Best Track Skid Steer Under 7,500 lbs?

[jmc]

Here JMC. This is a great article that shows machines, who's who, history, prices etc. http://www.compactequip.com/pdfs/ce_june06_tracking_the_industry.pdf

I think ASV was first to market with a compact track loader. Takeuchi came in 1992 but ASV introduced theirs in 1990. Both are designed as track machines from ground up. The ASV in my opinion as a dealer is a far superior design.

Maka

Good article. Thanks. 1992 may be when Takeuchi started exporting them into the US but I recall from a similiar article they were selling them in Japan in the 80's. No big deal either way...

John

 

[White Shark]

I was considering a rotary cutter for my compact crawler, but a long time friend and machinery salesman convinced me otherwise. Actually he beat me up a little to set me straight. I needed it as I keep forgetting that a wheel machine with large ag tires and pto is much more efficient for certain tasks like mowing etc. Hydraulic motors are evolving but they cannot compete with pto's for power transfer. The skid steer is best at digging and other bucket tasks. Using a $50k skid steer and a $5k mower attachment to do what the old tractor and $1500 brush hog can do is just silly. Yes, I would like to be in my air conditioned cab, but pampering is not worth exposing my turbo to grass particles and the additional track and undercarriage wear, not to mention the degradation that hot oil has on the hydraulic system.

jmf

x10 Egg-zactley! I have a nice 60" Ford rotary cutter for my Ford 1310 that sells for around $1000 or so new, as compared to the $5000 unit for the CAT.

I also have a Ford post auger that sells for $800 new for the Ford, and the CAT unit is around $4000-5000. I can use the heck out of the Ford and save the hours on the CAT for the high specialty money making jobs...

Sure, the A/C in the CAT rules, but I own cowboys hats, wear a bandana, and drink a lot of water...


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[plowrup]

O.K.,

I'll add my 2 cents to this discussion-I am a Dealer (a top five Dealer in the Country for Skid Steers for my Brand), and I rent a lot of Equipment (both the Brands that I represent and others)-

I think Cat has done a great job with the Controls (Joystick, low effort), and they were on the front end of entering the Tracked Market (compared to say, Case New Holland or Deere).

I have had both a 257 and a 257B in my Rental Fleet, and, in my parts of the Country where we have a LOT of Rocks, we went through more Tracks than we should have-the rubber Bogie Wheels get eaten in minus Rock, and we have torn the drive lugs out of 3 sets of Tracks-the problem is, according to the Track Suppliers we have dealt with, that they are an OEM product only-the best price I could find was $1750 per side.

My Manufacturer was quick to point out that the Cat Rental Stores have for the most part gone away from renting the Track Machines, instead they are putting the Loegering Track Systems on their wheeled machines and renting them in that configuration.

We have sold some Loegering Systems and as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out-Loegering is offering Dealers and extended Warranty on the Drive System of the Machine, which makes me wonder why? If you think about the Chain Drive system on most wheeled machines, and the forces applied by the Loegering System, there may be a root reason.

My Manufacturer says to advise Customers' that (as a rule of Thumb) Tires will cost you about a $1 per Hour to run, Tracks will cost you about $3 Dollars and hour to run, so if you are buying this for a business, you had better be able to recover your investment.

We have a lot of Mountains here, and the Track Machines do well in those conditions, and in Snow they are a treat, but get it on Ice and it's a wounded Duck.

My take on the best Tracked Machine out there? I would say as far as the Track design (which is manufactured by Burco for all three units) would be the Case, Deere or New Holland (that is in alphabetical order)-lots of reasons why (and I think the ASV IDEA is good,it just has a History of continual problems). The Case and the New Holland design are identical, the Deere's is different-

 

[Kendall69]

Check this out - click on the hill climb, mud bog

MB Tractor & Equipment

 

[Dougster]

My take on the best Tracked Machine out there? I would say as far as the Track design (which is manufactured by Burco for all three units) would be the Case, Deere or New Holland (that is in alphabetical order)-lots of reasons why (and I think the ASV IDEA is good,it just has a History of continual problems). The Case and the New Holland design are identical, the Deere's is different-

I sincerely appreciate the "professional" input... both your explanations and your recommendations. Thank you!

As some of you are aware... I believed that I had purchased a used ASV-30 this week. Yes, a quite small machine for all that work folks want me to do right over top of septic systems. Turns out that the deal fell through. I posted here about it, but withdrew my post only minutes later after the owner called to advise that he was selling to another party. This was probably for the best... there were some issues with that particular machine... but it now has me back in the market and turning now to wheeled machines since there just aren't enough good, used ASV machines out there... especially RC-50s and 60s... at affordable prices.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Check this out - click on the hill climb, mud bog
MB Tractor & Equipment

Absolutely great videos!!! Thanks for a good laugh! Needed one right about now!

Dougster

 

[Maka]

Have you looked on ASV's web site at their used equipment?

ASV - Used Equipment

Maka

 

[Kendall69]

Here's some

ASV RC60 For Sale at MachineryTrader.com

 

[Dougster]

Have you looked on ASV's web site at their used equipment?
ASV - Used Equipment
Maka

Here's some
ASV RC60 For Sale at MachineryTrader.com

Hi Guys - I do understand there are some used ASVs out there to be had if you're willing to pay the big bucks and cross-country transport costs. When I say short supply... I'm talking realistic, "motivated seller" asking prices within no more than say 350 to 500 miles so I can retrieve them myself. Let me be bluntly honest here: I am not rich and, in my current situation, I am not in a position to finance. The bank would laugh at me. Look at something like eBay auction results or regular equipment auction results and compare to these website asking prices. It's like two different worlds. I happen to exist (financially speaking) in the auction prices world. I need to buy right or I can't buy at all.

The same is not true of the wheeled machines. You can do amazingly well for short money in that part of the market. There are countless used wheeled machines out there and it's a total buyer's market. I know of at least 3 or 4 very decent machines within 50 miles that I could buy today. Bargains abound! The real question, of course, is what does a wheeled machine do for me in terms of handling these various "challenging" jobs that are not entirely suitable for the Mahindra. Sometimes a lot... sometimes not so much.

Dougster