Over the tire rubber tracks

[badranman]

I've seen a few ads in some equipment mags for these. Has anyone had any experience with these? Anybody know a ballpark price on them? I'm curious to know how they would hold up. I'm thinking about getting some steel tracks for my skidsteer but am put off by the damage they'll do to driveways and the road. Most jobs involve bringing anywhere from 3-10 tandem loads off the road into their yards. Doing 360's on pavement would grind the heck out of it I would think with steel tracks. Any thoughts?

 

[Tigerotor77W]

Rubber tracks are good, but I'm not sure how well they've held up in abrasive conditions. I find it odd also that larger skid steers usually have steel tracks on them; rubber tracks seem to be "reserved," almost, to smaller skids.

You may want to take a look at the Loegering VTS system -- Bob Horrell has them on his S250. They are rather expensive, but they are a very nice complement to any skid steer.

 

[Bob Horrell]

Rubber tracks of any kind wear quickly if you are turning on asphalt or concrete. If you spread a very thin layer of sand or dirt (whatever is available) where you are turning, you will spin like on ice and have absolutely no wear on the rubber. The little time it takes to sweep up the sand/dirt is well worth it and the surface looks like you weren't even there. Doing this with steel tracks will make a mess of the asphalt or concrete. This also works great with rubber tires on hard surfaces.

 

[badranman]

Yeah , I'm aware of the VTS. Just being an old cheapo. If I ran the skid more than I do I might consider them. I think over the tire tracks are better for my application though, occasional use.

 

[bobcat63]

Hey badranman, Have you bought any rubber tracks yet. I too am looking for some rubber tracks and am considering the Protrac system made by Mclaren. They are around 3500.00 but the rubber pads themselves are replaceable and for both sides are only 1200.00. I haven,t found anyone who has used these yet. I'd be interested to know what you've found out. Thanks

 

[badranman]

Sorry, I haven't done any serious looking. I've had to rent a T190 a couple of times when my 763 was getting buried in the mud. I'm wondering if over the tire tracks would have the same result as a full on tracked system because of the voids in over the tire ones. Any thoughts or opinions? The T190 is a little big for what we do so I'm waiting for the T140 to come out so we can demo it. Maybe trade the 763 in for it. We'll see.

 

[bobcat63]

I think you would have more traction but might lose a little of the flotation effect with over the tire tracks but depending on the size of the pads and the spacing of the pads I don't think this would be much. I think the main reasons that they put spaces in between the pads is for 1. added traction 2. ability to self clean and 3. ability to adjust as needed. I only know people who have metal tracks and they love them. I am a general contractor and many times I need to cross and/or unload on asphalt or concrete and the metal wouldn,t work for me. Given the cost of a tracked machine versus a wheeled machine with rubber tracks it seems like a viable alternative to go with over the tire rubber tracks. I demo'ed a T-200 and a gehl clt60 and they were pretty nice but a lot more money than equivalent machine with tracks. I have a 743 and a 863 and was thinking of tracks for the 863 mainly for traction while digging and clearing. The thing I liked about the Protrac rubber tracks by Mclaren was that the pads themselves can be replaced individually(20.00 ea) or all at once and when this needs to be done the total cost is around 1200.00 for both sides. On the T-200 I understand that to replace the tracks is up around 3800.00-4000.00. Assuming that the average life of tracks is around 1500 hours then that could be fairly costly over the life of the machine. Website for Mclaren Industries is www.mclarenindustries.com. The have a pretty good write up on them. It would be nice to talk to someone who has them and get some feedback on them. They are around 3700.00 for a 12 inch tire and around 3300.00 for 10 inch for both sides

 

[badranman]

MacLaren quoted me $4580.00 US delivered to Nova Scotia. This was all taxes and freight included. It was $6500.00 for the tracks and a complete replacement set of pads and hardware. They figure the average life of the pads to be around 1000 hrs depending on usage.

 

[bobcat63]

There must be more freight and taxes to ship to Nova Scotia. I was quoted 3690.00 delivered to Knoxville Tn. for a pair of tracks for 12 in tires and around 1200.00 to replace the pads. I just got the video and installation guide from Mclaren in the mail and the tracks look pretty good. It wood be nice to find someone who has these and could give some feedback as far as their durability and performance. Thanks and have a great day

 

[badranman]

Yeah there's duty at the border, gst tax etc. Converted it's around $7500.00 cdn. I was taliking with them yesterday and they said I really don't need a whole replacement set. They sell 4 pads for $96.00 US. I'll probably go with that if I decide to buy.

 

[badranman]

What can anybody tell me about over the tire tracks? I'm interested to know if they damage the tires in any way? Anything else I should know?

 

[chechnya]

Over the tire tracks are such a hassle. I had them on an LS170 i was using. The paddles that keep them on the tires kept popping the tires off the rims and then taking the tracks on/off was a 45 minute project each time. The rubber pads are held on by two 1 and a half inch bolt which isnt sturdy whatsoever. They would always fall off. The tracks are hard to get on the machine and there was always too much slack to make them worthwhile. If you can, get a rubber tracked skid steer instead.

 

[itsgottobegreen]

Soon as I got the money. I will have me a set of Mclaren pro track rubber. Man are those sweet. Can't wait. :drinkup