Tracked Skid Steers - Good, Better, Best??

Robbie Hegwood · Dec 12, 2006

Hey Burnetma, I believe you have found your dealer. It is great dealing with a dealership that truely want your business. I would be very interested in hearing your report on the SR-80. I hope he has a head for the RC-100 so you will have a good comparison. They came out with the SR-80 shortly after I purchased my 100, it is sure to have a low psi with 20" wide tracks. It also has several features that would make it a good mulching tractor, too bad it can't handle my timberax @ 2500lbs. Just some info I heard, a report of the Tushogg actually tearing up the ground too much. Look forward to your report from the test drives. I think were about to have us another mulchingman. Robbie

jmc · Dec 12, 2006

burnetma,

When I was looking several years ago, I almost bought the ASV 50. I ended up with the Gehl CTL60 (made by Taekuchi). Although it has a narrower track than some of these others, it will still go across mud that you would sink up to your ankles in. My disappointment is that although it doesn't sink in, it sure peels up the sod whenever you turn it. I don't use it wherever there is grass, if possible. ASV, to their credit, has some special tracks without lugs for sod work. Taekuchi design and workmanship appear first rate however, and, as the first company making skid steer sized tracked loaders, they ain't no retrofit.

Back to the ASV, my reservation was that with a suspension, fine grading might be unstable since once you got a bite, the suspension would allow the blade to dig in further. Then, while at the dealer, I was looking at some that were rental units and well used. On some of them, those little rubber boogie wheels were all torn up. The salesman said you have to keep them clean or the debris will grind into them as they turn. He euphamistically called them "maintenance items". That means you have to replace them periodically and a set was expensive.

Good luck with your research.

John

burnetma · Dec 12, 2006

Robbie,

This dealer seems to be a gem! I can not wait to meet him.

I am interested in seeing and working the SR80, RC85 (if he can get one in) and the RC100. I have to be practical about the money, but I do not want to sell myself too short. When I bought my Deere, I initially found it to be too big for some of my work, but it was just big enough for small scale square baling. Now that I have owned the machine for a while, it seems small and I wish I bought a 6320 or 6420. I will consider that lesson in this purchase.

FYI, the John Deere dealer does not stock or carry JD skid steers. He is a Bobcat dealer. Interesting???? I have never asked him why, but you can bet I will in the next couple of days. I am sure he will tell me he can get them, but.... what?? I know he sells a lot of Bobcats. They sold three the day that I bought my tractor. The skid steer salesman said that he can not get enough of them. Go figure....

Another interesting note: I was an employee of Ingersoll-Rand, the parent company of Bobcat, for seven years. I might be able to swing an employee discount through a friend. Nice, but if it isn't the right machine, I don't want it.

I am still leaning towards ASV, but I want to try them all and then make my decision.

burnetma · Dec 12, 2006

John,

Interesting observations. I will be sure to check out the machines in the service shop for that wear issue and get some prices. Also, I will ask for a dozer blade and do some fine grading, if possible. I will report back on my results.

Thanks,
Mark

Tigerotor77W · Dec 13, 2006

kubuddha, I think Robbie addressed your questions well, so I can bow out of that one.

burnetma, good to hear that things went well for you! It's always relieving to have a good dealer. As far as the Deere dealer not stocking Deere skids, it's likely due to some reliability issues from the earliest 200 series skids. Many Deere dealers stopped carrying those machines and went back to their original line (usually Mustang, some Bobcat) after that. However, with the introduction of the 300-series, some dealers have switched back to Deere, so it'll be interesting to see what he says.

tlbuser · Dec 14, 2006

burnetma said:
John,

Interesting observations. I will be sure to check out the machines in the service shop for that wear issue and get some prices. Also, I will ask for a dozer blade and do some fine grading, if possible. I will report back on my results.

Thanks,
Mark

From my experiences with my RC60, I think you will be happy with the ASV lineup. I use mine for grading, digging, moving, etc. Nothing major broken, still running original tracks. For anything on sod, you have to avoid counter-rotating. By using 3 point turns I haven't had any problems. My only real problem , now I want a cutter head and I need a bigger unit to run it.

EquipmentJunkie · Dec 16, 2006

Burnetma, Paul Mabie is a good guy and knows his stuff. You won't go wrong there.

Last week, I had a chance to look over a brand-new SR80. Wow! Big machine with great ground clearance...about 14-inches, as I recall. It is a little tight under the hood, but it could be worse. Also, the gauges on the lap bar are really nice.

A tracked machine will make dozer blade work and fine grading a lot easier. They are so much easier to operate than on a machine with tires.

What are you fine grading? General grading around homes, prepping for concrete, grading athletic fields or something else?

burnetma · Dec 16, 2006

EquipmentJunkie,

Yeah I took another 30-40 minutes of Paul's time on Thursday asking him questions prior to my visit. He not only answered every question, but he was extremely patient with me.

I am looking to do a number of tasks with my machine, but my primary focus is land clearing. I want to purchase a machine big enough to handle a Loftness, Fecon, Tushogg or Magnum mulching head. I also plan to use the machine for fencing and some grading. My intent is to work with one of my good friends who has an excavating business. I think this resource will compliment his business.

Mark

EquipmentJunkie · Dec 17, 2006

When I was looking at the new SR80, I was thinking to myself that it would be a great machine for land-clearing. The owner of the SR80 was planning on doing just that, after briefly chatting with him. The SR80 was hi-flow equipped but I can't remember which mulching attachment he said that he was getting.

Robbie Hegwood · Dec 17, 2006

I can tell you by looking over an SR-80 at my dealer the first thing I noticed was almost no rear overhang. Us RC-100 owner know our girls have a big ol butt. Plus the engine housing slopes down offering good visibility. I would somewhere down the road like a second machine for everything else but mulching {grapple,bucket,harley rake] and I would really like it to be a SR-70. That would the best of both worlds. You have to have goals, even if there big ones. Robbie