Rubber tracks vs tires on skidsteers

[ovrszd]

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.

I agree. Brother's T300 tracks are small square lugs rather than the large center blocks that most CTLs run. Works very well.

 

[Equipmentpro99]

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

Somethings to remember with skid steers is, there are hundreds of different configurations, sizes, brands and models, most of the machines are small light weight and short wheelbase . But there are afew that are large 75 to 100 hp heavy and long wheel base and these are the machines that really shine. A small machine doesn't have the weight to push or carry and the stability on uneven ground is horrible because of the short wheelbase. A larger machine has the weight and power to do alot of work.
On the part of tearing up ground worse than a dozer that is only true if you don't know what your doing, if you run a skid steer wide open, sliding around and twisting you'll tear up more than your trying to fix. If you take your time, dont twist around, make three point turns etc... you'll barely make tracks.

 

[nwngunner]

I have a 2003 bobcat t250 that has been awesome. I only had two wheel drives loader tractors, was always winching them out with the truck. I have never stuck my ctl. I use it for everything it is faster at loading and unloading hay then a tractor. With the weight I will go places that will dump a tractor. Use one on the ice is not as bad tires. Slow down and you will still crawl through. I am going to replace my tracks soon and will cleet my old ones for winter.

 

[ovrszd]

I have a 2003 bobcat t250 that has been awesome. I only had two wheel drives loader tractors, was always winching them out with the truck. I have never stuck my ctl. I use it for everything it is faster at loading and unloading hay then a tractor. With the weight I will go places that will dump a tractor. Use one on the ice is not as bad tires. Slow down and you will still crawl through. I am going to replace my tracks soon and will cleet my old ones for winter.

Sounds like real world experience to me. And with common results. Not sure I've ever heard an owner complain about a CTL.

My Brother's T300 will work in soft ground that my tractor can barely drive thru.