Thinking about buying new skid loader. Will b using mainly for brush removal. Going to get mulcher head. And already have shredder ,brush shark ,and shears and grapple bucket. So I'm asking people that have tracks or tires and do similiar stuff. What are pros and cons on tires or tracks?
We run a 289D, mostly in the dirt, but we also have a big New Holland skid, I can't think of the model # off hand but it is pretty much the biggest rig they have. Track type. I'm sure tire machines have their place, but for me personally anymore, its all about the rubber tracks. Mainly because you eliminate the pivoting/bouncing back and forth. Since we do a lot of finish work with ours, having a more stable platform for the machine is a definite plus. I've taken a few trees out with our tree shearing rig, nothing too big that it couldn't handle, nothing that put me into a situation where I was like "wow sure glad I have tracks". The tracked machines seem to be in higher demand, they travel over and through areas wheeled machines cannot, they provide a more stable platform, and FWIW, the guys that do brush cleanup around my area all have the track-type. I always tell guys when they buy a skid and get to doing stuff in the trees, don't forget what you are in. It is easy to get in over your head. These new skids honestly have more lift capacity than they should and the big trees can get away from you. Not to mention most of them did it for about 6 months and the skid was for sale.
If you are going to be doing mulching / brush cutting I would hands down say tracks. I can't imagine the amount of flats you would get running over chunks of wood. We run a tire machine and the flats, bounciness, and sidehill stability are a constant PITA. If we had to do it over again, we would get a track machine. The only downfall is tracks are expensive and from what I have heard last between 700 and 1000 hrs.
I have been clearing cedar in the Texas Hill Country for a number of years. I have always run tire with Stella tracks over them. I foam fill the tires so never a flat. In the terrain I work in rubber tracks would not last long. If your in mostly dirt with no rock rubber tracks might be ok. Good luck
We have 2 small skid steer sized mulchers. One has metal tracks and the other has rubber. The boss wasn't very optimistic about the rubber tracks but they have 2000+ hrs and still going strong. We run it in the Texas brush where everything has thorns or is sharp.
I would never even consider a machine like this without it being on tracks. The difference in what you can do with them more than makes up for the cost of the tracks.
We bought a track loader last fall. After the first few hours on a track machine grading and pushing, the difference between the two will become very clear. Only times I feel that tires are better are when working on a hard gravel, concrete, or asphalt surface, pushing snow, or some landscaping situations that require minimal disturbance. Otberwise, tracks all the way.
You can get tracks that fit on skid steers to give them more traction/ floatation etc without going to the fully tracked machine.