Tracked Skid Steers - Good, Better, Best??

[Tags]

WOW! Good stuff here. Guess I'll add my 2 cents.I do not do any land clearing or mulching, but, I have owned a Cat 287B for almost 3 years now, and have 600 hrs on it and have NEVER thrown a track or come close. I operate on side hills constantly with a Harley rake and the bucket, I grade process and crushed stone regularly, and I keep the tracks adjusted (only once since new by the way, but it IS a PIA) and the tracks and rollers are in good condition. A buddy of mine bought one at the same time I did, he runs the thing like an animal, doing the same things I do but with no RESPECT to the undercarriage. He has just under 800hrs and needs new tracks and some rollers. All these track machines are good for what they are intended, but a machine with tracks should be run differently than a rubber tired skid steer.

I do notice that ALOT of tree guys near me use the ASV or Cat machines for mulching and clearing and I think it is because their track systems put down the least amount of ground pressure, invaluable when in a "sensitive" area and their hydraulic systems can effectively cool the fluid.

 

[JDSkidsteer]

I sold a Deere CT332 with Magnum head. It seems to be working great. I do wish Deere would offer forrestry package. If tracks are adjusted properly and you do not knock them off they seem to stay on better than competitors. I sold one to a Cat operator and he liked how it works on hill sides much better than others he tried.

 

[rutwad]

MB Tractor & Equipment - Construction)

 

[Maka]

Thanks Rutwad. I have that DVD here and show it to lots of folk. I wanted to post it but was unsure of how. Now, I don't have to worry about it. That is an impressive video of the SR80 against all others.

Maka

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Hey Bob

How's business lately. Have you sold many ASV's. As you can tell by the post things are getting interesting.

By business iis pretty steady. Talk soon. Robbie

Have you heard from the gentlemen you had me email? I haven't.

 

[Maka]

Hey Robbie. Never did hear back from him but I have been busier than expected this time of year. Best Jan. ever. and have already sold a few ASV's. The tree farms are already hitting me hard for rentals when the season starts.

Glad to hear your business is moving along. I am sure it will continue to grow. God is good.

Bob

 

[HeyUvaVT]

When buying our skidsteer with the purpose of using it for mulching 95% of the time...we travelled through 2 states (va and nc) looking at bobcat, asv, takeuchi, gehl, cat, deere and mustang dealers...we came within a pen stroke from buying a T300K with all the bells and whistles along with a Loftness Timber Ax while on day 3 of our whirlwind shopping and demo trip...if not for the dealership's rental machine coming back onto the lot and over hearing the gentleman that was returning it ranting and raving about how badly it ran the cutter head I would be in the same posistion as Joe Mitchell right now...luckily we got out of there...the irony here is two fold..firstly we went ALL OVER looking for the best machine and then the best deal we could find (skid steer, cutter, and deck over trailer all at once) and come to find out after 3 days on the road and countless stops we made our purchase of an ASV RC100 with full forestry package and Timbe Ax cutter along with the Hudson trailer within 10miles of our home...the price was over 5k lower than anywhere else..just goes to show you that you can save $$ locally afterall!!

On another note...we abuse the snot out of our ASV **BUT** we also are STRICT about cleaning the tracks (wash pit and powerwasher) after EVERY USE and as a result despite our hours spent mulching, grading driveways doing dirt work and even running on asphalt (not in the snow or rain I may add) Our tracks and under carriage look nearly new..its all in the maintenance...no matter what machine you have you have to take care of it...all machines have issues..rc100's have a huge rear end to take into account when moving within the trees and with the forestry package rearward visibility is fair to middlen at best...just my .02

Ryan

 

[UFM82]

You'll want to look at the new Forestry Cutter attachment and the associated Forestry package that Bobcat is now offering. The attachment is made for the Bobcat machines and is a perfect match. I don't think you'll find performance issues, cooling issues or machine-damage issues to be a factor anymore.

 

[diyDave]

Asv gets my vote. I don't have a big machine, just an RC 30. Landscaping is my line, and the rc30 just fits. I have abused it some like running a tree terminator (Worksaver's version). this put a lot more weight on the front than it was designed for. Result was a front idler that sucked two bearing races through the tube. But the dealer at least met me halfway on the repair cost. There were a few other repairs and a recall, but I would say that dealing with ASV and Chesapeake Supply (My Dealer) has been a positive experience, considering that I bought this machine when it first came out, and they hadn't worked out all the bugs. My 2 cents.

 

[rrinc]

all track jobs are expensive- call the dealer and ask
an asv is ok - varied use. if youre going to do alot of mulching, then you need to look at purpose built machines(supertrack- chuck or tom).the full tilt mac daddy is the sk 120. you are making an investment in any of this equipment and need to check the credentials of the people that are telling you what to buy.
you probably need to review price structure to determine if the work and prices are there to support the investment.you can run any head you want.
most are junk. i have fae , seppi, magnum and fecon heads.do you want a lawn mower or something to eat trees and brush and that will hold up to years of severe duty work.