Hello friends, it's okay with you? First, forgive me if there are any mistakes in my text, because English is not my native language and not speak so well. Let the chase ... My name is Humberto and work with eartworks and earthmoving since 1979 throughout the metropolitan region of S�o Paulo city and neighboring towns cities like Osasco, Cotia, Embu and cities in the interior of state, such as Campinas, for example. In 1980 I founded my company under the name of Umarizal Terraplenagem (Umarizal Earthworks, in English) and from then realize several works in the area of earthmoving using equipment like wheel loaders, track type loaders, backhoes, skid steers and of course, dump trucks. Between 1980 and 2000, here in Brazil, the crawler loaders / track loaders Traxcavator Caterpillar 933, 941A / 941B (the two most popular), 951 and 955, manufactured in the USA, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, if I'm not mistaken, the most used being reigned in all worksites. However, from 2000 onwards, at least in Brazil, hydraulic excavators as PC 150 and PC 200 by Komatsu and 315 and 320 by Caterpillar become popular in such a way that today we only see these models in all works. How to wear the undercarriage excavators, the more expensive the maintenance of these machines is much lower compared to crawler loaders, there is no longer priced like having to work with a Caterpillar 941, for example. Today, where we used a Caterpillar 933 or 941, currently use as a skid steer loader Case 95XT or Case 465 with a mini excavator Yanmar VIO80 or one backhoe loader as Case 580N or Caterpillar 416E, always more affordable price than a track loader. I wonder if other countries the loaders mats are also every day losing more market or are still widely used. At least here in Brazil, all are fading. Even my company, is one of the few that still has track loader mats in the country. Thank you for your attention and a hug!
In the Northwestern part of the United States crawler loaders have for the most part disappeared. They used to be the premier machine for demolition, land clearing, scrap metal yards and rough site development. The emergence of the small to medium tracked excavator, particularly when equipped with a thumb became so much more efficient that track loaders just sat all the time. I think there is a steel mill application in my area where a crawler loader would work but they have not wanted to try it. I have been seeing more and more use for the compact track loaders now days. Rubber tracks let you work almost anywhere with little damage to the ground. They are hydrostatic drive making them easy to operate and the machines can be optioned out to nearly luxury car comfort. The quick couplers on the booms allow so much more utility and these machine cost a fraction of what a new crawler loader will require.
Yeah terraplanagem , as John C. stated compact track loaders with the rubber tracks are very popular . With that being said the track loader is far from gone in my area . Still see a lot in use . Mostly cat 953 , 63 & 73's . Don't see them disappearing any time soon .
I'll second what John C. said, not surprising as we're from the same area. But the track loader seems like a jack of all trades....master of none. It can do a lot of things, but cant do any efficiently, at least compared to the other options available. I cant see any purpose for one in any of our operations.
One of the salesmen told me in our area, we have the highest concentration in the US. We are constantly trying to get more to send to the customers. They are far from dead here.
Well being a track loader guy I'm going to disagree with that. It can grade better than an excavator, carry more dirt across a site than a small dozer, load trucks, clear and grubb and fine grade. I finished many a pad and parking lot with a '53. I'm not being sarcastic rather curious, have you operated one? Same here. Back in 2007 or so my PSR said he knew of 200 + loaders working in just one county, that's the one's he knew the owners and not the farm and hobby machines. There not going anywhere in my neck of the woods either.
some one said, don't bring a knife to a gun fight, may your tool fit the job.
When I decided to buy a bigger machine to put in my little fleet to handle pond construction, clearing, grading, basement digging, and whatever other odd jobs come along I chose a 953. An excavator will out dig me til he has to move that dirt more than the machines reach. They don't compact a dam very well. An excavator is a great clearing machine but they need something to support them when it comes to pushing trees to a pile or grading when done. A CTL is great in place of a skid steer but they won't keep up with a 953 moving dirt. They lack the lead in their tail to clear big timber or push a lot of dirt. I love my 953! Here in the Midwest US I think you would be hard put to run an operation of any size without a true track loader. Just my thoughts John
In the regional US Midwest the trackhoe or excavator is becoming the norm for foundation work, for fields clearing of heavy or dense brush, creek bank remediation and pond construction all of which at one time or another were almost strictly track loader jobs or combined loader/dozer work here. The excavator does not fare as well as to final grade or finish but all too many contractors opt for a rubber track skid steer CTL today over the heavier more awkward iron track loaders we find more convenient. As to the demise or death of the track loader, doubtful. May find they shrink back in manufactured numbers and purchase but they do have unique features and functions that other machines do not do as well or as fast or as a steady diet. The market is seeing a swing away from steel tracks and heavy machines to lighter more nimble machines while cost and versatility play a role in how many are bought and used as with most tools.
I do have another observation on this that might bring a little bit more understanding. The decline of the crawler loader in the Northwest to me seemed to coincide with the installation of hydraulic thumbs on excavators. Now I know that in other regions of the US the hydraulic thumb is not all that common and there are plenty of stiff leg thumbs or none at all. Up here an excavator without a thumb is not a common sale unless you have a pipe line machine. Most of those are medium to large. You very seldom see a small machine without a thumb. So my question to you all would be, are there more crawler loaders where there are fewer hydraulic excavator with thumbs?
Nobody uses them around here. Strictly excavators. I think they will hold their own with larger contractors. Any time you need to pack materials across a site they would be preferable over a hoe, especially when comparing hourly rates. If you need to pack bedding sand from stockpile to its final location and you use a 3-4 cu/yd track loader what would a 3-4cu/yd excavator cost per hour. Same thing if you need to load out a pile of material into trucks, loader should be cheaper then a comparable size hoe. What are the rates in your area for lets say a 953 vs. 300 size hoe? I do not see the track loader going the way of the dodo bird. Still have their place.
That's an interesting question ? With some jobs I could see the excavator thumb be it manual or hydro taking a job the track loader with 4 in 1 bucket used to do . In my area we have had excavator thumbs for over 20 years now . What we do is pair up an excavator & track loader or dozer on most jobs . They are two different pieces of equipment that compliment each other when put on a task . The only debate we might have is between a dozer or track loader being paired up with the excavator . I use a dozer with the excavator and my buddy uses his track loader . Both work fine
Olá terraplanagem! Seja bem vindo nas fóruns dos equipamentos pesados! In South Africa their use was always limited, bulldozers and wheel loaders (two firms in particular, established in South Africa, Desmond Equipment and Bell Equipment) used together were always preferred, and TLBs have a long history in South Africa.
The main place I recall seeing track loaders working was in the bush complete with a set of log forks and a winch both loading and less commonly skidding timber. Mainly 955's, but a few 977's in bigger timber, there were a few 175 and 250 internationals about too. Now days the excavator and grapple skidder is king in that application. The odd one was found in refuse disposal and demolition work. This thread got me thinking that I cannot actually remember the last time I saw one working, even sitting for that matter.
I debated hard and long on whether to buy a track loader. I ended up buying a JD 655 C II. I have no regrets and will always have one. I will say the track loader has been the hardest machine for me to get the hang of. So a track loader is a very effective machine with an operator that can run one. Not being able to see the edge of the bucket is what I think makes it so hard on new operators. My partner is very good on a track loader and if someone wants a pad leveled he will take just the loader (it has 4n1) and do the job with just the loader and do it fast. So my point is in the right hands a track loader is a valuable machine. We have CTLs but I don't think of them as clearing machines. They seem to take a beating when used in clearing.
I have a couple of track loaders, love them dearly and wouldn't part with them for what I use them for, that being said, there are very few left in my area, a few farmers have them and a couple of contractors use them to load dump trucks with and just leave them sit in a quarry for when their needed. It was told to me decades ago, if you learn to operate on a crawler loader, you can run any dozer out there pretty darn well, but those who learned on a dozer can't run a crawler loader worth a darn, I've found this true over the years with the help I've had. It depends on the type of work you do and the needs you have for each machine, but for the most part, track loaders are a thing of the past in my area for the majority of the users, skid steers and mini excavators are taking over the market share these machines once had. I'm not even sure most manufacturers make a new steel tracked loader anymore, haven't really paid much attention to it, since I'm not in the market to buy a new one.
There are a lot of loaders in use in my area and most excavators have thumbs. Most minis have hydraulic thumbs and the larger hoes stiff link.
Deere, Liebherr and Cat still make a track loader, I believe I saw info for Chinese and Russian equipment but these are the only ones remaining. Most of the others as Case are building Compact Track Loaders with all the capabilities of a steel track unit but without the dead weight and iron rails.
Track loaders have never been popular in my area, once in a while you'll see an old Case or Deere, usually 350 or 450 that someone bought to do some clearing work. Going by the looks of them, they should've been scrapped years ago. Largest one I've seen (and ran) was a 550 Deere a friend (equipment salesman) brought home to demo an old barn. Ed
Track loaders are very popular in my area as well as excavators, I will always have a trackloader in my fleet. Both items make a great team for about any task at hand.
A newer CTL compared to a Deere 450/550 is no comparison, the newer CTL will run circles around them. However comparing a newer CTL to a 953, there is no comparison. A 953 will move more earth at the end of the day compared to any CTL on the market. Sure there are situations where a CTL will shine, over a larger track loader on tight sites. I have a T250 and it's a very handy machine that gets used very often. However it's one of the most expensive machines, undercarriage wise, to operate in my small fleet. Like JB, I will always have a 953, it's just too versatile to not have one.
That's pretty much how I see it CM . The newer CTL's are faster & more agile then the older track loaders like the 450 & 550 Deere models when it comes to light operations . Grading , moving loose material & so on . What the CTL doesn't have is the tough steel rails , undercarriage , & final drives the crawlers have when it comes to rougher tasks .
Lot's of 953s around here on commercial jobs. I'm probably 100 miles north of CM. There's a one man show just down the road from where I live that has a JD 455 track loader and a JD 450 Dozer. I see him around quite a bit using both. The track loader mostly for loading out demo stuff. I see a 175 at a dirt pit everyday, but I hardly see it moved from it's parking spot. I see lots of 953 and 963s elsewhere mostly shuffling dirt around. I have a 175 that is mostly for hobby land maintenance but has been great for so many tasks. It's a challenge to fine grade with it, but I could see how a good operator would have no problem grading with it. The TL and tractor box blade have made a great combo.
Yep, did a 234 mile round trip to look at a auto parts store project in Huntsville. A larger track loader like a 953 is just a large skid steer and can do what a skid does grade wise, just on steroids. A track loader is a challenge to learn how to grade with as you have to learn the bucket's position to ground and what grade is without seeing the cutting edge. It took me many, many hours to get all I could get out of a '53 but when you get there it's a very handy machine to have.
I have never owned a track loader, but would like to add one to my fleet when I can. A lot of things I do a good 973 would be helpful. Too bad for CARB here in Kalifornia, now I can't buy an older one, which would be the starting point since it would only get used sparingly. For now, I have to rent one when I need it.
Well one point to look at is your local market and what and whom you're competing against ie in upstate sc where I live and work as a one man band operation most of my work is on house sites into some VERY hard red clay. Most of the lots have a fairly pronounced slope to them. Which translates to a whole bunch of cut and fill from one side of the lot to the other AFTER the house construction itself is completed and the septic tank is installed. Which we've always termed the"rough in" or rough grading. In some places you would rough grade b4 putting in the septic system but we don't here because most of the septic installers leave quite a bit to be desired in their finish work and the material here needs to be close to finish level b4 the landscaper shows up or they will scream bloody murder if they have to grade any more than the top 2" on a 1\2 acre lot an excavator large enuff to move that amount of dirt is about as useless as a d8 would be in that small of an area. Which is why you still see track loaders being used in this area. Not to mention the house builders only want to pay for 1 machine to show up and do there job in a quick and timely manner so they can save $ over having 2 machines there.
I've only seen a handful of trackloaders here in the gulf coast area. The ground is just to soft most of the year. I don't think the trackloaders will ever die, but it will never be anything like it once was.
JDOFMEMI- Is it against the law to buy non-carb equipment out in Cali for everyone or just to use for business purposes?
Maybe we just have more out of state guys moving this direction, but I'm starting to see a lot more track loaders around here lately. I even saw a Liebherr the other day. I'd never seen one 'cept on the net.
I own a '99 Ford Super Duty with a 7.3 diesel, it is not legal for me to sell it to a CA buyer as they cannot import it due to not being built to CA standards but to US Fed emission standard, same holds for my Allis tractors, none can be sent into CA without having extra devices put on them even as they are 40+ years old. Brother lives in Temecula, tried to register a Illinois car he brought in state, was told sell it out of state or drive it on out of state plates until he would have to junk it, could not license or sell in-state of CA. Same holds true for Class 7 trucks and heavy construction equipment.
What a shame. One of the reasons I couldn't live in Cali.
In Australia,particularly on the East coast,Crawler Loaders (often called a Traxcavator or"Drott") were popular for all sorts of excavation,demolition & clearing work.Most were armed with ripper & 4 in 1 ,so a hillside house pad or tennis court site could be cleared,ripped,cut,loaded & trimmed up with one machine.An access driveway was made too,& graded off to drain well,then sheeted with gravel.A good operator can get a finish to around an inch. I think the fact that most old style Track Loaders carried a ripper is often overlooked. I've cut roads & house sites through mudstone & hard clay,thanks to that 2 or 3 tyne ripper.I've worked on sites where 2 "Drotts" have worked together constructing dams...compacting as they work.Or ripping stumps up after tree clearing. CTLs are great at hi-speed light stuff,but their undercarriage costs are as high as a steel track loader...without the ripping ability & weight to knock a tree.I view them as a product of the computer age,running around at high speed & wearing out with high hire & wear cost. You can't knock an excavator...a most efficient tool for mass excavating & clearing. On small & medium sites,I reckon a "Drott" will do same work & tidy up much better. I think this has been a short essay about my love for the humble old Drott..long may they live & prosper!There's nothing like sitting on a 955L or 977 & viewing the site from that seat & open ROPS.