MX Track Maintainence

[todd92]

What would be better, a compact track loader or a skid steer with steel OTT? The soil is loam with rocks and the machine will never see pavement. Also, what size class, for lack of a better term, to me they come in small, medium and large.

 

[Welder Dave]

Are you wanting a machine for maintaining a track or building a track or a combination of both? I have an MX track and I think just a skid steer with tires is the most versatile machine as far as building a track. Why would you need tracks? You're just going to make a mess if you try to work when it's muddy enough you need tracks. Rocks should be removed as much as possible and would be hard on tracks too. One thing you have to realize with a CTL is they ride like a crawler tracker meaning you can't just drive over hills and obstacles. They go up and over like a teeter totter which can be more than a little hair raising at times. Rubber tires roll over much easier. Rubber tires will also pack better. Say you built a rocker section and wanted to pack them all down at the end. Do you really want to do the teeter totter over and over a dozen times or more? A bigger machine will let you get a job done faster but any machine with a 1300lb rated capacity or better would be a good choice. A tractor with a 3pt. hitch would be the other equipment of choice. You could add a disc, box blade, mower and a multitude of other attachments to suit your needs. Maybe a tractor with a loader and 3pt. would be the best bet if you only have one piece of equipment. If you need to move material a dump truck or dump trailer would speed things up considerably.

 

[todd92]

Thanks. I already have a tractor with a loader, box blade, disc and mower (I should have mentioned that). I'm renting a dozer, loader and excavator to build the track, so the compact loader is just for maintaining, maybe small changes like moving a landing longer or shorter on a double. So you would not recommend even getting the OTT tracks for a skid steer? The track is on a hill, not super steep, but not flat. I've read that skid steers aren't as stable, is this something I should consider? For sure the skid steer would be cheaper to buy and keep up, so if would fit the job it would save money. It really doesn't matter what size?

 

[Welder Dave]

Tires are way cheaper to maintain than tracks, way cheaper! Ruin a tire, $200, ruin a track $2000. My skid steer will slide sideways before it will tip over. Over the tire tracks can put a lot of stress on the axles ( especially on long wheelbase machines). You're not going to be working when it's muddy and really wet so why spend the money on a track machine? They will dig better in some cases but won't pack as well and are always a teeter totter. If I build a jump or repair one, I fill the bucket about 3/4 full and then just drive up and down the ramp rolling right over the top where it needs the most compaction. With tracks you have to slow down a lot more on the pivot point so you don't throw yourself out of the machine or get whiplash. My skid steer is 5' wide and around 5000lbs. Obviously a 66'' or 72" wide machine will be heavier and move more material at a time. Digging wise I think it's about equal since the heavier machine will be pushing a wider bucket. If you get a skid steer make sure you can see the bucket cutting edge sitting in the seat. Some older skid steers you sat down in them and couldn't see the cutting edge which takes away the ability to do the precision work a skid steer is capable of.

 

[skata]

for strictly dirt work, a track loader is way better than a skid loader. more digging force and better traction. i'd never consider a skid loader for dirt work, with track loaders being so common now.

 

[Welder Dave]

For an MX track, I think a rubber tire skid steer is more versatile and way cheaper to own and maintain. A CTL is nice if you can afford it but has some drawbacks like I've already mentioned.

 

[Joel59]

I own my own motocross track. I have a Cat D6 dozer and a Case 1845c wheeled skid steer. The skid steer never sees the track. It is way too tippy to do much on my track. My track is a more aggressive, supercross style track, however. If you are building a kids track, or a beginner track, you may get away with a wheeled skid steer. If you are planning to work jump faces/landings, whoops, etc. it would be no question in my mind- get something with tracks (and not a wheeled skid steer with over-the-tire tracks). I maintain my track and rebuild it with my dozer. In my opinion forget the wheeled skid steer.

 

[todd92]

After shopping for months I finally found the right machine. I just bought a 2012 Kubota SVL90-2, very clean, new tracks, cab, high flow hyd. For pure dirt work, solid undercarriage wins. Operators I talked to rave about this machine. I already have pallet forks and a root grapple that I use on my tractor that will be nicer to use on the loader. I'm looking at augers now for replanting my orchards.

Thanks for the comments. A dozer would be nice, but not a versatile. I don't think building a track without a dozer would be much fun and would take forever, but for grooming and making small changes, I think I'll have plenty of power.

 

[skata]

you bought a good machine. congrats.