I was wondering if there was an aftermarket company that makes kits to put steel tracks on a ctl? I know Cat offers it from the factory, buy would really like to have it on a Takeuchi or maybe a kubota.
I have no idea myself, but I have to ask the question...why?
Supertrak
Yair . . . I'm curious about this. From willie59's #2 post it isn't obvious . . . I would have thought if available proper steel tracks would be mandatory in some conditions. I realize the machine wouldn't be as fast and agile as when running on rubber belts but from watching these little jiggers work on several sites I reckon a few operators need some re-education as to how to slow down and operate them as a machine instead of buzzing around like bloody blowfly. Cheers.
I'm curious myself Scrub, hence the reason I asked "why"? And you touched on some of the reasons CTL rubber track machines are what they are...high speed production machines. For their size and weight they can flat out do some work. With that said, there has to be a reason why someone would desire to replace the rubber belts with steel tracks. Without knowing and rather to wager a guess, I suppose it would be the material the machine is working is chewing up the belts, maybe rocky terrain. Which is a valid argument. However, if that's the case, again why I ask the reason why, steel tracks, track chains, bottom rollers in no way can match toe to toe with rubber tracks when it comes to speed of travel, which is what CTL's do. Case in point, Komatsu produced crawler dumpers, the CD60, with steel tracks, and they produced them with rubber tracks as well. I've had experience with both. That machine shares a similarity with CTL machines, that is, they do a lot of traveling. Unlike an excavator planted and digging dirt, with the CTL and the crawler dumper, if they ain't walking they ain't working. In my experience with the Kommie dumpers, steel compared to rubber track undercarriage, the steel track dumpers eat undercarriage from doing so much walking, track chains and bottom rollers most notably, whereas the rubber track undercarriage last much much longer. Yes, rough rocky terrain can cut, split, destroy rubber tracks, but in the long haul, the undercarriage for steel tracks moving at speeds of a CTL will chew into the wallet as well. I'm curious as to the experience of others on this issue.
The answer to why is better traction, last longer, what I do with one don't need to be on roads and don't have to worry about tearing tracks up.
That's interesting 05rammer. If you do make the switch be sure and keep us posted on how it works. :drinkup
Rubber tracks arn't the greatest with a foresty mulcher on the front of a CTL cause the flying timber chews the hell out of them plus the places you have to take them also contruibutes to a high failure rate. Steel tracks in this application and similar are far more durable and cheaper to replace.
I want to give one a try. Our CTL rarely operates on finished surfaces but it does operate in rocky conditions and demo jobs, two environments that are detrimental to rubber. The T250 CTL we have is the most expensive machine undercarriage wise to operate per hour of any machine we have, that includes a D5, 953 and 321. I detailed some historic costs of rubber vs. metal UC's somewhere on the Forum, at the moment I don't remember where..
05 rammer, if I remember rightly Supertrak fitted steel tracks on their early 140 hp mulcher which was Takeuchi based. If I'm correct then they may have everything to make the changeover.
All the Cat steel track machines I have seen are triple grousers, seems to me for mulching a tall single grouser would offer much more traction. I have seen some pictures in a bobcat brochure of a steel track iirc T-870...
Here is a T-770. I would love to see a Takeuchi TL12 or TL12v2 with steel shoes on it
I don't think Bobcat offers steel tracks anymore. I would love to see a Takeuchi with steel tracks too. I remember seeing an older Takeuchi with steel tracks but don't remember where.
Viquan sells them for almost every machine. Here is a link for the Tak http://www.viqan.com/VIQAN_Steel_Tracks-Takeuchi.html They run around 4K but go on sale for about half that.
Thanks a lot for the information
Those are for mini-ex's, I didn't see any for CTL's.
They are at the bottom of the listing. http://www.viqan.com/Takeuchi-Steel_tracks_for_a_Takeuchi_TL150.html TL150.
That's what I get for looking at it on an iPhone. Interesting, so the steel tracks match up to the rest of the undercarriage on a Tak. without modification?
That's what I was wondering too but they don't supply any other info. I would think at the very least you would need to add a top roller.
When Bobcat offered steel tracks they didn't have a top roller if I remember right.
I called Viqan, they discontinued all the ctl steel tracks because they didn't work. She didn't have details, but they were a fail. I want to convert to steel on my t300, and a complete roller and idler swap to something heavier duty... My use is all steep off road and in the bush and I'm getting tired of popping rubber tracks off in awkward places. I'd also like to be able to weld cleats on for winter snow plowing my long steep driveway. This winter was a nightmare with rubber lol.
That's odd? I wonder what the issue was? I imagine the ride was rough. Maybe they didn't sell well. Did you get the impression it was a physical functionality issue? I had planned on steel being my next set of tracks. This is disappointing to hear.
Ya she really wouldn't elaborate, she said they discontinued them 3 years ago and she's been there 2, so it was before her time at the company. I tried to pry some details but no luck!
I think alot of the problems with steel tracks is that operators were still running the machines in Hi Speed travel mode which destroys steel tracks. If it were my machine on steel that mode would be disconnected, period. With some indignuity I'm sure any CTL could be converted from rubber. Probably the only thing stopping it from happening is $$$$$$$$$$$.
I have no experience with steel tracks on a CTL, but as far as the concept I was thinking the same thing, the high track speeds of a CTL will destroy steel track chains. Even if it's a machine that doesn't have high speed mode, a CTL still scoots at a fair clip. I understand the need, job sites that have terrain or material that is hard on rubber tracks, I get that. But at the same time, a CTL is what it is, a zippity do da machine that typically buzzes around a job site like a mad man. I'm not saying it won't work, only pointing out the speed limitations of steel tracks. And one word that describes the typical CTL is speed. I'm still interested in seeing how this works out.
I don't think speed is the issue. Look at your typical crawler tractor loaders. Like the older caterpillar 963. They fly, faster than the high-speed mode on my TL 240. And guys whip them around at top speed for giggles cuz the are so stable and the machines seem fine.
But the frames are a factor of five or more stronger IMO and the rollers, idlers, finals are built to last with the steel tracks. The CTL stuff doesn't hold up all that well with rubber tracks and the rubber tracks with steel cable core takes up a large percentage of the impact and shock loading. Might need more track tension and bigger recoil springs to keep the metal tracks on too, don't know. My way of thinking.
To give some difference steel verses rubber, RC100 doing mulching 1400hrs which was unheard off at that time, steel track machine doing the same job 3500hrs. The steel track machine does 5mph flatout.
Horses for courses. Mulching is a very different work cycle for the undercarriage than the load/turn/carry/dump/turn/fly back typical of skid steers. I would think that if you are constantly doing mulching work you would be money ahead to buy a dedicated mulching machine on steel?
I think ease of use also plays a role, I wouldn't own one just like I wouldn't own a steel track mini excavator, that means that now I have to plank the asphalt or concrete everywhere I go with it on pavement. IMO triple grousers have less traction then a regular rubber track does, not to mention once it gets icy you can forget about taking the steel tracks on steel decked trailers. The only real use I see for one is in a 100% demolition unit or mulching, I wouldn't even think of one for dirt work, completely useless.
But what most dirt people forget is that a mulch head is like carring a loaded bucket all day and doing a hell of a lot of turning when doing select clearing. The point I'm trying to make is that some would much prefer a steel track option for the work they do and my last comment was to give some cost benifet to the discussion and compare apples with apples.