Tires vs Tracks on a skid steer

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I've decided I can't live any longer without my own skid steer and am ready to start shopping for one.

Ive run both tracked and tired ones a lot, and as of right now could go either way for most of the kind of work I do, which is snow removal, some dirt work, and unloading trucks with forks.

However starting this year I'm looking at going to work for myself full time, and one of thing things I want to go is get a timber sale and start doing firewood.

I was leaning more towards a track machine, but I'm wondering if a tire machine would be better in a logging application. Ill be making roads, skidding logs, clearing snow, loading logs, and probably get a wood processor for it as well.

What are your guys thoughts on the matter?

 

[GenXer]

I'd rather have tires for snow clearing. You can put a set of tire chains on the back tires.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I'd rather have tires for snow clearing. You can put a set of tire chains on the back tires.

And I’m exactly the opposite lol. I’ve come to really love the tracked ones for snow clearing because I can built ramps and push snow way higher with them.

 

[Ian178]

If you are going to be doing any dirt work, i.e. "making roads" i'd personally recommend tracks. I guess every machine is different, but the wheeled machine I used is very quick to get stuck when not on a road.

 

[ErnieG]

If it were me I'd go with tracks ...they are much better in mud and snow and in my experience lifting heavy loads the machine is much more stable on inclines .
We have half a dozen tracked skid steers and one wheeled at work and the wheeled one mostly sits in the yard because no operators want it .
These tracked ones are like little dozers now a days .
Ernie

 

[GeeVee]

I've owned both. The tracks are far better

 

[Karrl]

I’ve seen guys put truck snow tires on their skid loaders to push snow. Seems like a cheap effective way for good traction. Tracks are great but on icy pavement not so much, although where you are located it probably doesn’t matter as much.

That said, overall I’d rather go with a track machine. When spring rolls around and everything turns to mud having that flotation is huge.

 

[les-or-more]

That is going to be a tough decision, the tire machine is going to be much more nimble, and lighter to move around.
The track machines give up some agility but as you are aware make up for it with brute traction. Both shine in their respective places I have both. I would suggest looking into over the tire tracks, they aren't quite as good as a dedicated track machine but they are close. I used a NH180 in the woods a couple of years ago with the rubber OTT and they worked pretty well. We took logs out of a few places you couldn't walk, because you would break through the ice with a foot of snow on it. I have picked rocks with the steel OTT from a few thousand acres and again not quite as good as dedicated tracks, but they are close. The benefit is they can be removed for indoor use where the tire machine will work circles around the track machine. I have a JD 333 track machine, it is a brute no question about it, but it is 7 feet wide, and I seem to find a lot of places it won't fit. I was originally going to sell my tire machine when I bought the track machine, with chains the 5k machine will push as much snow as the 12k machine, it won't pile it as high, the tire machine won't climb the pile. Both have their pro's and con's in my opinion, I certainly haven't ran every machine in every situation but I have a fair bit of experience on quite a few different brands, to include new holland, john deere, bobcat, kubota, gehl and cat. This is getting long but there is another option, the NH180 I referenced above that had the over the tire tracks. When they wore out my buddy put the loegering tracks that bolt to the wheel hubs on it. That 7k machine now has bigger tracks than my deere, will give it a run it the push department, and almost floats. There are a lot of options to look through between brands and configurations.

 

[Del_]

I'm not seeing the steerable axle option mentioned.

Is it just a gimmick or is it a real advancement?

I've never used one and seeing one in operation made me think that they probably handle a lot differently then my wheeled Bobcat 7753, especially on lawn or on paved surfaces.

I've got tracks on my mini Boxer 320. I can get the boxer almost anywhere. It certainly can't do serious work like the large skidders.

 

[northmanlogging]

tracks, all day every day, especially if you plan on attempting forestry work, rubber tired skidders work only because the tires are so big, not so much with the tiny things on a skid steer.

you can also hold a grade with a tracked machine, and generally they are a little heavier then an equal sized tire machine so they are more stable as well, not to mention being able to work on softer ground without making a mess of everything.

 

[les-or-more]

I'm not seeing the steerable axle option mentioned.

Is it just a gimmick or is it a real advancement?

I've never used one and seeing one in operation made me think that they probably handle a lot differently then my wheeled Bobcat 7753, especially on lawn or on paved surfaces.

I've got tracks on my mini Boxer 320. I can get the boxer almost anywhere. It certainly can't do serious work like the large skidders.

I have never been around one personally so have little to say beyond I have seen quite a few for sale with low hours.
A lot of it is going to come down to personal preference, I like the stick and foot pedal controls, but most people I talk to hate them. I have not found an electric over hydraulic controlled machine I really like, I have a bit of time on a 257 cat with pilot controls that I like. I loved the door on the svl75 kubota, a little noisy but out of the way when open. This subject goes down a rabbit hole in a hurry.

 

[Philbert]

The largest, local, Bobcat dealer says that in the summer, everyone’ wants to rent tracked machines, and in the winter (snow), they want tires.

Either one you get will be better than what I have (none)!

Philbert

 

[lone wolf]

The largest, local, Bobcat dealer says that in the summer, everyone’ wants to rent tracked machines, and in the winter (snow), they want tires.

Either one you get will be better than what I have (none)!

Philbert

Tracks seem to go better.

 

[les-or-more]

Here is a pic of a tire machine with a track conversion. I can't say how well they would work in the woods because I havent run them in the woods, we did clear a couple acres last spring and the owner used a rock bucket with a grapple to push the brush off with no issues. It has better flotation than my Deere. The draw backs so far is it will not fit on a low profile trailer, I think it is 87" wide, so it won't fit between the fenders. There haven't been any issues so far but it is going to be harder on the drive chains, especially if being used without a little common sense. We pulled the covers last spring and checked the chains after we put new tracks on it and it was making a strange noise. The chains and everything in the cases looked fine, we determined the noise was the rubber wearing off the drive lugs of the new tracks. The tracks were bought for $1500 used and have been running for 5 years without any issues other than the used tracks letting go after 4 years.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

Thanks guys. I’ve been leaning towards a track machine and I think that’s the way I’ll need hunting.
Wanting one with a minimum 2000lb lifting capacity, and good read visibility

 

[catbuster]

I'm not seeing the steerable axle option mentioned.

Is it just a gimmick or is it a real advancement?

Bobcat’s “A” series (A300 & so on) were steerable wheels. I used to do site work for a residential GC that had one when I was just starting out with my 435, 941 and 315. They sold it with very few hours, and it had a habit of damaging the wheel mounts-albeit they didn’t have a bulldozer and used it as one on a semi-regular basis.

Tracks are the only way to go off of a solid surface. Tires are about the only way to go for snow plowing, and on ice neither will get you very far, but rubber tracks are hopeless and you can at least put chains on tires.

I think Cat is the best all-rounder on the market right now, very quick and responsive boom and bucket controls while still being fairly nimble in handling. They have very good forward and side visibility, although is really sucks out of the back. Lots of ground clearance and good attack angles from the tracks both front and back.

I used to have a Case 435 Series II that I had Loegring VTS tracks (the same as on the New Holland above) I swapped on in March and pretty much left on until December, then swapped the wheels and tires back on to plow snow. It was a very, very good machine. Great power for its size, very well balanced and very responsive, but smooth pilot controls. The VTS tracks were good for flotation, but being as they just mounted onto the existing hubs they caused some people problems if they tried to dig really hard or push really hard all the time with the machine.

As far as control patterns go, I hate hand/foot controls. I used to run the Case “H” pattern controls where both hands were used to drive, bucket was the right wrist and the boom was the left wrist. Today, pilot joysticks are the only way to go. They’re much more natural to me, the boom & bucket control is exactly the same as every other single-joystick loader control and using my left hand to control the machine movement feels very natural. If given the choice, I will never go back.

 

[hoskvarna]

Bobcat’s “A” series (A300 & so on) were steerable wheels. I used to do site work for a residential GC that had one when I was just starting out with my 435, 941 and 315. They sold it with very few hours, and it had a habit of damaging the wheel mounts-albeit they didn’t have a bulldozer and used it as one on a semi-regular basis.

Tracks are the only way to go off of a solid surface. Tires are about the only way to go for snow plowing, and on ice neither will get you very far, but rubber tracks are hopeless and you can at least put chains on tires.

I think Cat is the best all-rounder on the market right now, very quick and responsive boom and bucket controls while still being fairly nimble in handling. They have very good forward and side visibility, although is really sucks out of the back. Lots of ground clearance and good attack angles from the tracks both front and back.

I used to have a Case 435 Series II that I had Loegring VTS tracks (the same as on the New Holland above) I swapped on in March and pretty much left on until December, then swapped the wheels and tires back on to plow snow. It was a very, very good machine. Great power for its size, very well balanced and very responsive, but smooth pilot controls. The VTS tracks were good for flotation, but being as they just mounted onto the existing hubs they caused some people problems if they tried to dig really hard or push really hard all the time with the machine.

As far as control patterns go, I hate hand/foot controls. I used to run the Case “H” pattern controls where both hands were used to drive, bucket was the right wrist and the boom was the left wrist. Today, pilot joysticks are the only way to go. They’re much more natural to me, the boom & bucket control is exactly the same as every other single-joystick loader control and using my left hand to control the machine movement feels very natural. If given the choice, I will never go back.

I hate those joystick ones
I will stick to my foot controls. No feel for what you’re doing. Just my opinion
Neighbor has 2 track bobcats for his fencing business. He said its $2500 or more to put on new tracks and bogie wheels and said if you don’t have a heated shop to put in overnight when in mud or deep snow and then freeze you not going anywhere and break things if you try


Sent from Hoskey hilltop

 

[capetrees]

I've decided I can't live any longer without my own skid steer and am ready to start shopping for one.

Ive run both tracked and tired ones a lot, and as of right now could go either way for most of the kind of work I do, which is snow removal, some dirt work, and unloading trucks with forks.

However starting this year I'm looking at going to work for myself full time, and one of thing things I want to go is get a timber sale and start doing firewood.

I was leaning more towards a track machine, but I'm wondering if a tire machine would be better in a logging application. Ill be making roads, skidding logs, clearing snow, loading logs, and probably get a wood processor for it as well.

What are your guys thoughts on the matter?

Tracks tracks tracks all the way. For snow you can buy screw in studs and remove them in the summer
https://www.gripstuds.com/Skid_Steer_Track.php
Keep in mind also, you can't pop a track. Rock ledge, sticks and stumps, general junk on the ground, a track machine will go over it all day.

 

[hoskvarna]

Tracks tracks tracks all the way. For snow you can buy screw in studs and remove them in the summer
https://www.gripstuds.com/Skid_Steer_Track.php
Keep in mind also, you can't pop a track. Rock ledge, sticks and stumps, general junk on the ground, a track machine will go over it all day.

So will no flats

Sent from Hoskey hilltop

 

[les-or-more]

I hate those joystick ones

I prefer the foot pedals and sticks myself, I agree you have better feel. The electronic joysticks suck in that any I have ran had no feel, they are on or off, you get the "bull in a china shop" effect.
The bobcats I have ran have been the worst. True pilot control machines aren't bad, the Kubota controls are pretty good. The electronic controls allow easy switching to different patterns and self leveling of the bucket.