id go with the track machine if your not gonna be on concrete alot... look into bobcat there t320 is a beast in just about anything... what type of skid are you useing now cause there offering verry i repeat VERRRY generous trade in values + government rebates on there new machines.

It is an older 1840 Case. 1997 or 1998

What does being on concrete have to do with tracks this is new to me what will happen.

digdeep516 said:

id go with the track machine if your not gonna be on concrete alot... look into bobcat there t320 is a beast in just about anything... what type of skid are you useing now cause there offering verry i repeat VERRRY generous trade in values + government rebates on there new machines.

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The general consensus is "tracks for dirt, tires for concrete/asphalt".
Whatever you are doing in dirt, tracks are the better option; traction, smoother ride, better control of bucket etc.....
Concrete/asphalt is going to tear either one up in time, but tires are cheaper to replace.

the concrete and the asphalt takes a beatin on the tracks... tight turns and constant manuvering on the concrete will signifigantly decrease the lifetime of the tracks... and yess to replace a set of tracks the cost is much greater sometimes 2 as much as replacing a set of tires and for a machine like that youd probably be better off trading it in... hows it been to you repair wise

To DaveVB and digdeep516 I see where you are coming from big time sand paper thank you. On the serious side if a person was to rent or by a CTL just how steep of a grade can they handel straight up and straight down not across the face.

if your going to be working in alot of sand. I would get the CTL

The add on steel tracks are very heavy, and can really bog a machine down. You wont be able to push as much dirt around, even with the added traction. Also, if you get to turning in gravel or stone there is a good risk of snapping the track bolts. But on steep grades, they really help weigh you down.

I had a takeuchi with rubber tracks, and i really liked that machine. It left far less rutts than a wheeled machine if i was careful with my turns. The rubber tracks didnt pull up mud either. The big drawback is that the rubber wears out really fast running on concrete and blacktop.

I think i've run everything except maybe a john deere.

You can run on a 100% slope up and down. Rubber tracks are the way to go if you're doing mostly dirt work. Tracks in sand however will eat the drive sprockets, front and rear idlers, and the embedded driving track lugs away very quickly, long before the rubber wears thin. Figure 400 hours max on a set of sprockets and tracks with mostly sandy soils work.

Tracks can run $3500 a pair and sprockets another $1500, plus installation. If you get a CTL make sure you charge more than for a tired machine to cover the added costs. The track wear in sand costs an average of $12.50 per hour over their lifetime.

sandbager said:

To DaveVB and digdeep516 I see where you are coming from big time sand paper thank you. On the serious side if a person was to rent or by a CTL just how steep of a grade can they handel straight up and straight down not across the face.

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How much does a person charge for a rental mach. to the customer per hour I have the job on a bib and have some built in on a rental mach. but not enough to purchase one .

MBS said:

You can run on a 100% slope up and down. Rubber tracks are the way to go if you're doing mostly dirt work. Tracks in sand however will eat the drive sprockets, front and rear idlers, and the embedded driving track lugs away very quickly, long before the rubber wears thin. Figure 400 hours max on a set of sprockets and tracks with mostly sandy soils work.

Tracks can run $3500 a pair and sprockets another $1500, plus installation. If you get a CTL make sure you charge more than for a tired machine to cover the added costs. The track wear in sand costs an average of $12.50 per hour over their lifetime.

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work something out with the machine rental place... figure out the expected amount of hours and work with the rental company... last time i rented from sunbelt rentals (all green equipment) they had an option where you could buy a block of hours (lets say 50 to 75) for a set price and if you were over youd have to pay the up charge... but otherwise its hard because unless your renting by the day the price can start to spin out of control verry fast.

digdeep going to talk to local dealer and pump him up and see if I can get some of it on demo time let me try this thing man come-on-man.

yeah i hear ya... most rental places are willing to work with you if your going to tie the machine up for a good bit of time, they arent so apt if your just lookin at it for a day or 2.

Oh this is a 30 day deal or more good size project plus I will have cold days and snow days mixed in.

Sandbager, where are you located? Could you PM me?

sandbager said:

Oh this is a 30 day deal or more good size project plus I will have cold days and snow days mixed in.

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I am having a dickens of a time trying to find how to private message ya MBS. might need to have you walk me throught that.

MBS said:

Sandbager, where are you located? Could you PM me?

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put your curser over his name ,click, and select send private message in the flyout menu.

I think to make this work you will have to message me first and I will reply back to you.

MBS said:

Sandbager, where are you located? Could you PM me?

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Just so you know, there are a set of slightly used rubber tracks that go over wheeled skid steers on chicago craigslist right now they seem pretty cheap. let me know if you can't find them.:thumbsup: