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Skid Steer ?'s

Started by Norm, August 05, 2009, 01:13:02 PM

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Norm

I'm looking at getting a skid steer and wonder what the pros and cons are wheels versus tracks.

And yes it has to be a John Deere to match the rest of my tractors.  :D

ADAMINMO

Get ya one with wheels and then buy the tracks that wrap around the wheels. Then ya got both.

stumpy

The tracked ones are very desirable because they don't dig up the ground as much.  The downside is they are more expensive to buy and repair.  The other advise I would give is, buy one with (I think this is the right term) level lift.  Like the New Holland.  Oher brands have that design on some of their machines as well.  The advantage is they lift straight up so you can bet closer to the truck you are loading into.  Also, in my opinion, this design is also more stable.  I have owned a New Holland 555 and now own a 785.  They are tough and simple to repair.
Woodmizer LT30, NHL785 skidsteer, IH 444 tractor

ronwood

Stumpy

I have the LX885 and I like it also. Norm at times I would like to have tracks for it. Sure would make it better when it is wet.

I thought the John Deere has a similar lift mechanism as the New Holland

Ron
Sawing part time mostly urban logs -St. Louis/Warrenton, Mo.
LT40HG25 Woodmizer Sawmill
LX885 New Holland Skidsteer

beenthere

I do know the tracks will go on soft and wet ground where wheeled would not dare to tread.  :)

And hold a blade/bucket edge level for smoother grading.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

olyman

self leveling bucket,or forks!! check out a gehl tho Norm. theyve been at it a while--

Dave Shepard

Tracks do float better on soft ground, but they do not necessarily do less damage. You can really trash things with either. I would typically go with a tracked machine, unless you are going to be working predominantly on paved, dry surfaces. The tracks will be very grabby on dry blacktop. Tires are much, much cheaper to buy and maintain. We've run different over the tire setups, and they were not too impressive. If you want a JD, then go for it, they are identical to NH with the exception of the engine. Get one with a good warranty, everyone I know that has one has used it.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

isawlogs


I have a friend that has a lanscaping comp.and he has the skid steer with wheels and he has the rubber and steel tracks for it . Are you to Deer green what some are the WoodMizer  orange  :D  ???
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

CLL

I've got a case with grouser tracks. The work great in wet or muddy ground, but will tear the ground up if you go over it multiple times. I took the tracks off and used the the wheels, good on dry ground, with minimal damage, not so good in wet ground.
Too much work-not enough pay.

beenthere

I see Deere has three tracked loaders.
The small one (CT315) tips at 4500# and is radial lift,

The other two (CT322 and CT332) tip at 6400# and 9200# and are both vertical lift.

You'll hafta ask for green paint tho.  ;D ;D

http://www.deere.com/en_US/cfd/construction/deere_const/compact_track_loaders/deere_compact_track_loader_selection.html
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

stumpy

Ronwood,
Yes the older John Deeres had the same lift (and some of the new ones) They were really New Hollands built for Deere.
Woodmizer LT30, NHL785 skidsteer, IH 444 tractor

woodsteach

I have a JD 317 w/o tracks,  b/c what I do and the way I do it I was told that the mud and crud would freeze in the tracks and cause them to pop off.  Besides they cost way more.  I have been looking at track over tires for sometime but have not come up with which one or the $ to get them.

I run chains on my front tires 9 months out of the year as my tires are getting pretty bald, and I try to keep the tires filled with slime but around here with the honey locust and very sharp flint rock that becomes a problem.

If I were to get another I'd get at the minimum a heater or better yet a cab with ac/heat.  Also, I'd get the CAT controlls which I believe are joysticks vrs levers???


I like the size of the 317 around the farm as I can easily get into the barn to clean it out.  It will carry 2 3'x4'x8' alfalfa bales at a time which is enough for me.

woodsteach
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

Handy Andy

  My tractors are JD too, but I got a Case skid steer.  I checked around and found the resale at that time was better for Case, so figured there was a reason.  Also, they were changing models and I got a 2000 discount.  It was cheaper to buy new than get a used one on ebay.  You can not get enough attachments. It works better to fix fence than any tractor. Hydraulic post hole digger.  I use my forks to load up posts, then pick them up and use a chain to drop in the hole.  Been fixing ditches in water ways and wet spots in terraces this week.  Grading is much more accurate than with a tractor loader.  Everybody should have one.  Mine just has tires.  A friend got a new bobcat with tracks, he loves it.  But it's still near new.  His old one was from back early 90's, had very little trouble with it. 863 was the number, when one of the chains broke, he just traded. 
My name's Jim, I like wood.

jesse

i did not have much luck with over the tire tracks on 975 bobcat broke the 140 drive chain at least 3 times but did go good in the mud might have been the grousers on dry ground though causing the problem

Cedarman

If you get one with tracks, it is extremely important to clean if it is going to freeze at night. The worst is mud in daytime and freezing at night.  It takes some work to keep them clean. We keep it in the lumber drying room to thaw out and keep from freezing.  They are absolutly the best on wet ground.  But you will replace bearings and rubber tracks are $2000 each.  This is for our CAT skid steer.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Norm

Thanks for the advice folks.  :)

We seem to work in mud as much as anything around here so the tracks were my first choice. I have a friend that has owned most models and he's settled on the JD series. I'd go with a Cat but the local dealer is a pain to work with. We have tons on JD dealers around us so if one is bad there's others that you can choose from.

Kansas

If you plan on keeping the skid steer well past its warranty time, one thing you might check out is how easy it is to access everything. We used to run bobcats and they were absolutely miserable to work on. You had to lay on your stomach and try to reach in to reach the pump for leaks, hoses, etc. That was a few years ago, so maybe they have improved that. We run New Holland now-an L185 and L190. You can access them a whole lot better. Also, the back weight package helps a lot if your going to do a lot of lifting and moving.

cheyenne

You can get a set of magnesium tracks for $600 off e-bay and their top quality and work great. The mfg is in the catskills down state N.Y.......Cheyenne
Home of the white buffalo

cheyenne

OOPS- the tracks are manganese and he's located in hunter, N.Y......There's a video on e-bay.......Cheyenne
Home of the white buffalo

Weekend_Sawyer


My Lx885 is absolutley no good on muddy ground. I want to add tracks but need spacers too and am not ready to put out for all that.

I also highly reccomend you get a machine with the additional remote hydrolics so you can run attachments like a backhoe, bush hog, log splitter, ect. I'm glad I got em.

Jon
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

ladylake

John Deere make a skid loader?    Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

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