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South East Nebraska | Looking for opinions on over the tire tracks to add to a skidsteer loader. Steel bars versus pads? What's gives the most ban for our buck in a cattle farm situation, feeding bales,cleaning lots and tree shear operation. We already have the tires foam filled just needing more traction. |
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Eastern Iowa | A lot of the dealers and implement co. Will sell the Grouser brand and are as good as any. They will have the all steel track or the steel track with pads. If your on a lot of cement you might like the pads especially if you are in and out of a machine shed with a nice cement floor you don't want marked.
If you are mostly in the dirt and especially in mud the all steel and open bar will clean out better and will be less abrasive to the tires. Also most skid steers will need tire spacers to allow for track clearance about another 400.00 depending on skid steer brand.
Did you ever consider a track skid loader? |
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NW Iowa | I bought a set of Track Plus tracks last spring for my L180. I use my skid loader for feeding bales, feed in bunks, bedding pens, etc. Got sick and tired of always either getting stuck or having to wait until things dried out to do anything (I don't have a tractor and loader). Got the tracks on and went out for a test drive in the muck - honestly, it is unbelievable the flotation they give. I am very happy with the set I got, I think they were about $2000. I have to run spacers, but already had a set on for tire chains (which are worthless with new tires).
If you are on a lot of concrete, you'd probably want the pads. The shed that I park in has a concrete floor, and I purposely leave a fair amount of dirt on the floor where I drive the skid loader when I have the tracks on to keep it from scuffing it up too bad. They will tear the edges off concrete if you are coming onto a concrete surface from dirt - I have a few places that this has happened.
I used them a lot this summer doing dirt work as well. Where I would usually spin out getting a bucket of dirt out of a hill, I pretty much just stall now. They won't dig holes in the ground like tires will (on mine at least) and when making turns, they won't berm like tires will either. Much smoother ride, makes it nice for finish dirt work.
They are real easy to take off, not bad to put on once you've done it a time or 2.
I don't have a huge issue with buildup with the pad design, and if it gets full of mud and dries, the next time that I move it, it cleans out pretty quick. |
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SE Nebraska, Near Misery and Cans Ass! | Meints - 1/4/2018 09:15 Looking for opinions on over the tire tracks to add to a skidsteer loader. Steel bars versus pads? What's gives the most ban for our buck in a cattle farm situation, feeding bales,cleaning lots and tree shear operation. We already have the tires foam filled just needing more traction. FYI,Grousers have no warranty if used on foam filled tires. Pads are worthless on ice or snow. |
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South East Nebraska | Joe, your tracks are a pad type rather than a bar type? |
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| I've had a set of Tracks Plus tracks since about 2010. They work great. Good flotation and traction. A lot lighter than Grouser too. Trick to putting the on and off is let the air out of the tires and have a little ratchet strap to pull the pads together. |
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NW Iowa | Meints - 1/4/2018 13:36
Joe, your tracks are a pad type rather than a bar type?
Not really a pad type per say - http://www.tracksplus.com/ - Here is the link to them. The straight bar types (I think Grouser has a few different sets) would be more for traction rather than flotation. When you say pad type - I am thinking more rubber pad ones that are good for concrete/asphalt surfaces. FWIW, I don't run these in the snow (or haven't yet...).
Like Tim said, you can use a ratchet strap to pull them together for install. You want to keep them pretty tight, but I can usually get them on ok without dropping the air in the tires - but I have done that before, especially on the initial install before they 'stretched' a little.
I am very happy with mine and I like the flexibility of being able to go from tires to tracks and back again - in the same day if need be.
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Skid loader tracks
