Some real Trac-tors...

[Bob_Skurka]

I am trying to get the wife to approve the purchase of an old Cletrac or Oliver crawler tractor. They have great stability, low COG and low soil compaction. And besides, I think it would be a lot of fun in the snow!

I know that NH makes a fairly small crawler tractor for orchards, something in the 50 or 60hp range? But it is a pure crawler, where these Kubota's have only the rears as with the crawler tracks. I also noticed that they did not modify their rear fenders, which still have the shape of a regular wheel fender, so I wonder if the tractors will be availble with EITHER a rear wheel or a rear track?

 

[Tractors4u]

Henro,

I know you are a Kubota man, but did you see any other brands? I know at one time Yanmar built a compact with full tracks, not just on the rear. Iseki also had a set up like the Kubota.

 

[ledebuhr1]

henro, Do you work for Kubota? How do you get to go to this kind of show??
Where there any engineers there from Kubota that you could talk to about what you would like changed?

Also, I noticed the larger tracked tractor, the 33hp one, looked like the L-grand, but with a more rounded look.
Will these models, or features ever come to the states?

 

[markie61]

Man, that is a SUPER COOL website!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

The video page is AMAZING!!!!

I got to get me some of them there things!!!!!!!!

Mark

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue">I also noticed that they did not modify their rear fenders, which still have the shape of a regular wheel fender, so I wonder if the tractors will be availble with EITHER a rear wheel or a rear track?
</font>

Bob,

From what I can see that is the case. I have some pictures of the same tractors with wheels on the back...I plan on posting them sometime soon as part of a series of pics I took at that show...will put that in the Kubota forum...

I have a brochure for this series tractor that shows the track tractors as part of the line up...I think they probably need to be ordered that way...don't know if they offer an optional conversion kit or not.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue">I know you are a Kubota man, but did you see any other brands? </font>

I really wanted to somehow visit a Yanmar showroom or show, but that did not happen. Yanmar, is a pretty big company in Japan producing things like the bullet trains and various other stuff.

Guess that gives me something to shoot for next time I go over for a visit... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue">I know you are a Kubota man, but did you see any other brands? </font>

Ha, Ha! I'm happy to report that I don't work for anyone but the wife anymore! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I asked my wife to call the Kubota headquarters in Osaka, her home town, while we were there and to ask if there was anyway I could visit a factory while in Japan. Sounded like if I were a dealer from the states that might have been possible...but I'm not so it wasn't. But the guy she talked to got back with some info on some "expositions" I think he called them.

These were shows open to the public, mostly farmers from what I could see. I just went to one of the 2 or 3 that were on the list the guy faxed to us.

Don't know if any of the features will make it to the states or not...I am sure there we engineers there, but Japanese is not that good [especially on the technical side... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif ] so I mostly just walked around, looking at what was going on, taking some photos and that sort of thing.

 

[Taylortractornut]

By the looks of the bolt pattern on the drive sprocket I'd put money on it that they can have both tracks and tires. I think they would have a boss or other mounting place to slide the track idler and rolelr frames in to. Plus the gearing is probably figured into match a rear tire set up to.

 

[yellowsocks93]

The JD track tractors move pretty good down the road. Over the summer I had to drive a 9520T down the highway for an hour and my top speed was 19.2 MPH at 2100 RPM. I think a smaller track tractors would be great for snowplowing. Skid steers are great with tracks.

 

[AndyMA]

I know some of you have seen them before, but for those who haven't here is a picture of the New Holland tracked tractor based on the TN series which is marketed in the US.


Andy