If you live in Florida, contact Robin at Rubbertrax, www.rubbertrax.com , they're in Conyers Georgia. Probably one day shipping to you. They also have Bobcat undercarriage parts; rollers, idlers, and sprockets.
I have a Bobcat T190 and a 331 mini-ex. both need new rubber tracks. Any one have any input on their experiences with rubber track companies other than Bobcat brand. I understand McLaren is a sponsor of this site and I know they are the absolute best but, I am looking for additional input.
ATCO How do these tracks compare to others price vs quality? I'm also in need of a set for a T-190. Thanks, Neil
Bobcat tracks are good/quality tracks. So are Solideal. So are Bridgestone. So are McLaren. They may offer very good/long warranties because they know they are good tracks. But they generally cost a few dollars more. If you can afford them, you certainly can't go wrong with them, and they are a good investment for your machine. But if your on a tighter budget, I can say this about the tracks from Rubbertrax; I have sold and installed several to customers in my area of E. Tenn for the last several years, I haven't had one come back to me with a problem. That's not to say the tracks are "as good as the others". All I can say is; tracks seem to be lasting, and customers are happy.
I can attest to ATECOEQUIP's comments, our salespeople buy and sell from Rubbertrax with great success and always have happy customers. We handled the Taeryuk brand and it's also a good quality track. We had some issues with quality 5 years ago, but they stood behind their product and resolved any issues they had with production.
If you are looking for something less expensive, you can try these guys: www.radmeister.com . As far as I see they sell overstock items from all different brand companies. Used tracks, too. They also seem to carry their own brand tracks that are less expensive... But we didn't buy from them anything yet as we try to stick to the better brands. A friend of mine recommended them to me few days back. He said he was pleased with what he got -- some flat proof tires and over the tire tracks.
I have used McLaren in the past and had good success. I've got to replace a set because the operator was not as good as the tracks. lol I was just wondering how these compare since I'm a little over an hour from Conyers. (Save on shipping) Thanks, Neil
FYI: If I remember right, for our T190 the regular McLarens were at $900, and the TDF tracks, which are their best, were $150 more. We went with the TDFs since we are looking for top quality that lasts the longest. I think they came from SC, but they have warehouses all over the states. Some time ago, we picked some tires from their Atlanta warehouse, so we paid no shipping. But, it's the quality that we are after, not just the price. :usa
That's a very good question, but it made me ponder on how we could achieve an answer. I would think in order for all of us to form an objective opinion on who's track is good and who's is not so good, it would have to be from someone who has used these various tracks, on their machine, and in basically the same environment. Or use two different brand tracks on their machine and see which one is tougher. We can assume some brands are better by their warranty. For example, a number of Bridgestone tracks have a 5 year warranty. Bridgestone tracks are not inexpensive, and for them to offer such a long warranty would presume they're a quality and durable track. As for all the brands out there, I personally can't say which is better and which is crap. You guys that use them no more about that. I don't stock any tracks, but I do get a number of calls for them and have sold several, which is odd to me as it seems so easy to find "track dealers" all over the internet. I have sold tracks from Rubbertrax, Dominion, McLearan, Prowler, Multi Machine, and Global Track Warehouse. I have used all these dealers because when folks call me for tracks, they generally want the best price. I know there are those who are more concerned about quality, but most that call me worry about how thin the billfold is going to get. I haven't experienced any problems with all the track suppliers mentioned. I kinda agree with lewi1969; with rubber tracks, a lot of the time it's simply the operator is not as good as the tracks! :usa
I agree with ATCOEQUIP that it takes time and proper testing done to find who's product is good and who's not. This is why we go with the OEM choice -- the OEMs will not put a crappy product on their machine especially when it comes to tires and tracks. Imagine buying a Corvette with crappy Chinese tires on it The OEMs do the testing for us under controlled environment. I know that Bobcat sells Bridgstone and Mclaren rubber tracks right now, and that New Holland was putting some Solideal tracks on their machine some time ago. So, we trust these track makers. I also agree that a good operator can make a hell of a difference in prolonging the track life, and a bad one can destroy even the best track! But I disagree that all tracks are made the same. It's the same like with the tires - you can get a cheap tire that has inferior rubber and cables and that won't last you long, or you can get a premium tires that you can rely on at any job. Remember what happened with these aftermarket imported Chinese tires the Congress was talking about early last year that were all pulled out of the US market because of quality and safety concerns. The small NJ importer went bunkrupt, while the Chinese makers were left untouched as they don't have any US presence besides the importer. I really think it comes down to brand and price -- if someone wants to enter a new market with super cheap price, they certianly can, but something in the quality must give in -- use cheaper ingredients, less quality consistency controls, poor aftersale support, etc. A good brand name company cannot afford to cheat you on quality since this may get them bankrupt. Many Chinese makers, however, don't care, since they don't sell under any brand -- they can sell under their distributor's name, so if something goes wrong, let the distributor suffer the consequences while the maker finds another small distributor to work with, until he also burns, and so on... ointhead So you usually get what you pay for, and we stick with the good brands and OEMs choice like Bridgestone and McLaren tracks, especially when we can get them for a good deal price! As people say -- "We are not so rich to buy cheap!" :usa
we just replaced tracks for cat 277b from rubbertracks they cost about 2200 each they look good but we cant seem to get them tight enough they are adjusted all the way out the rep says that the idlers may worn down but the old tracks we had plenty of adjustment and they were tight
That must be a new track they have available, it's been a while since I've called Rubbertrax and I wasn't aware they had an ASV undercarriage track. Idlers worn down on the ASV undercarriage can make a difference, but I see your point about the old tracks tightened fine. Seems kind of a lame excuse for the rep just to say it's worn idlers. As I said, I haven't used one of their ASV track, but maybe the track spec is just a little different than the old track you had. But I'm wondering, the 277B had a lot of adjustment. The tension adjustment is done by the drive cage framework, with several "notches" until it's at full adjustment. But I have to ask; have you adjusted the position of the front top roller? When the ASV track stretches, you can loosen the drive cage frame adjustment, index the front top roller up, then re-tension the track with the drive cage adjustment. Let me know how it all ends up for you, I've been looking for ASV tracks from someone other than ASV or Cat.
brabe, I just caught the spelling. You said you got the tracks from "rubbertracks". I have been referring to "Rubbertrax" in Conyers Ga. Just want to verify we're talking about the same company.
i think they are rubbertrack i will have to double check but they look like the ones they sell i don't know the terminology of the undercarriage very well but before we replaced the tracks the part that i think is for adjustment was like at 1 or 2 o clock now it is at 12 oclock and the tracks are a little loose and they are brand new. i;m still learning how the undercarriage works where is the drive cage adjustment
i was not involved in the repair work but i am very interested because my boss passed away last year and they are selling there equitment and i would like to buy it
Wow! It's not easy to interpret your post's with your expressed inexperience with the undercarriage components, but I think I can handle it. Your describing standing on the left side of the machine and looking at the track. The front top roller "was" at 2:00 with the old track, you installed the new track, you now have adjusted the front top roller to 12:00, and the track is not tight. If I have this right, that's a lot of adjustment. If this is the case, I have to wonder if the track is the right size. And I will say this difference between old/new tracks ain't caused by idler wear as proposed by your track rep! It's not easy to describe it, but the drive cage frame is held in place by four / 1/2" bolts; two at the rear of the frame, and two at the front, where the drive cage frame meets the track frame. You remove these bolts and push the cage frame back with adjusting tool (or hyd jack) until track is tight, then re-install locking bolts. You might want to get a manual to show you how to do these procedures. Please do verify who you got the tracks from, I am interested in knowing this. If they in fact did come from Rubbertrax, I would be very interested in knowing this and how it all works out for you.
Word to the wise...be cautious buying tracks for the ASV/CAT undercarriages from anyone other than the OEM. My buddy bought a set for his RC60 from Rubbertracks and they wouldn't even fit on the machine. They did send him another set that he was able to get on but they were very very tight and the lugs pop.
that was my exact question when i picked it up in my opinion there should not be that much difference in the tentioning between old tracks and new. i would think the new tracks would be tighter than the old ones just because they are new. i think the new tracks are a different size/lenght than they should be im going to make sure they put the right tracks on the machine i'll keep u posted
I have a question. Who is this "rubbertracks" company you guys are referring to?
i have to find out which company it is i didn't mean to accuse rubbertracts or rubbertrax. i just seen a picture of the tracks on there website and figured it was them because they looked identical and i was not aware anybody made aftermarket tracks for a 277. i apologize i am in the process of finding out i will keep you posted
I didn't take it as an accusation, I'm just trying to obtain the proper name of the track supplier as I think it's important for all of us. This thread has discussed a number of track suppliers, OEM and quality aftermarket. I think everyone is trying to determine which track supplier suits their needs and be within their budget. Some folks have the ability to afford the quality OEM tracks, others are forced to choose a less expensive product, but they still want a degree of quality. Therfore, if there's an aftermarket supplier that has inferior quality tracks and customer support, I'm sure we all would like to be aware of it. That's why I believe it's important to identify these company's by their proper name so we may all know who we're talking about.
i found out that there were 2 different size tracks available from the supplier (still have not found the suppliers name i'll should have it monday) i was told to count the treads on the track and it should be 56 per the person in charge of fixing it im going to count them tomorrow its been kind of difficult getting info because the person who paid for the tracks wasn't the mechanic but i'm making progress. thanks for the responses
FYI: I did some research and found there are two compnies with very similar names and they are both very close to each other - Atlanta and Conyers, GA: www.rubbertrax.com/ www.rubbertracksusa.com/ Both of them say they offer ASV aftermarket tracks and I won't be surprised if they are the same tracks... I hope whoever sold you these tracks sends you replacements that work or your money back. Good luck! :usa
i counted the treads on the top and there was indeed 56 as there is supposed to be on this particular track. i'm starting to think there is something else worn out on the undercarriage or just not adjusted correctly because one side looks good i post some pics so you can see what i;m talking about
here are some pics the left side is alot tighter than the right and the front upper roller is straight up compared to the left side which is not straight up
If your old OEM track fits well and the new aftermarket doesn't, then it’s possible that the aftermarket track is made longer than the OEM (regardless that it also has 56 links). Measure the length of both the OEM and the aftermarket tracks with a rope and see if they are the same. I would think that it's also possible that the two aftermarket tracks that you've got are not equally long, so measure and compere them idividually as well. Hope you'll get to the bottom of your fitting problem before you start replacing any undercarraige parts...:usa
There you go! I haven't sold or used any tracks from RubbertracksUSA, only from Rubbertrax. As I stated in a previous post, I haven't had a problem with any track I've got from Rubbertrax, but I haven't had an ASV track from them either. If someone is offering an aftermarket ASV track, it must be a fairly new product, last time I checked the ASV track design was still protected by Patent.
Brabe IMO there's something wrong with that track. It not built right. From your pictures you have used up all your adjustment on your top idlers. Check your drive frames to see if they are the same distance from the top idlers mounts. Hillboys right wrap a rope or a long tape measure around the outside of the tracks and compare the two of them.
Rubbertrax has offered replacement tracks for the ASV/Cat machines for 7 months, we have had great success with these tracks. If the tracks for the Cat 277 originally came from us, please contact us directly and we will rectify the problem. We take pride in our tracks and undercarriage parts that we sell, as well as our customer's satisfaction. www.rubbertrax.com
I work for a S. Cohn & Son Inc. in Monroe Ohio. We have been in business since 1917 and have focused on selling undercarriage for steel track machines until a few years ago when we added rubber tracks to our product line up. Just recently we became the Camoplast distributor for the Middle and Eastern parts of the United States. Camoplast has one of the best quality rubber tracks in the business and they back it with THE best warranty in the industry. On skidsteers they have a 1500hr/18month warranty with 100% replacement for the first year or 1000hours. On mini-excavators the warranty is 2500hr/30month with 100% replacement for the first 24months or 2000 hours. We have stock in our Monroe location which is just north of Cincinnati. If you have any interest call 1-800-334-2646. Matt Green www.scohn.com www.rubbertracks.com
Rubber tracks We carry over $1 million of Camoplast inventory as well. How does your post help this customer with his ASV track problem?
I wasn't trying to post something for someone asking about different brands of rubber tracks other than Bobcat. Sorry.
As far as the ASV tracks, I have seen a few different manufacturers have problems with the fitment of these tracks. I thought that problem had been fixed but I suppose something could have slipped through the cracks somewhere along the lines.
As I stated earlier...if you buy from your local dealer you will get original OEM tracks that fit the first time every time. I saw it all the time when I sold Bobcats. Guys trying to save a few bucks (and they sometimes do) by bypassing the dealer and OEM who they will will eventually lean on when they have a machine problem. If the track was too tight instead of too loose and it caused damage to your wheel bearings, sprocket, or outboard bearing will Rubbertrax come to your site to get you running again? I don't think so. Your local dealer will bail you out even though he probably stocked the tracks you should have bought because he thinks supporting his local customers is important. I don't know how much time you've spent trying to get them to fit, shipping them back and forth, etc. but I hope they last for you and give you good life.
the aftermarket tracks are made from superior. ivecontacted the sales rep and he made a site visit. Hopefully we can figure it out.
I agree with Digdeep -- going OEM or with whoever the OEMs are buying from is the safest way around. Buying cheap Chinese or Korean tracks will get you in trouble sooner or later. This is experience talking - we paid dearly to come to this conclusion. There are just few reputable rubber track companies and brands around, less than 5 I would say. :usa
hi..
I've always thought Camoplast has been making only snow mobile tracks and ASV tracks. Since when did they start making their own excavator and track loader tracks? I also heard that Tareuk (spelling?), the Korean rubber track company that was going broke, was bought by Canadians... do you know if this is Camoplast who bought them and now reselling their products under a new name?
ATCO, I've been checking out the place you mentioned rubbertrax.com and they have two different brands, one is made in china and another in korea. The one has a 12 month warranty and the other has a 18 month warranty?? Which one is better and have you still been having good luck with these?? Thanks
The Korean Manufacturer with the 18 Month warranty is Camoplast. You can get more information about the Camoplast at www.rubbertracks.com . From what I have seen, it seems to be a very good quality track.
Camoplast bought Tereuk out of Korea. They had heaps of trouble on the VTS machines but may have fixed them since Camoplast bought them.
Yep, I've sold a number of them from Rubbertrax in Conyers Ga, and from Multi Machine in New Jersey. I haven't had any problems with tracks from either one. And most people, predictably enough, go for the cheaper track, it's all about the money. The only track I had a problem with was on a Morooka MST-800. Sold them new tracks and they broke one. Found out they were crossing railroad tracks with it...and not at a crossing. Uhhh...it don't work that way.
I see that Rubbertrax and Rubbertracks brands have been brought up. How about RubbertracksUSA. Their brand is Duraforce but I have not found what type they are. ie: Camoplast type. Has anyone used the Duraforce brand? Thanks
tracks 328 bobcat tracks lasted longer than mclaren on 328 under same conditions
FYI on replacement tracks. I want to share my experience regarding some of the rubber track suppliers I contacted in the last ten days: My local Takeuchi dealer, Rubbertrax, Rubbertracks, McLaren, and Solideal all supplied prompt quotes as well as warranty information upon request. RubbertracksUSA supplied a prompt quote (same day) but when warranty information was requested there was no reply...so they did not get my further consideration. I chose to go with OEM tracks from the dealer. Some of the aftermarket tracks were less expensive but having a local shop to deal with warranty issues was worth more to me than the diffence in price. Putting the tracks on the machine turned out to be less challenging than I had expected. A problem I had not expected was BOTH of my fill valves for my tensioners failed when I tried to pump them up with grease. Replacements from my local Takeuchi dealer were a little more than $22 each and they would have to be ordered. The guy that helped me with my tracks was working on a Cat dozer at work and noticed that these fill valves looked to be the same as the ones he had taken out of a D-6. I went to the local Cat dealer and compared the two and found them to be the same. Cat had them in stock for less than $16 each. The $12 savings was not as important as the fact that I had the parts in hand the same day. The machine is a TL130.
Diggedirt, I agree 100% with you -- what matters for me the most is the quality -- for product, after-sale support and availability. Buying cheap has never worked well for us. This is why when it comes to rubber tracks, we chose the reputable manufacturers -- OEM, Bridgestone, McLaren, etc. but run away from cheaper Chinese or Korean non-brand tracks. A couple hundered dollars in savings with the cheapos can give you a hell when you least need it or expect it, and you'll end up losing a lot more. I learned this long time ago, the hard way! :usa
anyone know about United Skid Tracks online?
Sorry, never heard of them. We've been buying tracks mostly from McLaren in the last few years...
hmmm. Yeah I wonder because they haven't replied to my email and it's been a few days. So for a Bobcat T595, the wide C-lug set would save me $1300. in comparison to the Bobcat dealer quote I got. Free Shipping on these is where its at.