Snow pushing with tracks

[DoyleX]

Huh ?

A bobcat or whatever will shake the crap out of everything on blacktop. Especially with weight on the idlers. For some reason my cat machine is smooth as glass on pavement. I think it has something to do with the torsion axle and the front idler riding on the belt whereas a bobcat runs the idler on the links.

Plowing with tracks? The physics are all wrong for creating ground pressure to equal traction. I'm surprised nobody has made a super narrow track that is just as wide as the rollers.

 

[maddog]

DoyleX; Thanks for clearing that up, I was wondering the same thing, HUH. I owned the CAT and thought the ride was rather smooth.

 

[pafarmer]

DoyleX; Thanks for clearing that up, I was wondering the same thing, HUH. I owned the CAT and thought the ride was rather smooth.

Same here, thanks. My CAT rides good most places and certainly on a smooth surface like pavement it rides fantastic...could not figure out what in the heck you were attempting to say..

As far as tracks and snow...no question about it, rubber tracks are pretty poor on snow and ice no matter what you do to them...I few years back I put the Bridgestone winter tracks on one of my machines for giggles and although traction was much improved I still would not say the machine had good traction by anyone's measure...

 

[dozerman400]

Thanks DoyleX, I have tried Bobcat and Gehl skid loaders on tracks.

 

[DIYDAVE]

Cat uses a system, that ASV designed, they bought into the company. Now its owned by terex. My RC-30 is smooth as glass, on blacktop, the torsion axles are shock absorbers. Cat's early SL's with the ASV system didn't have the exact balance that the early ASV's had, these models were made as wheeled loaders, but adapted to the ASV torsion track system. You can tell by looking at the fender cutouts on the cat machines, look just like a wheeled loader, but have the triangular shaped track. Newer machines might be designed from the track up, I haven't kept up with changes, cause I already have mine... With this tier 4 crap coming on the market, now, I have given up on looking at new stuff...

 

[guisep3]

Can you post some pics of your equipment? Love to see the 299 with metal tracks and forestry package. Also pics of the studed tracks.
Thx

 

[pafarmer]

Can you post some pics of your equipment? Love to see the 299 with metal tracks and forestry package. Also pics of the studed tracks.
Thx

Here is a CAT 299XHP Land management package....I will have a picture of one of my New 259D with AFE mulching head tomorrow. Took delivery a few weeks bavk and I just recd. the AFE head and then its off to the woods never to be seen again. Going to be using this little CAT for recreational contract where ATV trails are being cleared for a riding park plus other related projects where a smaller footprint mulcher is a requirement..

 

[guisep3]

Really nice looking machine! I'll bet that thing is a monster with the steel tracks.
That contact you got sounds great. Where you located in Pa? I'm a fellow pa'er myself. Familiar with the laurel mountains. Sounds like a lot of fun to pioneer atv trails.

 

[caterpillarmech]

So are the steel tracks an option from cat now. My buddy was a cce salesman and was pushing for them 10 years ago.

 

[pafarmer]

So are the steel tracks an option from cat now. My buddy was a cce salesman and was pushing for them 10 years ago.

They are an option for the large frame machines and can be part of the land management 299XHP machines. I think I was one of the first to have them around my area and certainly had them on prior to Cat making them optional equipment. They are a really expensive addition as you can imagine but well worth the expense in rough terrain and where added traction is required. We can out push D5 with these units. they are the ultimate mulchers as far as a CTL platform is concerned.
Extremely powerful machines with more Hydro power than any machine on the market today. All of our299XHP flow hydro way over the advertised spec from the CAT literature. Great hydro pumps and systems cost money and in my opinion that what you are mostly paying for with the 299 XHP units....even my little 259 D flows in excess of 30 GPM !

 

[guisep3]

They are an option for the large frame machines and can be part of the land management 299XHP machines. I think I was one of the first to have them around my area and certainly had them on prior to Cat making them optional equipment. They are a really expensive addition as you can imagine but well worth the expense in rough terrain and where added traction is required. We can out push D5 with these units. they are the ultimate mulchers as far as a CTL platform is concerned.
Extremely powerful machines with more Hydro power than any machine on the market today. All of our299XHP flow hydro way over the advertised spec from the CAT literature. Great hydro pumps and systems cost money and in my opinion that what you are mostly paying for with the 299 XHP units....even my little 259 D flows in excess of 30 GPM !

I never really considered the gpm to be that important honestly. Do you think that has a considerable effect if your just doing traditional digging and grading with a bucket? Or is the higher gpm really only important for specific attachment applications?

 

[pafarmer]

I never really considered the gpm to be that important honestly. Do you think that has a considerable effect if your just doing traditional digging and grading with a bucket? Or is the higher gpm really only important for specific attachment applications?

I think it's very important on allot of attachments but mainly for me on a forestry head. Looking for quick recovery times and high flow rate. As far for digging, grading etc when you are strictly using a bucket not so much but most folks have some type of attachment that benefits from high flow hydro's such wood choppers, mulchers, power takes etc etc...