Seeking Advice on New rubber tracks for Kubota U55-4

[Allan M]

Hi all:
I'm seeking advice on the best brand replacement tracks to buy for my 2016 Kubota U55-4 excavator. I have 2300 hours on it. Tracks are a little beaten up but not down to the wear bars. Idlers, drive gears, etc...on excavator seem in good shape.

Any wisdom from members would be appreciated: Best brand of track to buy? Where to buy? How do I know when I'd better change the tracks as opposed to squeeze a bit more mileage out of them?

Other: I'm running on top soil and some broken rock (serpentine). I'm just a individual with some land and use the excavator for cutting fire breaks, walking trails, and excavation/pad leveling. Only a few hundred hours per year. My goal is to keep a well maintained and functional machine.
Thanks all.
Allan

 

[Tags]

Welcome to the forum Allen. You'll find lots of useful information here. My personal opinion would be to run the machine until the tracks are either about to split in half or starts chucking the matal drive cleats out of the track. They will run for quite a while befire they actually start to fail. A new set of tracks is probably gonna cost you somewhere around $2200-$3000 depending on which manufacturer you use. I have a couple of friends that purchased tracks from Midwest equipment and they have been very happy with them.

 

[Vetech63]

Www.rubbertrax.com

 

[Allan M]

Thanks Tags and Vetech63 for the input. Much appreciated. I do think I've got some mileage left in these tracks. I was more concerned if as a track wears does it take out the idlers, drive gears, and rollers at the same time. The machine, before I bought it, was used 1800 hours mainly in top soil for digging water lines. It then was purchased by a heavy equipment rental company that owned it for 500 hours. Only 4 customers rented the machine. I was one of them that rented it for 200 of those 500 hours. i then bought it from the rental company that had overstock. I've never owned an excavator, just tractors. I want to keep up on maintenance to prevent more expensive expenditures, i.e., replacing the drive sprocket assembly. Other than appearance (faded and some cuts from rocks and debris) I think the tracks should hold up a while. You just gave me permission to buy that big screen TV I've been wanting. : ) Thanks again for the input. A