Skid steers vs compact track loaders or simply just wheels vs tracks on a skid steer depending on where you’re from. They both have advantages and disadvantages but which machine should you buy first, one with wheels or one with tracks?
First of all everyone knows that running skid steers can be uncomfortable, you’re cramped in a little seat and you’re bouncing up and down. When it comes to the comfort of riding on dirt or across a field moving hay I will gladly take a tracked machine over a wheeled skid steer. The comfort of a tracked machine in these conditions is amazing as you almost float across the field, or dirt. They also don’t tear the ground up as bad when turning as the weight distribution is evenly spread out vs the wheeled machine which puts all the weight of the skid steer in 4 places. When it comes to hay farming or ranching I strongly believe a tracked machine does better than a wheeled one. However if you are dairy farming and you constantly have to clean out milk sheds the wheeled machine will suit your use better.
Picking wheels over tracks can be difficult sometimes, but a lot of it can come down to price. There are a lot more moving parts on a tracked machine thus more parts to replace. Wheeled machines have less moving parts and are cheaper and easier to replace. A good set of tires for a skid steer can cost almost 300 dollars a piece. So replacing all 4 tires is 1,200 bucks. Tracks on the other hand are expensive, a cheaper set of tracks is still going to be 2,000 for just one track, so to replace both tracks is going to cost you 4,000 big ones. Not to mention that tracks often require another machine to put on and are difficult once the new ones are on. Adding to the difficulty of simply maintaining a tracked machine.
Truly it comes down to your use for the machine and what you’re financially comfortable with purchasing and maintaining. No matter what you choose you will still have a skid steer to do daily work with, let’s be honest given an opportunity to purchase a cheap skid steer most of us are going to make the decision to do it. It’s most likely going to be a wheeled machine, so you can meet in the middle and by OTT’s known as over the tire tracks, they give you similar flotation as a tracked machine and you still have a dedicated wheeled machine.
Works Cited
McLaren Industries: Rubber Track and Solid Tire Manufacturer, https://www.mclarenindustries.com/. Accessed 7 April 2022.
Equipment World: Home, https://www.equipmentworld.com/. Accessed 7 April 2022.
iStock: Stock Images, Royalty-Free Pictures, Illustrations & Videos, https://www.istockphoto.com/. Accessed 7 April 2022.