Wheels or Tracs

[scootr]

I've got a good ole Bobcat 773 I mow with, I know tracs are better than wheels but finding it hard to justify swapping out the old girl for a new one. The area I mow isn't wet. I don't typically have a traction problem or a tire damage problem. I would like what I perceived to be a smother ride on tracs. Can anybody confirm that tracs ride smoother?

 

[4570Man]

Generally tracks are a lot smoother but if you’re going over a raised obstacle like a curb they’re worse.

 

[2manyrocks]

What are you mowing with the 775 that you wouldn't mow with your MX that I suspect would be smoother?

 

[scootr]

What are you mowing with the 775 that you wouldn't mow with your MX that I suspect would be smoother?

Tight spaces, steep banks, and 5 ft tall mustard weed. The frontal deck gives a better cut as the tractor lays down whatever it rolls over. Requiring a second pass in the opposite direction to get the same result....this was last year.

 

[oldnslo]

Tracks are smoother on soft surfaces but shake the crap out of you on hard surfaces like packed dirt or concrete. Track undercarriages are also a higher maintenance item than tires.

 

[2manyrocks]

When I was looking for a slope mower, both TBN members and others warned me that CTLs can pop tracks if you attempt the wrong type of turns on a hillside. No fun putting a track back on a 10,000lb machine on a hillside.

You could rent a CTL to see if it rides better.

In my case, I bought a wheeled articulating Power trac with a front mount brush deck but also use tire chains for traction.

 

[tacticalturnip]

When I was looking for a slope mower, both TBN members and others warned me that CTLs can pop tracks if you attempt the wrong type of turns on a hillside. No fun putting a track back on a 10,000lb machine on a hillside.

You could rent a CTL to see if it rides better.

In my case, I bought a wheeled articulating Power trac with a front mount brush deck but also use tire chains for traction.

Not that I'm in the market, but none the less, I never have given that any thought- it's really something to think about!

 

[groundcover]

Friend of mine got a Ventrac last year, he is seriously in love ! Not much can touch it on slopes. Front mount mower does a beautiful job. Now he's collecting other implements for it.

 

[4570Man]

When I was looking for a slope mower, both TBN members and others warned me that CTLs can pop tracks if you attempt the wrong type of turns on a hillside. No fun putting a track back on a 10,000lb machine on a hillside.

You could rent a CTL to see if it rides better.

In my case, I bought a wheeled articulating Power trac with a front mount brush deck but also use tire chains for traction.

My wheeled machine had flat tires pretty much every time I went to use it and I’ve had zero problems with tracks coming off my tracked skid steer. Putting a track on isn’t super fun but it’s not a great deal worse than knocking a skid steer tire off the beat especially considering the frequency that happened. I’ve knocked the track off my excavator once and my friend’s excavator several times but they both had worn out undercarriages. I don’t really miss the wheeled skid steer at all. The tracked machine is vastly better.

 

[4570Man]

Tracks are smoother on soft surfaces but shake the crap out of you on hard surfaces like packed dirt or concrete. Track undercarriages are also a higher maintenance item than tires.

I would somewhat disagree to both points. Really the only time a tracked machine is going to ride worse is going over a curb or log or something like that. I previously believed the maintenance idea but I’m not sold anymore. The tires are going to wear out faster and aren’t all that cheap either. The tracked machine will far outwork the wheels so if you need to run longer to do the same thing the maintenance is kinda insignificant at that point. Maybe if you put solid tires on the skid steer and ran on concrete all day you’d be cheaper but that wasn’t the discussion. My wheeled machine was such a nuisance trying to keep air in the tires that I pretty quickly decided I didn’t care about the maintenance cost anymore. I know you can foam fill them which I should have done but then you’re loosing ground to the ride quality and cost standpoint.