# Track or Wheel



## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

I am looking for everyones imput on this....I am purchasing a skid steer in the spring. It is primarly for moving material from our small excavator working in very confined areas. Excavating existing foundations too insulate and waterproof foundations. The skid steer will be used in tight quarters to move the clay/black dirt to other locations on sight, load trucks, move material from existing piles, back fill and grade. It will be a 60-68 inch wide machine diesel powered. Brand in not the question......would track or wheel be of better service? Feel free to elaborate!
Thanks guys/gals..


----------



## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

I'm not an expert...but with the low pressure the track machine's exhibit on the ground, you'll have a lot less damage done to the ground. Turning in confined spaces might be a bit more difficult since the entire track is in contact with the earth-hopefully someone else will chime in on this point. I would vote get one w/ tracks!


----------



## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

After watching one this summer working along side our 763G Bobcat, I vote for tracks. My next skid steer will be tracked.


----------



## Trencher (Mar 6, 2007)

If you notice my avatar, you'll see my track loader. It is a John Deere CT322. It is a smaller version of the CT332.

As far as turning in place, the damage to the ground is a bit less damaging than wheels. The reason I purchased a track loader is because I do trenching with it and it allows me to cross the trench without caving it in.
Below you'll see the result. If I were to have a wheeled unit I could not have crossed with the front wheels not affecting the trench, but not the rear ones, which would have done the damage.

http://www.geocities.com/fulcrumservices/f14


The downside to tracks are, you cannot (should not) put chains or studs in/on them. The tracks, internally, are made with poly ropes and if frayed they'll be compromised and fail, and at $2000.00 + per track is too expnsive to take a chance at drilling into them.

However, if someone has created a method to apply such an implement for traction, I would be very interested in speaking with you.


----------



## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

Is it as easy to turn a track off when doing a 360 on a Skid steer as it can be on a cold miniX, that will ruin an hour of your day real fast. And how long would it take to put a track back on a skid steer.


----------



## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

woodmagman said:


> I am looking for everyones imput on this....I am purchasing a skid steer in the spring. It is primarly for moving material from our small excavator working in very confined areas. Excavating existing foundations too insulate and waterproof foundations. The skid steer will be used in tight quarters to move the clay/black dirt to other locations on sight, load trucks, move material from existing piles, back fill and grade. It will be a 60-68 inch wide machine diesel powered. Brand in not the question......would track or wheel be of better service? Feel free to elaborate!
> Thanks guys/gals..


There are pros and cons to both. There are also old blogs in here on the subject if you want some vetting.


----------



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

If you are working in mud or steep slopes, then a track machine would be better. If you work on normal ground, on concrete or asphalt a wheeled machine would be better.

Also, you have to look at cost. The initial cost and maintenance of a track machine is more.


----------



## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

There is always pieces of clay weeping tile and bits of really old debris when we do this as well, hard on both track and wheel machines. We have a Cat 303.5 and turned rolled a track off on Friday moving the machine to bring in a rented Bobcat for back fill. It only took a short time to re-install the track but it make me think about the pros and cons regarding track skid steers in the same conditions. Granted if I had lifted the machine and run the tracks for a minute it may not of happened, but....


----------



## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

woodmagman said:


> There is always pieces of clay weeping tile and bits of really old debris when we do this as well, hard on both track and wheel machines. We have a Cat 303.5 and turned rolled a track off on Friday moving the machine to bring in a rented Bobcat for back fill. It only took a short time to re-install the track but it make me think about the pros and cons regarding track skid steers in the same conditions. Granted if I had lifted the machine and run the tracks for a minute it may not of happened, but....


We have 2 cat 257's. We ran the tracks way down on one of them last year but never lost it off the machine. The design for a skid track and a exc track are completly different. Thats not to say you cant loose one, but its harder than and exc.

But I urge you to look at the other posts here about track skids before making a purchase. And even after that, demo what you think you may like. 

We love the cat tracked units but they are big bucks to do an undercarrige.


----------



## tgeb (Feb 9, 2006)

I have never seen a track come off an excavator or tracked skid loader as long as the track was properly adjusted.

I have been working a site for the past few weeks, that has us spot turning hundreds of times per day. We have been running my Takeuchi TL130 and a New Holland C175, and we have 2 Bobcat excavators there, and have not lost a track.

I like my tracked loader, it can definitely do some things that the wheeled skid loader cannot, in fact I plan on buying another one.

We did have sort of a run-off one day, we had to shuttle a lot of soil from one area to another and the wheeled skid steer (New Holland LS170) was lapping the Takeuchi TL130, it was simply faster at making round trips.


----------



## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

The ex's have a tapered non drive wheel that when the center of the track is filled with compacted clay and turned with out going forward or reverse to losen the clay, the track will follow the wheel taper and dried mud right of the center guide. You will hear a bit of a pop....now that is due to operator and condition error. If the track had of not been sitting for a couple days ontop of a pile of clay and rotated with out turning the track I will bet it would never have happened. If I had raised the X and rotated the tracks or gone staight forward it would have cleared on it own.
I like the thought that the tracked skid steer can cross trenches. How is it for leaving marks or killing the grass on straight runs.


----------



## tgeb (Feb 9, 2006)

woodmagman said:


> The ex's have a tapered non drive wheel that when the center of the track is filled with compacted clay and turned with out going forward or reverse to losen the clay, the track will follow the wheel taper and dried mud right of the center guide. You will hear a bit of a pop....
> 
> 
> I like the thought that the tracked skid steer can cross trenches. How is it for leaving marks or killing the grass on straight runs.


I guess we don't have those kind of clay conditions here. 

As far as leaving marks on strait runs, neither type machine is to bad as long as the ground is good and firm. In softer conditions the tracked machine will leave less evidence.


----------



## Trencher (Mar 6, 2007)

rino1494 said:


> If you are working in mud or steep slopes, then a track machine would be better. If you work on normal ground, on concrete or asphalt a wheeled machine would be better.
> 
> Also, you have to look at cost. The initial cost and maintenance of a track machine is more.


 
Isn't that the truth!!!! 






woodmagman said:


> [...]
> 
> I like the thought that the tracked skid steer can cross trenches. How is it for leaving marks or killing the grass on straight runs.


 
My trenches are cut at 9 inches in width in the winter and 10 inches in the summer. To keep the trenches from breaking at point of crossing you have to cross diagonally, this distributes your weight much more evenly.


As far as tracks leaving marks vs wheeled units, IMO I would say the tracks leave less pressure mark on the ground. However, if the distance is not far and it is feasible, make you a plywood path. This wil minimize, if not completely protect the grass below. (1/2 inch CDX will work fine)


----------

