We are looking to purchase a tracked skid steer for the following activities Rough mowing of trails Rough mowing around sewer lagoons, plants, and pump stations Other rough mowing General excavating in a municipal setting General cleanup in a municipal setting Snow removal - mainly cleanup of center island cul-de-sacs after all other plowing is done Light duty backhoe use We have pretting much decided on a 60hp +/- machine (cost issue) and the following attachments 4/1 bucket tilt attach 8' +/- backhoe brush mower We need to buy under a state contact so we are somewhat limited on pricing, and due to this have pretty much ruled out the ASV - RC60 due to this and the lack of High Flow Hydralics. - Right now the guys seam to like the JCB 180T, and I am trying to get a demo of the new holland 175, which looks good on paper. What Machine would you suggest and Why? We are also torn between a snow blower, snow push, or snow blade. Which do you feel would be best to clean-up these tight radius cul-de-sacs with grass centers. (This would be after we make a messy at best pass with the trucks during the storm)? Any advise on attachments, brands, ect...?
Bobcat t-190 with hiflow. Very easy to work on. Damn near impossiable to kill. Nicest cab of anymachine. I personally do not like the JCB skid loaders. The one arm design has too many issues. Any body who doesn't own it is going to be rough to the machine. Having only 1 arm doing the work of 2 is asking for trouble.
Why not get a wheeled skid and put the Loegering VTS tracks on it? For summer work you have tracks, for winter put the tires on for snow work. This way you keep the hours down for track wear. As for brands that is tough, personally either a New Holland or Case but if you have a good Bobcat dealer they would be okay. You may have to get creative in your bid specs to get the machine you want.
ditto on adding tracks to a wheeled skid. loggering and grozer both make a nice set. I think pushing snow in the winter would bring unecessary undercarriage wear and added expense, besides a rough ride. I think that alot of the tracked skid loaders are sold because they are relatively new to the market and look cool. I don't think that much cost anyalist has been done on undercarriage wear yet.
I can tell you that our RC100 is heck on grass and driveways with its tracks if that makes any difference for you..but its near unstoppable in most low traction situations
Heck on grass and driveways? I always thought that tracked machines didn't rut like wheeled machines. Must be because of the size of the machine.
Welcome to HEF TALLRICK! :drinkup
I think for snow blowers it is hard to beat a Quick-Attach/Erskine. I used one in Big Sky this winter on a high flow 440 CASE. I could not believe how far you could throw snow. Even at 9000 feet the machine never bogged down taking 4' of snow at a time. I had a high flow Erskine years ago but I never had that kind of power (CASE 1840 HF). The snow blower interfaces with the machines controls on the handles very cool set up. The CASE 440 CT is impressive in its abilities. Your price restrictions may require looking at a CASE 420CT which I know nothing about. I would certainly try the CASE and see how it compares.
what issues? the arm is warrantied for life. anyone else do that? i recently heard that jcb will have some changes coming this june.
Welcome to HEF skata! :drinkup
it does have to do with the size and weight (10,500lbs wet) it takes some getting used to to turn it with out pivoting or even reversing the inside track..once you get the hang of it you can do all right...unless its wet...then you just have to deal with it after the job is done with a good ol' garden rake! :Banghead
Asv Look at the ASV rc-60.This is just a great machine!
High Floatation and Snow... All I'd have is a tracked machine. And I can't speak from experience on snow, but friends seems to think that the same quality for sand and wet traction is a hindrance when moving snow. I can say in anything OTHER than sand, deep wet mud, turf grasses, construction sites, or demo jobs, get a wheeled machine. Whats that leave? I'm willing to bet an ASV can do snow, too, but can't prove it. After re-reading your thread, I really think you are asking for a ton of work from one machine. '
You have to realize that a tracked skidloader is not a true skidloader, they are muti-terrain loaders. We traded our 1845C for a Cat 287B. At first I thought it was the biggest piece of junk ever built. But we were trying to operate it like our old Case. You have to run it like an old worn out dozer, nice gentle turns, easy gradual pushing, stuff like that. Once we figured that out, I love that machine. Yeah, that 1845 will bury that Cat if your just hogging dirt, but for fine grading, demo cleanup, and work that a skidloader should do it works great. We were using the Case in instances where we really should have had a dozer or loader, but it was just so dang handy. We recently got a 236B wheeled skidloader to replace the 287 on jobs where tracks weren't necesary. Tracks are very high maintanance and expensive we have learned, so we try to be easy on them if possible.
Nice to be noticed!
The Deere 322 and 332 CTL machines are really nice. They are starting to be popular around here and there are Deere dealers in most areas.
Thanks for everyones help After much consideration, we stepped back and went with a tire machine. We have on order a fully loaded New Holland 185, Erskine high flow blower, tilt attach, Badco 4/1 bucket, and Backhoe attachment.
This is ture the john deere skid steers are really something. I have a john deere and a bobcat. And the bobcat can't stay up with the john deere the john deere has sooooo much more power, and is more stable my next one will be john deere
OK, you already went with the wheeled skid but for anyone who might have the same question later I strongly suggest looking at the CAT MTL series. First, under state or Federal contract they have a program that will help you get the machine even though it cost more up front. Second, as stated these are not skid steers. If folks are buying them to be skids then they will most likely not have a good experience. The turning is a good example. The maintenance of the undercarriage is a huge responsibility and if you have operators that won't take responsibility then don't bother. That being said, the weight distribution is different and center of gravity is lower on some machines (oh, that is nice). There is more torque with the bucket down low, or even better, a snow pusher. Depending on the amount of snow you receive and where the machine would be used would determine the need of a blower or pusher. In our area where we average 13 storms a season and less than 100" a year a blower is just not a good investment for us. If we were clearing fire roads or working in CO or upstate NY that might be a different story. If the operator is trained properly then these units leave turf in good condition. The weight is distributed over a wider area and the depressions are very slight. Then again, if the operator is doing 360° and 180° turns they will do considerable damage (unless they use the optional turf tracks) to the turf and over time the undercarriage. Training is key ( as it is for any machine) and a worthy investment.
I have a 250 Series II John Deere and love it. Yes, the CTL have so much more pushing power than a regular skidsteer but have the undercarriage cost similar to a dozer but just not as expensive. The CTL machine cost allot more new also
small question.... Dont those rubber tracks for the skid loaders wear out alot faster than regular tires do?
Only if improperly used. Its the nubs on the inside of the tracks that will wear if riding on slopes sideways, doing 360's or 180's, the tracks are improperly tensioned, etc.
it sounds like it was good you went with a wheeled machine, at work we have that Ct332 and plowin snow this year it was practically useless. sit and spin, sit and spin, sit and spin, until you got used to how the bucket needs to be set up. the tracks just wouldnt bite. the s300 did circles around it even with the 7ft bucket compared to the 10footer on the 332
Yes, the track machines do not like snow very well. This is common with many brands.
I'm not sure I am seeing the same thing in the snow. We had a sloped lot, actually two, this past winter that all wheeled vehicles had difficulty on but the CAT 257B worked beautifully. It was our saving grace. It handled the slopes and worked best when the ground was wet. Maybe it was operator training. Which CAT was able to supply via video. They are hoping to bring live classes to our market soon.
I think the ASV designed track systems on the Cats is better in the snow. Also depends on the type of tracks that you have installed.
Are the rubber tracks capable of being studded or would that be more trouble than its worth?
I think its possible but I heard somewhere it is very hard on the machine because it cannot slip to turn.
Good point. We don't get much snow down here. :beatsme
A track machine is great but very expensive to keep up. I think unless your in muddy conditions allot and dig a bunch your better of with a wheeled machine.
and ive also heard that the rubber tracked skid steers get de tracked quite a bit also? Im gonna guess thats another improperly used problem or just the way they are?
Yes the track coming off does happen. Depends on allot of things such as tension of belt, how wore things are, and conditions your in such as mud.
our tracks are showing wear back in winter. That might have been alot of it, the other little bit would be the lot is totally gravel and the snow and water freezes and its like ice. Ohh ya the bucket is a homemade jobber orgionally made for a tractomotive loader made bigger for snow its a tough push because the extentions in the front are inside the old buckt so your puching to edges and both are BLUNT. but it got the job done, eventially
As mentioned tensioning and wear are contributors to that issue. I wish they had the videos online. Perhaps somebody talented enough with YouTube or other video site could get it done. CAT has a few training videos available. One we received on VHS and we had transferred to DVD (poorly done though—the transfer, that is). Runs about 40 minutes. The other we received on DVD from CAT. That one is in Spanish. I thought I would be doubly sure everyone knew how to operate the machines. Anyway, that catalog number is YSDN2300. They play another one at our CAT dealer. I have been trying to get my hands on it without luck. Each one goes over safety and operations of the MTL with plenty of emphasis on the undercarriage. Matter of fact there used to be a website dedicated to the undercarriage of the CAT MTLs. They used to advertise it in Compact Equipment or another industry magazine. There were downloadable PDFs that explained some usage techniques and maintenance. Combined with the videos they give you a good overview of what needs to be done and how to do it. I have a copy but the file is too big to post. Supposedly, CAT is creating a skid steer training program but I have not heard anything in so long about it I have no idea if they are doing it or not.