Is this the end of the crawler loaders / track loaders?

[CM1995]

A newer CTL compared to a Deere 450/550 is no comparison, the newer CTL will run circles around them. However comparing a newer CTL to a 953, there is no comparison. A 953 will move more earth at the end of the day compared to any CTL on the market. Sure there are situations where a CTL will shine, over a larger track loader on tight sites. I have a T250 and it's a very handy machine that gets used very often. However it's one of the most expensive machines, undercarriage wise, to operate in my small fleet.

Like JB, I will always have a 953, it's just too versatile to not have one.

 

[td25c]

That's pretty much how I see it CM .

The newer CTL's are faster & more agile then the older track loaders like the 450 & 550 Deere models when it comes to light operations . Grading , moving loose material & so on . What the CTL doesn't have is the tough steel rails , undercarriage , & final drives the crawlers have when it comes to rougher tasks .

 

[boone]

Lot's of 953s around here on commercial jobs. I'm probably 100 miles north of CM. There's a one man show just down the road from where I live that has a JD 455 track loader and a JD 450 Dozer. I see him around quite a bit using both. The track loader mostly for loading out demo stuff. I see a 175 at a dirt pit everyday, but I hardly see it moved from it's parking spot. I see lots of 953 and 963s elsewhere mostly shuffling dirt around.
I have a 175 that is mostly for hobby land maintenance but has been great for so many tasks. It's a challenge to fine grade with it, but I could see how a good operator would have no problem grading with it. The TL and tractor box blade have made a great combo.

 

[CM1995]

I'm probably 100 miles north of CM.

Yep, did a 234 mile round trip to look at a auto parts store project in Huntsville.

A larger track loader like a 953 is just a large skid steer and can do what a skid does grade wise, just on steroids. A track loader is a challenge to learn how to grade with as you have to learn the bucket's position to ground and what grade is without seeing the cutting edge. It took me many, many hours to get all I could get out of a '53 but when you get there it's a very handy machine to have.

 

[JDOFMEMI]

I have never owned a track loader, but would like to add one to my fleet when I can. A lot of things I do a good 973 would be helpful.

Too bad for CARB here in Kalifornia, now I can't buy an older one, which would be the starting point since it would only get used sparingly. For now, I have to rent one when I need it.

 

[honest outlaw]

Well one point to look at is your local market and what and whom you're competing against ie in upstate sc where I live and work as a one man band operation most of my work is on house sites into some VERY hard red clay. Most of the lots have a fairly pronounced slope to them. Which translates to a whole bunch of cut and fill from one side of the lot to the other AFTER the house construction itself is completed and the septic tank is installed. Which we've always termed the"rough in" or rough grading. In some places you would rough grade b4 putting in the septic system but we don't here because most of the septic installers leave quite a bit to be desired in their finish work and the material here needs to be close to finish level b4 the landscaper shows up or they will scream bloody murder if they have to grade any more than the top 2" on a 1\2 acre lot an excavator large enuff to move that amount of dirt is about as useless as a d8 would be in that small of an area. Which is why you still see track loaders being used in this area. Not to mention the house builders only want to pay for 1 machine to show up and do there job in a quick and timely manner so they can save $ over having 2 machines there.

 

[Dozerboy]

I've only seen a handful of trackloaders here in the gulf coast area. The ground is just to soft most of the year.

I don't think the trackloaders will ever die, but it will never be anything like it once was.

 

[TCat]

I have never owned a track loader, but would like to add one to my fleet when I can. A lot of things I do a good 973 would be helpful.

Too bad for CARB here in Kalifornia, now I can't buy an older one, which would be the starting point since it would only get used sparingly. For now, I have to rent one when I need it.

JDOFMEMI- Is it against the law to buy non-carb equipment out in Cali for everyone or just to use for business purposes?

 

[JNB]

Maybe we just have more out of state guys moving this direction, but I'm starting to see a lot more track loaders around here lately. I even saw a Liebherr the other day. I'd never seen one 'cept on the net.

 

[DMiller]

I own a '99 Ford Super Duty with a 7.3 diesel, it is not legal for me to sell it to a CA buyer as they cannot import it due to not being built to CA standards but to US Fed emission standard, same holds for my Allis tractors, none can be sent into CA without having extra devices put on them even as they are 40+ years old. Brother lives in Temecula, tried to register a Illinois car he brought in state, was told sell it out of state or drive it on out of state plates until he would have to junk it, could not license or sell in-state of CA. Same holds true for Class 7 trucks and heavy construction equipment.

 

[TCat]

I own a '99 Ford Super Duty with a 7.3 diesel, it is not legal for me to sell it to a CA buyer as they cannot import it due to not being built to CA standards but to US Fed emission standard, same holds for my Allis tractors, none can be sent into CA without having extra devices put on them even as they are 40+ years old. Brother lives in Temecula, tried to register a Illinois car he brought in state, was told sell it out of state or drive it on out of state plates until he would have to junk it, could not license or sell in-state of CA. Same holds true for Class 7 trucks and heavy construction equipment.

What a shame. One of the reasons I couldn't live in Cali.

 

[JimInOz]

In Australia,particularly on the East coast,Crawler Loaders (often called a Traxcavator or"Drott") were popular for all sorts of excavation,demolition & clearing work.Most were armed with ripper & 4 in 1 ,so a hillside house pad or tennis court site could be cleared,ripped,cut,loaded & trimmed up with one machine.An access driveway was made too,& graded off to drain well,then sheeted with gravel.A good operator can get a finish to around an inch.
I think the fact that most old style Track Loaders carried a ripper is often overlooked.
I've cut roads & house sites through mudstone & hard clay,thanks to that 2 or 3 tyne ripper.I've worked on sites where 2 "Drotts" have worked together constructing dams...compacting as they work.Or ripping stumps up after tree clearing.
CTLs are great at hi-speed light stuff,but their undercarriage costs are as high as a steel track loader...without the ripping ability & weight to knock a tree.I view them as a product of the computer age,running around at high speed & wearing out with high hire & wear cost.
You can't knock an excavator...a most efficient tool for mass excavating & clearing.
On small & medium sites,I reckon a "Drott" will do same work & tidy up much better.
I think this has been a short essay about my love for the humble old Drott..long may they live & prosper!There's nothing like sitting on a 955L or 977 & viewing the site from that seat & open ROPS.