actual repair cost by hour usage of skid crawler undercarriage

[burntside bob]

Has any one kept tract of what it cost to repair the undercarriage on their skid steer crawler?
I am looking at purchaging a used CAT 257 or ASV 70 or Bobcat T190.
I have read many posts but have not noticed any that give a review of what the parts (rubber tract, rollers, sprockets) cost divided by the hours of usage.
Any one have this data?
It may well be that its cheaper to rent these machines then to purchase one new or used, thats what I am trying to find out.
What are your thoughts?

 

[brain55]

I have quite a bit of experience with the Bobcat machines. Keep in mind this is with a large landscape contractor with operators that don't give a crap about the equipment or it's upkeep, your life expectancy will likely be better. T180's, T190's, and T300's, will all get about 1000-1200 hours out of the factory Bridgestone tracks. Then after that, they will get 600-800 hours per set. T180-190 tracks cost about $1200 each for aftermarket tracks about double that for the Bridgestones. I have been told that even the Bridgestones get a max of about 800 hours after the first set. I had 9 T180's, 1 T190, and 7 T300's that I maintained. All machines had well over 2000 hours and had not worn the sprockets enough for me to justify new sprockets so I don't have prices for those. They do start to have drive motor issues around 2000 hours. Mostly on the brake section, if you catch it when it first starts having a problem you can replace the brake discs and seals for about $1000 plus the labor. If you wipe out the whole motor they are about $2500 each. If you keep up on the maintenance you will start to see metal in the case drain filters and you can feel it in the controls.

I would say that the costs come down to how much you plan on using the machine. 2000 hours could be the lifetime of the machine for a casual user, or like in our case 2-3 years.

Brian

I would probably figure between $5 and $10 per hour for all maintenance costs, the variation being how much of the work you can do yourself versus the dealer.

 

[MFRED]

Most guys around here are going back to wheeled skidsteers and bolting on tracks when needed. The CAT's were having problems with the ASV undersections and the contractor's were footing the bill for the upgraded parts. One lot clearer had to put a $15,000 under side on. 2 months after paying off the machine. He isn't too happy with his either.
New boogies all the time, hoses just aren't in good spots for the drives, the upper Idler( I think) isnt greasable so that wears out quite often.
Keep in mind it's used in mud & harsh places. Coulda paid for a few sets of filled tires & rims though.

 

[Digdeep]

I have an ASV RC50 that has well over 2000hrs. I replaced the tracks and Sprocket Rollers at just last year. They were originals. I have also replaced three sets of rear idlers, one set of front, and three mid rollers. I haven't had any problems with my drive hoses, drive motors, etc. You can also buy an entire ASV undercarriage completely assembled for around $8500 including labor so if a CAT guy paid $15k, he got "jobbed" by his dealer. My cost would now be much lower since ASV went to all metal face seals in their undercarriages so you only replace the plastic wheel and not the hub. I would expect that my undercarriage costs have run me between $4-6 per hour in applications such as landscaping, cutting retaining walls, garage and driveway pads (gravel), snow removal, and some brush cutting. I used to sell Bobcats and have been very happy with my ASV.

 

[MFRED]

You can also buy an entire ASV undercarriage completely assembled for around $8500 including labor so if a CAT guy paid $15k, he got "jobbed" by his dealer.

I agree. But everything he or anyone else around here buys from CAT is usually about double. $15k for a pair, just to be clear.

For some reason he couldn't get ASV parts, he had to go directly to CAT.

Or the parts guy didn't do him a favor and sold him pieces instead of a cheaper assembly. I see that a lot with stuff.

"Cost Always Tripple" that's the way it goes. On the other hand, you can always get it, no matter how old. Just gotta pay.

 

[Digdeep]

You can also buy an entire ASV undercarriage completely assembled for around $8500 including labor so if a CAT guy paid $15k, he got "jobbed" by his dealer.

I agree. But everything he or anyone else around here buys from CAT is usually about double. $15k for a pair, just to be clear.

For some reason he couldn't get ASV parts, he had to go directly to CAT.

Or the parts guy didn't do him a favor and sold him pieces instead of a cheaper assembly. I see that a lot with stuff.

"Cost Always Tripple" that's the way it goes. On the other hand, you can always get it, no matter how old. Just gotta pay.

Yeah, for some reason the local CAT dealer here in WI is more expensive than the other brands as well. It's a shame, especially for the same parts. The price I was quoted for the undercarriage from the ASV dealer was for a completely assembled undecarriage that included both sides, tracks, rails, wheels, assembled sprockets, and outboard bearings. The only thing the package didn't include was the torsion axles and the drive motors and the drive motor housings. Otherwise, it was just slide it onto the axles, hook the drive motor hoses up, bolt the sprocket onto the drive motor and throw the tracks on. It is supposed to come shipped fully assembled sitting on the pallet. So your undercarriage cost would only be around $8.50 an hour if you changed out the whole undercarriage (which you wouldn't need to) every 1,000 hours.

 

[Tags]

I've got 1200hrs on my Cat 287B with the original tracks. I did replace about 6 boggie wheels and 3 idler wheels 2 years ago and had to replace the seals in 5 of the bogie tubes at the same time. I did it myself and it was no picnic, but it was the middle of winter and I could only imagine what my Prima-Donna Cat dealer woulda charged. The parts cost me around 1400 bucks and the machine is just about 5 years old, to me that isn't too bad. I am the only operator which makes a HUGE difference with these track machines, the way you turn, what you turn on, and what material you work on will ultimately determine the life of your tracks.

 

[20 20]

I'm not sure this question can really be answered??? each operator, usage, soil, ground is going to be different. I quess with all the above post you might come up with a rough idea?

 

[McCaskey]

I need to pull trigger on new tracks, machine has 1200 forrestry hours. They are going bald faster than me. The local ASV/Terex dealer is telling me the complete rebuild undercarriage is not available for my 2006 RC100.

From another post: Terex/ASV does offer an undercarrige rebuild package. Part # 0403-531. If you have major undercarriage repairs, particularily if the machine is in need of tracks also, the package may be the most cost effective long term solution.

Any guidance in purchasing Terex supplied tracks vs. aftermarket and undercarriage overhaul would be appreciated.

 

[20 20]

McCaskey; this won't help but I was considering getting an ASV, but the way they have been switched around it as made me think otherwise. It's a shame because for the most part they seem to be a good machine that can get the job done. From everything I have researched they seem to have the overall best performance in mud etc.