues a couple of years back which cost me about $2500 to rectify. One side started making a noise like there was someone inside with a five pound hammer. In the end the repairer was scratching his head about just how he had fixed it and pulled up just shy of admitting what Jim Deering had much earlier opined about it being caused by air in the lines. I think Jim was absolutely correct.
Anyway that’s my story I hope you will comment with your own……..
austrakwildcat - email austrakwildcat@gmail.com 
G’Day Mate,
I am fortunate enough to have inheritted an old unused Austrak RT45 with several attachments.
Reading your comments re. a man with a five pound hammer and air in hydraulics reminds me of an episode I had with a SAME Panther 90HP tractor. A huge knock developed one day while I was slashing on an extremely sleep slope which had me convinced a big end has gone in the motor.
I Stripped that bloody tractor down to bare bolts and found nothing wrong, reassembled it and still had the knock,,that is when I noticed the hydraulic lines to the power steering beating a perfect rythm with the knock, topped up the hydraulic resevoir for the power steering and hey presto no knock.
That SAME has been the best tractor I have had here and hasn’t missedv a beat since.At least I Know the old girl inside and out, now.
I am interested in finding out as much as I can about my soon to be collected Austrac RT45 which still has the original motor, can you put me onto someone who might have manuals, spare parts, etc., please?
G’day guys,
This is amazing stuff…… what I can tell you about Austrak skid steer tractors and the guy / guys behind you won’t beleive. I worked for them for 3+ years, I learnt so much!
Cheers, Andy
hi Andy I also worked for Australian tractor manufacturers when they first started building then in a shed at Geebung in Brisbane the two brothers were great to work for I built a lot of them from the ground up I was also responsible for the building of The Silvan austrac orchid sprayer and the date picking version that went to Saudi Arabia towards the end of their time in Brisbane before they moved to VIC I was doing all the service and repairs for customers
i haven’t heard what happened to them are they still making them
cheers Glenn
Hi Glenn,
so good to see former employees of Austrak coming out of the woodwork. We have had a extensive contact with Norris Wheelan and John Sprovieri at one point. I’m wondering if you could fill us in on the details and specs of the Silvan Austrak. I have only ever seen one in the flesh being used on an orchard in Batlow NSW in the early 1980’s. Plus the film footage on the “Turkey Shoot ” B grade classic movie movie. Any info you can provide about that model would be greatly appreciated. Also I was intrigued with your reference to “the brothers” you mentioned in your post. My mate Jim Deering is pretty well briefed on the Victorian manufacturing period, but neither of us has had any info about the initial Qld enterprise. Can you fill us in on the brothers and the story of the Qld Austrak facility.
The company had a chequered career in Victoria. As far as we know the most recent Australian made Austraks date from about 1989. Shaft drive models with Cummins engines. The company went down hill, partly I think because of the upward price movement making them increasingly expensive. At some point around the mid 80’s the company decided to quit Australia and went into business in Sasketchwan in Canada. The remaining string of Australian Austrak carcasses and components was contracted out to Gason in Ararat Vic to be completed and then sold. The consensus was they were the best examples made anywhere, many were produced with cabins. In the end Gason made little money out of it and the last machines were sold off at discount prices.
Sprovieri and Norris were in Canada at that point working on adapting the design to local requirements. None of that went particularly well and the whole thing went down the gurgler pretty quickly….Norris indicated that the number of machines produced there was a max of one or two. The funny thing is that quite recently this site had questions from two individuals in relation to purchasing what is probably the only existing Canadian produced Austrak. They were going to send pics but unfortunately they got gazumped by another buyer.
Anyway the company went under, the Canadian investors made a substantial loss. Norris came back to Australia and John Sprovieri moved to the USA. At one point in the mid 2000’s he contacted Norris and myself about an idea he had to produce a new Austrak model. Sadly that seems to have come to nothing.
Looking forward to hearing from you.