OEM vs. "Aftermarket" Replacement Rubber Tracks

Just wondering what route most of you guys end up taking when the time comes.
Seems as if the OEM rubber tracks do last longer/are better built than some of the aftermarket brands. However, the price tag reflects this.
If you're not just flipping a machine and are looking for quality/longetivity do you buy OEM or aftermarket and why.

OEM so I don't have to do this again.
Wasn't even demo work with concrete or rebar, just dirt work.

OEM tracks on my '06 Bobcat 435 ZHS went 4,000 hours before I replaced them. Due to that longevity I went with OEM tracks for replacement. They were made by Bridgestone but that pattern can only be bought through Bobcat dealer. By the way the OEMs were also cheaper than the aftermarket that I looked at. Win-Win!

elkjunkie said:

OEM so I don't have to do this again. View attachment 214621 View attachment 214622
Wasn't even demo work with concrete or rebar, just dirt work.

Click to expand...

Gross..... There are just so many brands out there now. I'm also thinkin OEM. At least you know what you're gettin. Elkjunkie is that a yanmar I see your signature pic?

Here in Seattle, WA is a supplier called Summit Supply. We were going to buy OEM Takeuchi tracks, but the Dealer suggested. Summit. We have them on one of our mini excavators, and on a track loader. They fit fine, and seem to be good quality, and the price is very good. That being said, we are careful operators and don't put a ton of hours on the machine in a year. FYI, OEM's don't make their own tracks.

I went with aftermarket, so far so good. I believe Takeuchi dealer wanted $2k a track, I paid $1300 so i'm fine if they don't stand up as well. I never would have guessed, but I think mine were still original when I replaced at 4200 hours. So at 300 hours I put on it a year, if these things last even 2500 hours i'll never replace them again.

I was in a rush as 1 track blew on me, so I made a quick decision. I'm about 75 hours on them and so far so good. I called a few companies and got more information that made me feel better. They told me that no one makes any tracks in North America and the claim "not to buy chinese tracks" is BS. I couldn't find too much information about the specific brand online except for their google reviews which were good, but I figured for their name to be printed on the track they gotta sell quite a few.

One advantage to the cheaper tracks is if a real bad mistake happens that would tear the track regardless of brand it's a lot cheaper to buy a new one.

But I will say Bridgestone makes one hell of a track. I bought my machine with 2900 hours on it and the tracks didn't look close to new, and it lasted until 4200 hours when a few links blew. I drove over a lot of concrete with them and other sharp things and they were wore right down and even had some cords showing and still kept going. Kept the one track as a just in case.

There are a lot of aftermarket rubber tracks that are made out of the same manufacturer as the OEM parts are, so you can find quality out there. You do have to be very careful when buying any aftermarket parts and use a company that has been around for a while, and does not just buy large amounts of cheap foreign products. Make sure they have their own aftermarket brand and make sure their warranty is comparable to the OEM warranty, and that they have a history of standing behind their warranty. Look at reviews online. They tell a lot about a company.

Full disclosure, I work for H&R Construction Equipment Parts, but we do not have our own rubber track brand. We have a few trusted companies that we use for our customers.

Good luck!

Craig

I'm running almost all ITR track.
6 mini excavator and 4 CTL.
No complaints.