I've read numerous threads here about members' experience with different brand tracked skid steers. After reading the threads I believe this is what I understand: Cat B series: smoother suspension than C deries; Tak's: tank like, rough ride; ASV: Best on slopes, quality of build questionable My uses for skid would be to complement mini ex in trail building on steep hilly land, general landscaping projects and preparation of outbuilding sites. Most of the trails I would like to complete would be not wider than 72". I had been thinking ASV 50 or 60, but am concerned about some of threads I have read where users complain about recurring undercarriage problems. On Cat units it seems users love em or hate em. Would appreciate any inputs other members would like to offer. Thank you in advance. PS: I really like this forum and have learned alot about safety, taking care of equipment and general operating approaches. The best thing about the forum is getting the "wisdom" that comes from people who have operated the equipment in the field as opposed to just the "equipment salesperson pitch".
Hackalot: If you have read all the threads that this has been covered on then you are well on the way to answering your questions. I have recently been paying more attention to this subject because I believe there are some prejudices which cloud the argument when this topic arrives. First off, I prefer Cat because I like pilot controls, the service/parts and because of the service access in the engine bay. However, I have recently spent a whole lot of time trying to convince a competitor of mine not to buy the Cat...but to go the TK road, because I know he is not going to spend 9 hours a day in the machine and the TK is heaps cheaper. Perhaps better to summarise some that I have learnt. - Any nitwit can ruin any undercarriage in no time if they don't drive it properly. - The cost of undercarriage rebuilds gets bantered around a lot....you need to go talk to the dealer, the service manager and the operators who actually run the machines...not rely on a lot of hearsay. I hear guys talking about CTL that have undercarriage problems at 1000 hours...well, I hear of dozers in the local quarries with the same. - Locally I know very well a skid steer operator who has been in the game for 35 years. He got his first tracked machine about the same time as his main competitor. He got nearly 2000 hours out of his machine before he had to do some undercarriage work and then it was not such a big or expensive deal. His competitor was getting just over 700 hours and it was costing him a fortune. The difference I picked up on was that one machine was owner operated by a guy with a wealth of experience...and the other was run by employees...can you guess which?. - To justify a CTL I believe you need to charge at least 10% more - I base my machinery purchases on the dealer more than the colour of the machine.
Well said. After selling hundreds of skids and over 200 bobcat tracked machines over 8 years it is very true that an owner operator or euipment owner who forces his operators to use proper operating techniques and perform routine prentative maintenance will get good value and performance out of his machines regardless of whether they have tracks or tires. I've seen it first hand with my customers. I own one of the ASV machines that has been labeled as having suspect quality and numerous undercarriage issues and have had great life and reliability out of it (just passed 2,000 hours on the tracks) but I also do the things that the operator manuals tells me to do. Squizzy is right on the money when he tells you to ask some local operators, visit the dealers and have them explain the costs and benefits of the machines, demo them all adn then make an educated decision that isn't based on the heresay of guys like us that post the great majority of the time on these forums. We all have our favorites but you're the one who will finally decide what to do with YOUR hard earned money. Good luck.
advice To Squizzy246 and Digdeep; appreciate your input, I haven't been using this type of equipment long enough to claim any expertise, but with my farm equipment I am religious about keeping up with the daily and periodic maintenance. Since I grew up a city boy I have relied on manuals and input from people more experienced than my myself to keep on top of things. Over the last few years have learned how to use grease guns, check filters, keep dirt & debris off my equipment, make sure I keep my fluids up to date and follow the manufacturer's maintenace schedule and operate the equipment with some common sense.. I think it pays off, I know I sold my 12 yr old ** tractor and got top$ because it was in great cosmetic and operating shape. Ditto with my trucks. All of this equipment is big $$ and I am trying to make sure I get value for my money and then I'm willing to do what it takes to protect my investment. Thank you for the advice, sincerely appreciated.
No problem. You have the perfect mindset in looking at your equipment as a investment because thats exactly what it is. I'm sure you get good service life out of whatever you choose. Now its just time for you to try them all out and pick the one that performs the best in your applications. Good luck.
I have 2 TKs (tl150, tl130) and 4 Cats ( 2 287BIIs and 2 287Cs ) My opinion is that the Cat does way less damage to the ground than the TK. The Cat turns alot better on the street as well. Cat tracks cost almost double what the Tk tracks do. Like you said the TK is a rough ride, but I would almost call the tl150 a small version of my Cat 963 track loader.The 287 is not the same when it comes to balls out digging and clearing. I don't know what size machine you need but I would stay away from the small TK machines. They don't feel very stable on steep inclines and when carrying heavy material. I could go on and on. If you have any questions comparing those 2 brands, I'm your man.
At least in my area the ASV machines are hard to get parts for. A larger name brand like Deere is easy to get parts for most everywhere. I don't care what brand or who says what, you will need to get parts sometime on every brand machine. Look at how long it will take to get a part too. Downtime costs money!