Looking to purchace skid steer mainly for brush cutting and clearing. Probably not alot of finish work. I will be using this for personal use and also small part time buisness. My question is would it be better to get a dedicated track machine or a tire machine with OTT. I will be in woods and on rough terrain mainly. I was thinking steel tracks over foam filled tires would be best for being in the timber while running brush cutter. Only thing I know is that I do not want a foot controlled bucket. Nothing other than gas pedal in floor. Have looked at 06 Cat 262B with VTS Track System that has all new hubs and decent tracks with 1900 hrs. Or, a 2005 CAT 287B, 549 hrs, New Tracks, Cab with AC/Heat. Same money for either. Thanks in advance. Sitting back listening for suggestions.
Welcome to the Forums Hootinany!:drinkup The VTS system is something I would stay away from as well as the ASV/Cat undercarriage, especially if you are working in the woods. A lot of folks have had success with those systems but operating environments have the most to do with it. Personally I never liked the ASV/Cat undercarriage since it first came out. I knew it wouldn't hold up in the environment I work in. If you are going to be cutting brush in a forestry environment then a CTL or a OTT equipped skid is the way to go. Before there was a track machine, I ran skids with OTT's in the winter and they performed well. Since you don't have to worry about the steel tracks marring up finished surfaces, I would suggest going that route as it will be cheaper in the long run. What part of AL are you in?
Thanks for the info. I live in Reform,Al.
Birmingham area here, southern suburbs.
What's your budget? Nothing major to add on those two specific machines. Regarding CTL vs wheeled skid steer converted, my general opinion is to get a dedicated tracked machine. I'm in Columbus, nice to notice some local folk! Knew you were CM.
I put about 1100 hours on a VTS system on a CASE 440. I liked it. It needed some work when I traded it in, but honestly I liked the ride and the traction was excellent. The downsides are the width of the machine, and the weight of the machine. It takes some hp to run them, the bigger CAT skid steers are better than the smaller ones but they are less powerful than most other machines from the start and the VTS adds to that power deficit. I would not even consider a CAT MTL. OTTs work well,and are relatively cheap to run compared to a dedicated CTL. The issue I would have in your case in recommending a CTL is that these machines take some upkeep. The rubber tracks are expensive, and the upkeep (sprockets, rollers, drive motors) can get expensive. Depending on how much you can make on the side and how much you use it for yourself (unpaid hours and wear) would be the deciding factor for me. I would go with the OTT and some pnumatic tires until you see how things go. If your making money and things are going well, you can always move up to CTL. I would rather go that way than to get into a CTL and have more upkeep and not make any money.
Want to stay under 25k for machine and looking to get brush monster mower. Good to know some local people here. I work in Columbus at Severstal and just want something to do on my off days.
From what I've seen, the track machines are MUCH more expensive and run into very expensive overhauls in the 2-3000 hour range (plus tracks every 800-1000? hours). The typical figure I've seen discussed here is that they cost $8-10 more per hour to operate. How do you adjust OTT track tension with foam filled tires? Normally you do final track tension adjustment with tire pressure.
Being you will be using the machine for personal use, I would highly suggest a skid with OTT's. k45 is right, it's a min. cost of $10 per hour more for a CTL and personally I wouldn't invest that much into a machine I would be using around the "farm". I have never ran OTT's with solid tires so that's a good question k45. I always ran air filled tires with tire snot in them for the small punctures.
For work in the woods, I normally prefer steel OTT. There is much more risk of damaging tracks or throwing tracks out in the woods on stumps and big rocks. Repairing way out in the woods is always a pain. I also seem to get better traction with steel tracks on loose leaves and damp ground conditions.
I am going through the same decision. It has come down to the cost to operate the track machine. I want the track machine but I think in the end the wheel machine with ott tracks will be cheaper to run with a little lose in traction compared to the track machine .
My opinion is that OTT's will provide the better traction than a CTL along with providing a little extra "flotation". Cheap to run and you have a "convertable", that is back to tires only if you want. Although flat tires really suck (see avatar)
Each side of the grouser has 2 placement holes. A couple of guys that I work for have a 320 with ott/foam filled and a 250 the same. Try to leave them with the most slack that you can. Running them tight will cause problems if something kind of big gets in the.( its real hard on the area where the axle meets the frame) But on the flip side running them loose will let things get in there easier also. Once you get used to running one with tracks on you will know what to listen and feel for with the tracks.