What is the good bad and ugly on it? I am looking at a cat 248b with this track system on it.
I think you ment loegering VTS track system? The only complaint I've heard is cost, maybe someone that has this system will chime in
Up side is you can find these systems fairly cheap right now used and at auction (I paid 5K for mine and they were new on the pallet). The ride is nice, they work well. Down side is they add about 3K pounds to your machine, adds width, changes the height of the machine which changes the bucket angle to the ground. They only drive off of one set of chains, a typical skid steer is designed to drive off two. So you have to be careful especially if you have a powerful skid steer. You wont have much issue with a CAT. Overall I liked the system. I put 1000 hours on mine (CASE 440) I had no issues with the VTS, did snap a chain on the skid steer (I attribute that to the operator). I do hear that the parts for the VTS are expensive but I never found out first hand.
Parts are expensive and often backorder.
There are many people happy with their VTS, but the fact that Terex does not build them anymore speaks volumes about the cost of owning the system. And yes, cost of product support was the reason I was given by the Terex factory rep.
I bought a set in 2005 for my Case 90XT. I do a lot of lift and carry work in mud or on steep slopes. Before I was using metal tracks and getting stuck or tearing up turf on a slope. The VTS really helped us do some work that we could not get done before without getting pulled out every time. The VTS is quiet and makes the machine feel very stable. Yes the tracks are heavy and wide and in a tough situation you need lots of power to get out. I have ruined a couple of VTS hubs by dirt/mud getting past the seal and they were $1000 each. And at about 1500 hours I did have a track break. I do take the VTS off/on a couple times a year. Originally these tracks were very expensive and KSSS is right you can find some much better deals on new sets now. I did not realize that Terex quit making the VTS.
I am looking at a cat machine with the system already on it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Be cautious of the year and do some research because CAT actually had to come out with a reinforced drive motor/chain setup to handle the VTS system. I think it was called the XDP or something like that and I don't remember if it included the B series. It caused numerous headaches with Case XT series machines, Bobcats and NH machines. so much so that Loegering had to start offering their own insurance because the OEMs would warrant failures to their drive systems.
There was period when CAT realized that they could not rent or sell their MTL to a lot of customers. They made a VTS option on their machines. I priced a CAT 256 and with the VTS option they removed the two speed and I think removed the front chains, I could be wrong on that part (its been a while) but at any rate they made changes to the machine. Here in the high desert, CAT would not rent the MTLs and rented VTS equipped skid steers. I dont remember it having a different designation but maybe they did. You could likely give the PIN to CAT and they could run it and that would tell you if that machine had the VTS option (I am not sure I would want it). Dont let them charge you much for that VTS on the CAT. I got 2500 for mine when I traded my 440 in with them on and that was fair in my opinion.
If I'm not mistaken the CAT XDP option was only on C series and included a heavier drive pump, bigger drive motors, heavier sprockets and chains and it only came with single speed. Any machine that wasn't XDP once they started offering it had a voided powertrain warranty if it had a VTS on it. KSSS is right you can get some smoking deals on the Internet.
Here are some brief details of a procedure to upgrade sprockets and other drive train parts on all B Series skid steers from 236B through 268B. The Cat document is reference REHS3144. Quote ........... This special instruction provides the procedures for installing the 299-3915 Sprocket Kit (ARC) on 236B, 246B, and 248B machines and for installing the 299-3916 Sprocket Kit (XR) on 252B, 262B, and 268B machines. These kits contain double sprockets for replacing the current motor sprockets and the current rear axle sprockets. The double sprockets enable reconfiguration of the drive chains in order to provide full power to the rear axles. This is desired for machines that are converted from tires to Versatile Track System (VTS) suspended rubber tracks. As an overview of this instruction, the front axle sprockets, the rear axle sprockets, and the motor sprockets must be removed. In order to remove the axle sprockets, the front axles, the rear axles, and the drive chains must be removed. The drive motors must be partially removed in order to remove the axle sprockets from the machine. Double sprockets are then installed on the rear axles and on the drive motors in order to accommodate both of the drive chains. The current sprockets must be reinstalled with the front axles ........... Unquote If the machine you are being offered does not have this modification I wouldn't personally go near it with a barge pole. Also I guess it's worth pointing out that if you removed the tracks and went back to tyres you'd have to reverse the modification otherwise you'd have no drive to the front wheels.
Thanks everyone I decided not to buy it.