Rubber tracks vs tires on skidsteers

[art]

For tire life you have to remember that these things are called Skid Steers, in order to turn you are skidding something!!!!!

Tires life on hard surface, good ones 800 plus hours
cheap ones, 600
Steel tracks life over tires--1,000 hours max.
Rubber tracks life 2,000 hours max.

Traction with rubber tracks on ice, near none
Traction with steel tracks on ice good
Sandy condition or loose soil, tracks a must!

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the reply Equipmentpro99. From what I have decided, the best way for me to complete large projects when I buy my first house would be renting equipment at times of need. It would be ok to rent a backhoe or tracked loader for so much money a day if I did not have regular use for it year round. I know people that rent skidsteers etc for plowing snow at businesses and I think its a great idea as long as you are making back a good investment from what you had to pay to rent the equipment. Equipment breaking down while snow plowing can get costly for sure. I cant believe how some people make money on it with how much equipment and parts cost now. I have rented trailers every few months lately here to accomplish different task. I see it very affordable as well to rent trailers because one day I will need a car dolly, another I will need a u haul 6x12 enclosed trailer, another day I will need a car dolly to move my tool box and etc.

How often do you expect to be renting equipment? The nice part is that it's always taken care of and if it breaks down, you don't have to repair it. But the cost of renting something over and over again will quickly equal what it costs to buy one. Having it sitting around and not using it is a very nice thing over the long term because it's always there when you need it and you don't have to think twice about using it. Taking out trees, picking up down limbs, digging a ditch, building up a road or just lifting something heavy.

The contractors that I know, and sometimes myself, rent equipment for jobs because it's faster and easier to have it delivered or pick it up for what needs to be done and the cost of that rental is part of the job. The client is paying for it.

As for tracks over skids, I don't care for either because I'm not a fan of skid steers. For everything they do, there is something else out there that does it better. Usually A LOT better!!!! The advantage the skid steer has is that it's small and easy to transport, it does most everything to a certain degree and it's very versatile. What I hate about them is they are painfully uncomfortable, everything they do takes longer then any other type of tractor and they tear up the ground worse then a dozer. Clients always complain about the damage they do to the ground, their lawns and especially their concrete. Nobody wants ruts and black rubber tracks all over the place.

Saying that, tracks have the ability to operate when tires wont. Skid steers with tires do not work well in mud. Even if the ground feels dry, if there is any moisture in the ground under the grass, a couple of passes over the same path and you will find the mud and get stuck. With tracks, you can operate right after it rains and pretty much keep going if it's muddy out. I'm not saying you can go through swamp mud, but wet ground and mud too slippery to walk on is doable. The mess is still there, but you are able to be productive instead of waiting for things to dry out.

Eddie

 

[diesel lover]

How often do you expect to be renting equipment? The nice part is that it's always taken care of and if it breaks down, you don't have to repair it. But the cost of renting something over and over again will quickly equal what it costs to buy one. Having it sitting around and not using it is a very nice thing over the long term because it's always there when you need it and you don't have to think twice about using it. Taking out trees, picking up down limbs, digging a ditch, building up a road or just lifting something heavy.

The contractors that I know, and sometimes myself, rent equipment for jobs because it's faster and easier to have it delivered or pick it up for what needs to be done and the cost of that rental is part of the job. The client is paying for it.

As for tracks over skids, I don't care for either because I'm not a fan of skid steers. For everything they do, there is something else out there that does it better. Usually A LOT better!!!! The advantage the skid steer has is that it's small and easy to transport, it does most everything to a certain degree and it's very versatile. What I hate about them is they are painfully uncomfortable, everything they do takes longer then any other type of tractor and they tear up the ground worse then a dozer. Clients always complain about the damage they do to the ground, their lawns and especially their concrete. Nobody wants ruts and black rubber tracks all over the place.

Saying that, tracks have the ability to operate when tires wont. Skid steers with tires do not work well in mud. Even if the ground feels dry, if there is any moisture in the ground under the grass, a couple of passes over the same path and you will find the mud and get stuck. With tracks, you can operate right after it rains and pretty much keep going if it's muddy out. I'm not saying you can go through swamp mud, but wet ground and mud too slippery to walk on is doable. The mess is still there, but you are able to be productive instead of waiting for things to dry out.

Eddie

I plan on purchasing a compact utility tractor after I buy my first house. It will have a Front end loader and 4wd. I have a Massey Ferguson diesel that is the size of a 9n. It can accomplish a lot of jobs. It pulls and powers a brush hog better than a 30 horse power larger sized ford we used to have! It is 25 horse power but lots of torque! For now renting is a good option till I am settled in the state of Indiana.

 

[bdog]

I have two tracked skid steers and one rubber tracked crawler dump.

They are awesome for getting around. They will go places you will never get with tires. I guess it all depends on what you are doing but I think they are great. I have not dad to fool with the tracks on either of my skid steers yet but I did replace them on my crawler. It cost around $2000.

 

[paulharvey]

For tire life you have to remember that these things are called Skid Steers, in order to turn you are skidding something!!!!!

Tires life on hard surface, good ones 800 plus hours
cheap ones, 600
Steel tracks life over tires--1,000 hours max.
Rubber tracks life 2,000 hours max.

Traction with rubber tracks on ice, near none
Traction with steel tracks on ice good
Sandy condition or loose soil, tracks a must!

I had been told that the squirrel cage type (possi track, cat 247/257/277/287//297, terex) lasted about 1800-2400 hours but where more expensive too replace. The bull gear type (bobcat, John deere, car-279/289/299) didn't last quit as long (1200-1800 hours) but cost about half as much to replace. I don't see $8/hour of track and undercarriage maintance.

 

[art]

I had been told that the squirrel cage type (possi track, cat 247/257/277/287//297, terex) lasted about 1800-2400 hours but where more expensive too replace. The bull gear type (bobcat, John deere, car-279/289/299) didn't last quit as long (1200-1800 hours) but cost about half as much to replace. I don't see $8/hour of track and undercarriage maintance.

Track wear, tire wear is different with conditions as well as the design. We have a fellow that uses his skid steer on mud with a hard dirt base. He gets about 1200 to 1500 hours on the good tires. Have some in quarry use and they could barely get 600 hours on the good tires.

 

[Rustyiron]

I have to agree 100% with "equipmentpro99" For raw traction in the woods, dirt, or in mud, that is mud with a "bottom" under it 8-10", an over the tire steel track will run circles around a r/track machine. In the snow, they are like ice skates, park the tracks and chain up. Now for flotation on sand or a "bottomless" mud hole, the r/track machine shines here. My experience is that the Grouser tracks that I have run for 10 years now, (on my 2nd set) seem to extend the tire life. My question is the balance of wearing out the tracks or the tires when the additional traction is not needed. My 12 ply 14x17,5 tires are around $400 each and with a long wb. machine they are subject to more wear than a short wb. unit. There is a trade off for all options. Unless you are putting 40 hours a week on your machine, I really wouldn't consider track vs tire vs metal trck/tire combination a major decision in your purchase. Get the machine that will work the best for your needs. If I won the lottery, I'd have a CTL and a SS and a all wheel steer Bobcat:cool2:
For my needs, I like the traction & flexabilty of the OTT tracks.

 

[paulharvey]

Does bobcat still make the A300 all wheel steer? Haven't seen a newer one in a while. I know some paving crews like them to run a milling head because they can follow the curb better.

 

[ovrszd]

I agree with Art. Brother bought his T300 with 2100 hrs and new pair of tracks.

I can't agree with Eddies statement about some other piece of equipment always being able to complete jobs better than SS.

Between brother an I we have 32hp CUT with FEL, 95hp Utility tractor with FEL, T300 Bobcat and a NH 115 fullsize backhoe. Each have their place. In the T300s world nothing else we have can compete with it's efficiency.

 

[Kycorr]

I have a Mahindra 4X4 that I use on a small cattle farm in Central Kentucky. Very hilly clay. A real nightmare to move any load if ground is wet, snow, ice etc... After sliding off of hillsides into the woodline a couple of times and having to go hat in hand to get a neighbor with a monster 100 hp 4X4 to pull me out.....I spent $700 on chains for all 4 wheels. Not much improvement.... filled tires with solid foam to add weight and eliminate flats from honey locust thornes, but still got stuck, slid down grades...makes it hard to feed round bales to cattle when tractor is hung up in the trees...We found an older ASV 4500 CTL this fall. 80 HP with 18" wide rubber tracks. MAN!! what a difference. Feeding round bales now takes a fraction of the time it used to take as I can go through mud, manure, snow, ice without any fear of sliding. The "pucker factor" has all but been eliminated. Much kinder to my feeding area too, as the ground pressure from the ASV is around 3 PSI and doesn't cut ruts the way the chained 4X4 Mahindra did. If i'm careful to do three point turns instead of skid steering, it barely leaves marks. I'll never feed with a tractor here in wet conditions if I don't have to. The Mahindra (really a re-badged TYM) is a great tractor, but absolutely can't compare to the CTL in traction capabilities.