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Aftermarket vs. OME rubber tracks?

JBGASH

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
758
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Plumbing & Excavation Contractor / farmer
How do the aftermarket rubber tracks hold up to OME Bobcat tracks? Looking at prices the aftermarket ones are considerably cheaper, but will they hold up as good?
 

gatorguy

Active Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Farmer and Equipment Operator
In most cases you get what you pay for, I went the cheap way on a previous set of tracks and i will never do it again.

I recommend to everyone I can McClaren Next Gen TDF. They are priced the same as factory tracks (on my takeuchi anyway) but performance is way better. Less vibration and more traction.

I cant tell you just yet how many hours they will last but they are already about to double the hours of the cheap tracks. And I am so Impressed by them that any new machine I buy will have them installed before leaving the dealers lot and they can have the factory tracks back back.
 

bsebastian

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Messages
7
Location
Iowa
Depends on the brand... I've learned to stay away from the re-treads, because often times you're getting stretched out tracks with new rubber on them. You'll pay about 1/2 the price, but you'll be lucky to get 2/3 the life out of them. Bridgestone and Solideal make a pretty solid track, and you may even prefer their track patterns over the standard C-bar design Bobcat went to. Bobcat went back to offering their older style, but they're even pricier.
 

KSSS

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
4,319
Location
Idaho
Occupation
excavation
That is quite a testimonial on the TDF. Most OEMs use Bridgestone as their OEM track.
 

HillBoy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
87
Location
GA
Just happen to come across this tread, and I can also say that we've been very pleased with the McLaren tracks and solid flex tires. Well worth the money and the folks there have been really easy to work with. It's been getting hard to find quality staff at reasonable price these days, so I'm glad there are still few good companies out there. :usa
 

CEwriter

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2004
Messages
391
Location
St. Louis, MO
Occupation
journalist
Hey Gatorguy and HillBoy -- How have those McLaren tracks held up for you, relative to other tracks you've used?

Larry
 

Hardline

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
340
Location
Waxahachie Texas
Occupation
Small business owner
I have a customer that installed new tracks on both T190s they own. They do concrete construction and both machine are used on the same jobsites buy the same operators. The customer was unhappy with the performance he had been receiving from the aftermarket so he bought a set of aftermarkets and a set of OEMs from Bobcat. Currently the OEMs have about 800 hrs on them and are still looking really good. The aftermarkets have about 500 on them and are looking pretty poor. They have quite a bit more wear and a ton more cuts and abrasions then the OEMs. From this point forward I will be recommending the OEMs to my customers. JJ
 

HillBoy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
87
Location
GA
Hey Gatorguy and HillBoy -- How have those McLaren tracks held up for you, relative to other tracks you've used?

Larry

The McLaren tracks have held up very well - very smooth ride and an even wear. And we've recently run the machine quite heavily. I don't think we'll be buying rubber tracks from anyone else. They've won our trust and there are just few companies I can say this for. Also, our Bobcat dealer said they also run and sell McLaren tracks and the tracks are OEM approved.
 

Cale Hand

New Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2013
Messages
1
Location
Schaumburg
Best tracks for you money are HiQual Brand from SRJ, Inc. 866-440-8844. OEM tracks on machines from many manufacturers. Patented S-Wave tread pattern and AVRT lug system. Best traction and lowest vibration of any track. Excellent prices as well. When you put these tracks on Bobcat T-300 you will immediately notice the difference. Smoother ride and increased traction force.
 

Digdeep

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
704
Location
Wisconsin
Best tracks for you money are HiQual Brand from SRJ, Inc. 866-440-8844. OEM tracks on machines from many manufacturers. Patented S-Wave tread pattern and AVRT lug system. Best traction and lowest vibration of any track. Excellent prices as well. When you put these tracks on Bobcat T-300 you will immediately notice the difference. Smoother ride and increased traction force.

You should just advertise on this site instead of plugging your tracks for SRJ Inc. on the forum.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,248
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
Best tracks for you money are HiQual Brand from SRJ, Inc. 866-440-8844. OEM tracks on machines from many manufacturers. Patented S-Wave tread pattern and AVRT lug system. Best traction and lowest vibration of any track. Excellent prices as well. When you put these tracks on Bobcat T-300 you will immediately notice the difference. Smoother ride and increased traction force.

Welcome to the Forums Cale Hand. We have some rules on this Forum and if you would, take some time familiarize yourself with them.

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.co...Equipment-Forums-Rules-and-Posting-Guidelines

Specifically this section -

Advertising of goods and services are not permitted unless sponsoring heavyequipmentforums.com. A vendor of goods or services may start one introductory thread explaining their product or service and may answer questions about such within that thread. No further promotion of your product or service may be made without sponsorship. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, click “Contact Us” at the bottom of any page.

Special Note: Vendors of goods or services, or their representatives, who join the forums and make no worthwhile contributions other than to post multiple links to said goods and services are considered spammers. Spammers will have their posts removed, and their membership terminated with extreme prejudice
.

This post is your freebie as I know you are affiliated with SRJ. If you would like to become a sponsor, please click the "Contact Us" tab or PM the site founder Steve Frasier. Thank you for your cooperation.

You should just advertise on this site instead of plugging your tracks for SRJ Inc. on the forum.

As you can tell, our members are pretty sharp.:cool2
 

cartzblown94z

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Messages
124
Location
Monroe Center, IL
I picked up a set of prowler track for my mustang( tak tl130) and after 30 hours of snow pushing on them they still look new. I got the asv style lugs and they worked great in deep snow and a few times in mud 1700 shipped they were a great buy in my eyes and way better than the c pattern tracks that are useless in the mud
 

kanda

New Member
Joined
May 14, 2013
Messages
4
Location
Seattle, WA
I got my tracks from a Best Line branch in PA and got aftermarket tracks that were very good. About half the price of the OEM Bobcat and got the same hours!
 

heymccall

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
5,349
Location
White Oak, Pa
When I had the POS Bobcat 864H's, we obtained AVON tracks from our Bobcat dealer. Nicest riding track we ever used. And, super durable too. AFAIK, Avon doesn't make Takeuchi tracks, or I'd have them.
 

HillBoy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
87
Location
GA
OK, finally, I'm back on the market for Bobcat rubber tracks and back to the forums to see what's new. Here is what our McLaren TDF tracks look like after a little over 1,900 hrs; still not broken, but I expect them soon to be gone. They did their job already :notworthy: so now is my part to dig into the pocket :Banghead:Banghead
MBL on T300 (1).jpgMBL on T300 (3).jpgMBL on T300 (5).jpg
 

mclarenusa.com

New Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
4
Location
USA
Occupation
Customer Service Manager
How do the aftermarket rubber tracks hold up to OME Bobcat tracks? Looking at prices the aftermarket ones are considerably cheaper, but will they hold up as good?

This is a great question and it's not related to just tracks but to almost any aftermarket part. We produce rubber tracks and cushioned solid tires for both OEM and Aftermarket, and yes, there are different. Also, for the aftermarket, we have premium and economy lines, and yes, higher price, usually means higher quality. It just costs more to make something better.

Different OEMs have different requirements - track/ tire stiffness, the way it rides with the OEM specific undercarriage, tread design, noise and vibration, rubber color (even smell!), etc., etc. in addition to the more traditional concerns about durability. Thus, most OEM tracks (and some tires) are made specifically for the machine in question and before they are put on the market there are months, sometimes years, of testing. This does not mean that all OEM products are always perfect - even the most vigorous OEM testing cannot cover all possible real field conditions and challenges; also, not all manufacturers can keep the production consistency at over 95%. But, the risk of an OEM approved product to underperform is greatly reduced; in addition, the warranties claims are much easily enforceable, as behind it stands the OEM.

Certainly, there are many great aftermarket tracks and tires as well. The key is to know which are the good ones and are they consistently good or occasionally good. To answer, you to do your own testing - same as the OEMs do - and if you find a good supplier, stick to it. It's risky, but if you are good in your research, you can save money as the aftermarket parts are usually quite cheaper.

I'll give you just one example of poorly made aftermarket tracks that are not made in accordance with the OEM design - I've seen many aftermarket tracks for Bobcat, CAT and JD CTLs where the rollers run over metal plates in the track with gaps between them (you can imagine how this feels and how it affect the machine); the original track design for the Bobcat, CAT and JD CTLs has an elevated continuous rubber belt, reinforced internally by steel, and the rollers run over it - a much smoother and softer ride. My suggestion is to do your homework and when you decide to buy aftermarket, know what you buy.
 

JBGASH

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
758
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Plumbing & Excavation Contractor / farmer
My aftermarket tracks are wore out with less than 1/2 the hours the OEM set had. I will need to replace them anytime and regret for not getting high quality, and sadly "I knew better" but cost saving got the best of my better judgement.
 

hmearth

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2014
Messages
238
Location
Australia.
I had 2 sets of TDF tracks got less then half the hrs as I got out of oem tracks I'm putting my money back with oem
 
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