How do the aftermarket rubber tracks hold up to OME Bobcat tracks? Looking at prices the aftermarket ones are considerably cheaper, but will they hold up as good?
In most cases you get what you pay for, I went the cheap way on a previous set of tracks and i will never do it again. I recommend to everyone I can McClaren Next Gen TDF. They are priced the same as factory tracks (on my takeuchi anyway) but performance is way better. Less vibration and more traction. I cant tell you just yet how many hours they will last but they are already about to double the hours of the cheap tracks. And I am so Impressed by them that any new machine I buy will have them installed before leaving the dealers lot and they can have the factory tracks back back.
Depends on the brand... I've learned to stay away from the re-treads, because often times you're getting stretched out tracks with new rubber on them. You'll pay about 1/2 the price, but you'll be lucky to get 2/3 the life out of them. Bridgestone and Solideal make a pretty solid track, and you may even prefer their track patterns over the standard C-bar design Bobcat went to. Bobcat went back to offering their older style, but they're even pricier.
That is quite a testimonial on the TDF. Most OEMs use Bridgestone as their OEM track.
Just happen to come across this tread, and I can also say that we've been very pleased with the McLaren tracks and solid flex tires. Well worth the money and the folks there have been really easy to work with. It's been getting hard to find quality staff at reasonable price these days, so I'm glad there are still few good companies out there. :usa
Hey Gatorguy and HillBoy -- How have those McLaren tracks held up for you, relative to other tracks you've used? Larry
I have a customer that installed new tracks on both T190s they own. They do concrete construction and both machine are used on the same jobsites buy the same operators. The customer was unhappy with the performance he had been receiving from the aftermarket so he bought a set of aftermarkets and a set of OEMs from Bobcat. Currently the OEMs have about 800 hrs on them and are still looking really good. The aftermarkets have about 500 on them and are looking pretty poor. They have quite a bit more wear and a ton more cuts and abrasions then the OEMs. From this point forward I will be recommending the OEMs to my customers. JJ
The McLaren tracks have held up very well - very smooth ride and an even wear. And we've recently run the machine quite heavily. I don't think we'll be buying rubber tracks from anyone else. They've won our trust and there are just few companies I can say this for. Also, our Bobcat dealer said they also run and sell McLaren tracks and the tracks are OEM approved.
Best tracks for you money are HiQual Brand from SRJ, Inc. 866-440-8844. OEM tracks on machines from many manufacturers. Patented S-Wave tread pattern and AVRT lug system. Best traction and lowest vibration of any track. Excellent prices as well. When you put these tracks on Bobcat T-300 you will immediately notice the difference. Smoother ride and increased traction force.
You should just advertise on this site instead of plugging your tracks for SRJ Inc. on the forum.
Welcome to the Forums Cale Hand. We have some rules on this Forum and if you would, take some time familiarize yourself with them. HeavyEquipmentForums Specifically this section - . This post is your freebie as I know you are affiliated with SRJ. If you would like to become a sponsor, please click the "Contact Us" tab or PM the site founder Steve Frasier. Thank you for your cooperation. As you can tell, our members are pretty sharp.:cool2
I picked up a set of prowler track for my mustang( tak tl130) and after 30 hours of snow pushing on them they still look new. I got the asv style lugs and they worked great in deep snow and a few times in mud 1700 shipped they were a great buy in my eyes and way better than the c pattern tracks that are useless in the mud
I have ZERO issues with ITR tracks. I have many broken, under 900 hour, OEM Bridgestones laying around.
I got my tracks from a Best Line branch in PA and got aftermarket tracks that were very good. About half the price of the OEM Bobcat and got the same hours!
When I had the POS Bobcat 864H's, we obtained AVON tracks from our Bobcat dealer. Nicest riding track we ever used. And, super durable too. AFAIK, Avon doesn't make Takeuchi tracks, or I'd have them.
OK, finally, I'm back on the market for Bobcat rubber tracks and back to the forums to see what's new. Here is what our McLaren TDF tracks look like after a little over 1,900 hrs; still not broken, but I expect them soon to be gone. They did their job already :notworthy: so now is my part to dig into the pocket :Banghead:Banghead
This is a great question and it's not related to just tracks but to almost any aftermarket part. We produce rubber tracks and cushioned solid tires for both OEM and Aftermarket, and yes, there are different. Also, for the aftermarket, we have premium and economy lines, and yes, higher price, usually means higher quality. It just costs more to make something better. Different OEMs have different requirements - track/ tire stiffness, the way it rides with the OEM specific undercarriage, tread design, noise and vibration, rubber color (even smell!), etc., etc. in addition to the more traditional concerns about durability. Thus, most OEM tracks (and some tires) are made specifically for the machine in question and before they are put on the market there are months, sometimes years, of testing. This does not mean that all OEM products are always perfect - even the most vigorous OEM testing cannot cover all possible real field conditions and challenges; also, not all manufacturers can keep the production consistency at over 95%. But, the risk of an OEM approved product to underperform is greatly reduced; in addition, the warranties claims are much easily enforceable, as behind it stands the OEM. Certainly, there are many great aftermarket tracks and tires as well. The key is to know which are the good ones and are they consistently good or occasionally good. To answer, you to do your own testing - same as the OEMs do - and if you find a good supplier, stick to it. It's risky, but if you are good in your research, you can save money as the aftermarket parts are usually quite cheaper. I'll give you just one example of poorly made aftermarket tracks that are not made in accordance with the OEM design - I've seen many aftermarket tracks for Bobcat, CAT and JD CTLs where the rollers run over metal plates in the track with gaps between them (you can imagine how this feels and how it affect the machine); the original track design for the Bobcat, CAT and JD CTLs has an elevated continuous rubber belt, reinforced internally by steel, and the rollers run over it - a much smoother and softer ride. My suggestion is to do your homework and when you decide to buy aftermarket, know what you buy.
I strongly believe that aftermarket tracks are just as good.
My aftermarket tracks are wore out with less than 1/2 the hours the OEM set had. I will need to replace them anytime and regret for not getting high quality, and sadly "I knew better" but cost saving got the best of my better judgement.
I had 2 sets of TDF tracks got less then half the hrs as I got out of oem tracks I'm putting my money back with oem
Because you sell them? There is a reason they are called aftermarket and they are less expensive.
Funny...I was doing a search on tracks a couple of days ago and this thread came up. I'll be interested in any opinions too.
Hillboy have you got a picture of were the carier rollers run that usaly were the track fails it like driving on pot holes the tread on all of my tracks have got 80% left no cuts or chips
We like Trelleborg Best, they are extremely high quality and last longer, they cost more.(Denser material and harder rubber) Bridgestone are also comparable quality. Expect to pay about 20% more for them BUT our experience in abrasive conditions shows at least 25% longer life and as much as 50% on some of the teeny asv's. Of course there are a LOT of cheepy cheepy asv tracks out there.
Hmearth, I didn't realize you've asked me a question until today. The McLaren tracks on the Bobcat above broke shortly after I posted the pictures, and they're long gone. Now we run the same type of TDF Mcclaren tracks on CAT 259D. I took some pictures showing the rollers and the track- the machine has only 420 hrs right now. It these tracks last as much as on the Bobcat, I'll be a very pleased guy; The performance is very good though - good traction and a soft ride:
No more after market tracks for me. I learned my lesson.
You'll get good wear of those tracks if you stay away from rock
For rocks, I'd rather use some block pattern tracks. The tracks we have will simply grind themselves to pieces - they have high traction and will catch every sharp rock that's on their way. But we don't work much in rocks, mostly in dirt, sand, and on concrete or asphalt. Actually, they do well in snow too. We bought these aftermarket, but I saw them as OEM on the new CAT 249 and 259 as well. It seems McLaren is now working with CAT. Anyway, will keep you posted once we get more hours out of them. Hope they last like the old McLarens.
Well, I'm new to this site as I had an engine question about my 277B, but I can throw my .02 in on this one as I do have a little experience. I bought my Cat 277B used with 1400 hrs on it. Don't know if the tracks were original (they did have decent wear on them), but they ran to 2100 hrs before the sprocket lugs started to break off. I bought a set of Rubber Trax from Georgia. First set wouldn't fit, they where too short to even fit on the machine. They sent me a second set, at their cost, but in 200 hrs time had stretched to the point that I didn't have any track adjustment left. Under the 1 year warranty, they sent me a good faith discount on a new set of 50% off. I didn't bother and instead bought a set of Camoplast as that is who the manufacturer for Cat's OEM tracks are/were (that's what I was told). they were a little long to start with, but have barely stretched with almost 500 hrs on them. I do have one track where the tread rubber had a slight split, and now a 6" x 8" section of rubber is missing from the kevlar. I don't expect this track will last a whole lot longer. I can't help but to wonder if Cat has camoplast build tracks to a higher standard than the camoplast tracks I bought. Those original tracks would have gone forever had I kept them tight enough to no allow the sprocket to slip and pop the lugs. Oh well, this is how we learn, right? Now I think I'll look into the Bridgstone and McLarens.
Downard - I have around 250 hrs. on these from Rubber Trax and I'm happy with them so far. Since I installed the tracks they've been subjected to a bunch of ground water, fist to football sized broken limestone and more mud than I care to talk about. It beats the heck out of the tracks, machine and me. I cringe every time I accidentally spin the tracks and keep expecting the worst, but they've held up well. I've also spent more time on asphalt and gravel than I care to. Surprisingly, I haven't had to adjust them since installation. It's my wallet and I'm the only one that operates the machine so that may make a difference in the wear. From your experience it makes me wonder if Rubber Trax gets all of their different designs/sizes from the same vendor.
Hard to say. Mine was for the Cat, from the color of the paint on your machine, looks like you have a Case. I really don't know what to think on that one, but they stretched out so fast there was no way I was going to swap out tracks every 200 or so hours. You know the old saying, first time shame on you, second time shame on me.
Aftermarket Rubber Tracks I just ran across this thread and thought I would put my two cents in. I purchased a set of Arisun rubber tracks for my Bobcat T300 from Mitco in Chattanooga, Tn. I am thourghly impressed with them. I currently have 900 hours on them and they still are performing great. I recently broke a track on my new Takeuchi TL12. I will definitely be putting on another set of Arisun over the OEM.
I actually just ran across this thread as well because I was looking for information on opinions of Arisun tracks. I'm with a company called United Skid Tracks, and we've recently started selling Arisun tracks online. Our experience with Arisun tracks on our own machines has been great, but I want to know how others perceive this tracks. I feel like they are the best value in terms of $ per hour on track life. Does anyone else have an opinion on these, or comparisons with other aftermarket tracks?