Skid Steer - Tracks or Wheels?

[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.