When people talking about loaders, the first image pop up is the wheeled one. And to be honest, i haven't see a tracked one in the real life. I have a question here, if wheeled loaders are so popular and frequently used, why we need the tracked ones? Is something special about it, such as its functions that the wheeled ones don't have ?
A tracked loader is much more versatile machine than a wheeled loader. That being said, a wheeled loader is much better at what it does than a tracked loader in most applications. Track loaders don't get flat tires thus in applications like demo and shot rock quarries they are more bulletproof. Track loaders probably have more in common as far as application with a skid steer than a wheeled loader these days.
when your in the mud a wheel loader wont cut it
In today's construction venue track loaders are far more use specific than they used to be due to the dramatic increase in cost per cycle compared to a wheel loader. While a track loader may seem more durable the truth is quite different,because from the moment the tracks move they begin to wear out at a far greater rate than a wheel loader. Consequently,track machines are now usually used only when they are needed and where a wheeled machine would not be able to do the job.
They have applications they excel at. Landfills love them because they have floatation and a bucket. Steel mills because you wont burn off a tire. Water and sewer companies because the are basically a skid steer and can get in tight areas, fast, have a good size bucket and turn on a dime.
You can drive a wheel loader on the highway if need be [not an interstate of course] A track loader will need a pretty subatantial truck & trailer to move anywhere.
I don't think it's an honest comparison wheel vs track loader. Both have applications where they excel, neither will replace the other very well in their respective applications.
I'm with atco on this. I own both and they each have their strong and weak points.
tracked loaders are good then wheeled loaders they worked in a very versatile way
In the UK there is very little overlap between how wheeled and tracked loaders are used. Most ttl's in the uk have a 4 in 1 fitted, and until recently there was more overlap with small dozers, both being used for grading, trimming, landscaping, topsoil strip, etc. The dozer boys won't admit it, but there are a lot of jobs where a TTL is much faster and versatile. TCS, agree up to a point, but once you've torn a couple of tyres out on a medium sized wheeled loader, a set of tracks doesn't look quite as expensive.
Yair . . . interesting thread. I don't know a lot about loader/truck operations but I was watching a track loader just loading out of a pile and it seems to me that a lot of track wear could be alleviated by correct positioning of the trucks. It might be just me again being critical but in truth I thought the operation was a disorganised shambles . . . no fault of the machine of course. Cheers.
Lost art, Scrub. Take notice how many "operators" spend all day doing spot turns when loading in a twenty acre field. That's why ttl's get such a bad press on track wear. When they had clutch and brake steer the tracks lasted so much longer. We had a b100 on the farm and the tracks lasted 30 years, obviously not everyday use, but about 250 hrs a year, so about 7500 hrs, probably more. Another thing, a modern ttl's power is it's own worst enemy, when you get hot shots spending all day showing how fast they can "operate" and how much they can screw the tracks round.