Hey everyone as the title says Which do you think is better and why? Pros and cons etc Serviceability is around the same distance for both Will be most doing small residential stuff Nothing major, maybe a bit of clearing
With their suspended undercarriage and snowmobile-type drive system, ASVs are sort of a different animal from conventional CTLs like the T450. There are pros and cons to each style of machine. I really like my ASV, but I use it as more of an all-around woods/farm tractor than a dedicated construction track loader, and I don't use it hard enough for the increased undercarriage maintenance costs to be a huge concern.
thanks for info what would you say the pros and cons for t450 and the ASV are? also i hear alot of problems about the asv under carriage, what are the common problems they have and how much does it cost to fix? and what gives them these problems?
My thoughts as an ASV owner. No experience with Bobcat beyond running a few of them. ASVs have more moving parts in the undercarriage. More stuff to wear out, and therefore more expensive when it comes time to overhaul. Definitely a concern if you're using it every day and putting a lot of hours on it. I've heard that using them in gravel on a regular basis can also accelerate wear. ASV tracks have kevlar belts instead of the steel belts most others do, and I've heard they sometimes won't last quite as long. ASVs are generally have their weight more centrally balanced, so they often won't lift quite as much as other machines in a similar weight/horsepower class, as those are usually heavier in the rear. Pros are that the suspension allows for higher speeds and better traction in rough terrain, and their low ground pressure doesn't make as much of a mess on sensitive surfaces like grass, ect. ASV as a company has been great to deal with. They have been very responsive about providing reference material and service advice for my 3rd owner, 20 years old machine.
We just recently purchased a 2007 ASV RC50. It is just an acreage machine so no major production dirt work is anticipated. Mainly using it for snowplowing currently. I am guessing not a issue for you in Australia! Very good access to engine compartment etc, seems a very basic/simple setup (no emissions, very minimal electronics). Have heard of issues on the forums regarding the Perkins engine so was a little worried, the Perkins in our unit was made in Georgia/USA (so hoping will be okay..) REALLY like the pilot control joysticks. Very smooth ride for sure, excellent flotation (just came in from pushing snow piles out over a drop-off) The machine is able to ride right on top of the levelled snow berms! We had to leave our 8500 lb wheeled machine (Deere 270) in the bush last fall as could not travel the 10km long muddy access trail (chained up). The ASV just floats right through the mud... I would prefer the wheeled machine in rock or coarse gravel, I could see that a careless operator could be hard on the ASV tracks. Ours was an original low hours acreage machine so time will tell how it holds up. The undercarriage design is really easy to shovel out, I have noticed it doesn't seem to pack up near as bad as an excavator undercarriage. No experience with the Bobcat you mentioned (owned a few older, Kubota powered hand/foot ones and they were solid, reliable machines) Good luck in your search!
incredible information thank you so much for that around how many hours does the undercarriage start to have issues (if care was given of course)? and is it usually a complete rebuild or ? had an ASV rt40 lined up through broker but it fell through, guy changed his mind and didnt want to sell it! lol spoke to a guy online who dry hires a bobcat t450 out, and told him i wanted to hire for next job as im thinking of buying and now hes offering to sell me his lol not sure if thats saying something but im definetly heading more towards the ASV, and if the bobcat doesnt have joystick controls im not touching it
congrats on the buy, sounds like your loving it mate! i think the only person ive really heard slag ASV is stanley dirt monkey on youtube but most people generally say great things except the undercarriage issues and that it can cost a fair bit my mate owns the kubota svl 75 and loves it, ive used a few too and honestly would prefer one of them, but im restricted with the truck i have unfortunetly can only tow 4.5 ton max