Skid Steer - Tracks or Wheels?

[Hilbilly]

I've been thinking of getting a skid steer and was wondering what the pros and cons are for one with tracks vs one with wheels. My main uses will be leveling, grading, brush removal and brush cutting in tight areas and on steep slopes, not well suited to tractor use.

I have never used a skidsteer, but think this may be the machine I need. I have a 75 series excavator with a back fill blade and thumb, that I use for roughing in the areas I am opening up but need something that will get into the tight areas around the trees I leave and leveling out the excavator track gouges (made when turning) and on steep side slopes. So I am thinking a skidsteer. My tractor is scary to use on steep slopes, especially cross slopes and where the terrain is full of hidden potholes. So is a skidsteer the machine I really want and if so should I get one with tracks or wheels?

 

[Cherokee140]

Only thing I will say is if you think wheels are hard on the ground, try tracks.....and you don't have to be "working" the area just getting the machine from where you store it to where you want to use it can be rough on the ground.....that said IMHO unless you are working in an area where you have a traction issue of some kind tracks just add to the expense.

 

[JJZ 109]

My experience is limited, but here goes: I've got a Bobcat S185 wheeled skid steer. I thought tracks would be a superb idea, so I bought a set of Prowler Stealth tracks. Not a bad product, just not right for my use. They may not have rutted the yard quite as much as wheels, but even trying to make turns gradually they tore up grass quite a bit more than wheels. So I agree with Cherokee140 for the most part. The main uses for me are snow removal and loading 350# rolls of aluminum coil onto a seamless gutter machine. On occasion I do use it out in the yard, hence my experiment with tracks to save wheel ruts. It just didn't work out for me and I sold the tracks.
But if your uses are not in residential yards or grassy areas and are for site work or places that you don't have to worry about marking up, tracks may be the way to go for you. They're definitely better for the floatation aspect. But I suggest that if you buy a tracked machine, go with factory tracks - not over the tire tracks.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Seems like tracks are taking over around here. I am not sure I would want either one on a steep slope. The center of gravity is a bit high and the base is small.

 

[jejeosborne]

I would not buy a skid steer without tracks unless you are using it in a dry climate or on pavement. They are so heavy that they get stuck or won't turn in mud or soft ground. Tracks also smooth out the ride. The add on tracks are not the same as a machine built with tracks and are inferior.

 

[JJZ 109]

Tracks also smooth out the ride. The add on tracks are not the same as a machine built with tracks and are inferior.

That was my conclusion also. Over the tire tracks seemed to give me a rougher ride than wheels alone. If I were in the market again, I would at least test drive a factory tracked machine to have a better idea.
But as it is, the skid steer suits my needs much better than the Kubota B3030 cab did. So I'll live with it until the lottery comes in for me.

 

[arlen4720]

Only thing I will say is if you think wheels are hard on the ground, try tracks.....and you don't have to be "working" the area just getting the machine from where you store it to where you want to use it can be rough on the ground.....that said IMHO unless you are working in an area where you have a traction issue of some kind tracks just add to the expense.

Are you saying rubber tracked skid steers are actually harder on ground than wheels? I take it you don't have much experience with skid steers.

 

[milligjg]

I just sold and 873 Bobcat and here are my experiences. It had a set of steel tracks, but I did not put them on right away, well, I buried it (high centered). After I put the tracks on, it became a different machine (for the better). I was clearing brush, moving dirt, spreading gravel, etc. The only reason i sold it was it is getting time for landscaping and getting ready to sow grass seed and skid steers are rough on finish work. It was a great machine for what I needed. I still miss it and just sold it a month ago!
Just an FYI also, the tires on it were foam filled and the steel tracks didn't seem to effect them near as bad.

 

[RDrancher]

Are you saying rubber tracked skid steers are actually harder on ground than wheels? I take it you don't have much experience with skid steers.

Arlen is correct. You can do three point turns with a CTL all day and do very little damage to the ground compared to a wheeled skid. It's easier on the machine as well. Skid steers...especially those with over-the-tire steel tracks aren't gentle on anything.

One thing to keep in mind is the high cost of maintaining a CTL compared to a SS. That said...a CTL will cling to side slopes your tractor and a SS never dreamed of and out-grade both of them too.

 

[Tomtint]

I have a Cat 246 that started life as a tire machine. It was plenty capable as a tire machine but I had to learn its limitations. Tire skid loaders do not do well in mud, they can be brutal on turf if you do not know how to turn without stopping one set of wheels, and grading is a art form with tires. About a year or so ago I bought a set of Logering tracks. The tires come completely off and a whole new undercarrage bolts on to the hubs. Doing this totally changed the characteristics of my 246. It also added over 1000 pounds to it. Grading is far easier, stability on slopes is far better, getting stuck is.... What's that ?. Along with the added pushing power. Where tires would spin and dig in to the ground, the tracks just find traction and keep going. If there is a downside, it would be in snow/ice. With tires, I think I got a bit better traction on hills. The tracks tend to slip and once it looses just a bit of traction, it's all over. However, pushing snow up bankings and snow piles is no problem. The floation with tracks makes it easy to blaze through 2 feet of snow like nothing. Tracks on bare asphalt can be a learning experience and hard on them as well. If I had to pick one over the other it would definitely be tracks.

 

[JJZ 109]

Are you saying rubber tracked skid steers are actually harder on ground than wheels? I take it you don't have much experience with skid steers.

They can be, depending on ground conditions. At least that was my experience with the over the tire tracks. I could turn more gradually and not tear up grass as much with wheels on dry, hard ground. Factory rubber tracks are most likely better, but I don't have one. I don't think I would say that it's an all or nothing proposition. Conditions vary and neither wheels nor tracks are 100% right for every single condition that comes along.

 

[Hilbilly]

What are the extra maintenance requirements and what sort of expenses are we talking about?

Sounds like tracks would be the way to go for what I want. Maybe I should rent one for a day and see how it goes. However not having any experience with one I may not be able to learn much in a day.

 

[tawilson]

Went through the same thing 5 years ago and got a S250 and Grouser tracks. If I had to do over I probably would go with a tracked machine due to the mess mine makes with or without the tracks, and the cost of the ott tracks would have covered one round of maintenance costs, plus I have to buy tires anyways. My neighbor has a tracked machine and he can float across ground I would be tearing up.

 

[RDrancher]

What are the extra maintenance requirements and what sort of expenses are we talking about?

Sounds like tracks would be the way to go for what I want. Maybe I should rent one for a day and see how it goes. However not having any experience with one I may not be able to learn much in a day.

The tracks themselves are obviously more expensive than tires and spinning them on rocks or pavement will kill them in short order. Tracks have to be kept in adjustment or they will fail prematurely or de-track. They're adjusted with a grease gun so its pretty easy. A CTL will also have front and rear idlers, rollers, sprockets and final drives/motors. Keeping the undercarriage clean extends the life of all of the components, including the tracks. Gear oil in the finals should be changed at least every 200 hrs. They hold about a quart each depending on the brand. Final drives cost a minimum of $5k apiece to replace so it's important to keep the oil clean. If you're going to be working on a lot of side slopes I'd suggest double or triple front idlers to help prevent de-tracking. Not the norm, but my Case seems to be okay with single front rollers and they work fine for all of the guys I know that run the same machines. Cat CTL single fronts are know to have problems but they can be upgraded to triple. On that note, I like Cat CTL's but would avoid Cat MTL's. The MTL's share the same undercarriage as ASV/Terex, and while that style of undercarriage rides really nice and works great on ASVs, the Cat machines are heavier and the undercarriage suffers. Bobcat hand and foot controls are mechanically simpler then joystick controls, but I've never found picking things up with my feet to be natural act, so I despise them. Bobcat does have some nice pilot (joystick) controls though. For a simple "tough as nails" machine, I'd look at Takeuchi or the older Gehl and Mustang machines since they were produced by Tak. Just as tough but more money are the Kubotas. Tak and Kubota are the only dedicated (fully welded) undercarriage machines, all of the the others are a bolt-on design. They're also the only machines with flip-up doors if you get a cab. A big plus in my book. Final thoughts...a good dealer trumps a lot of minuses when it comes to fixing any of them.

 

[Hilbilly]

Lots of great info there RD and thanks. I'm going to go and change the final drive oil on my excavator right now! Hasn't been done since I got it.

 

[tawilson]

Rd. Good point about the flip up doors. I have to take mine off to use my backhoe attachment, or if I need to leave the load up in the air. Also, now I'm getting alarms that the door is open even when it's not on. It locks the loader up each time.

 

[arlen4720]

They can be, depending on ground conditions. At least that was my experience with the over the tire tracks. I could turn more gradually and not tear up grass as much with wheels on dry, hard ground. Factory rubber tracks are most likely better, but I don't have one. I don't think I would say that it's an all or nothing proposition. Conditions vary and neither wheels nor tracks are 100% right for every single condition that comes along.

Over the wheel tracks don't make it a tracked skid loader. A rubber track machine will do far less turf damage than a wheeled machine, there is no comparison.

 

[JJZ 109]

Over the wheel tracks don't make it a tracked skid loader. A rubber track machine will do far less turf damage than a wheeled machine, there is no comparison.

As I noted in the quote.

 

[Cherokee140]

Are you saying rubber tracked skid steers are actually harder on ground than wheels? I take it you don't have much experience with skid steers.

I never explain myself real well....I am saying it is harder on your yard....the smallest direction change has much more surface area to slide on....like the above poster said if the area you are using it on is not improved don't worry about it, but if your wife or you wants nice grass where ever this thing goes you will know it for some time to come.....and IMHO they are harder on the grass then the wheeled units....but I guess YMMV.

 

[Cherokee140]

They can be, depending on ground conditions. At least that was my experience with the over the tire tracks. I could turn more gradually and not tear up grass as much with wheels on dry, hard ground. Factory rubber tracks are most likely better, but I don't have one. I don't think I would say that it's an all or nothing proposition. Conditions vary and neither wheels nor tracks are 100% right for every single condition that comes along.

My results as well, but the tracked machine was larger....perhaps that had something to do with it.....all I know is that it really tore stuff up....you could even see the damage on Google Earth photos....now that is what I call bad.