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Mud on the Tracks
Engineered with a Dedicated Undercarriage, Track Loaders
Extend the Work Week By Keith Gribbins
he spring monsoon season always makes
finishing those first construction and
landscape projects of the year a constant
challenge. The wet weather makes jobsites
slick and unworkable, and your skid steers
get no traction on those slippery inclines and delicate
work surfaces. Your traditional wheeled loaders
just end up flinging sod at coworkers, skidding
around finely manicured lawns and tearing everything
to hell.
That’s why it’s time to call in the mobile artillery —
your little Sherman tank on tracks — your compact
track loader. Tackling tough terrain and giving extra
power are what compact track loaders are all about.
Sometimes called rubber track loaders or multi-terrain
loaders (depending on the manufacturer), these
compact loader/tool carriers are engineered just like
your skid steers (including the same attachment
plate), but with the added versatility of a dedicated
track undercarriage.
Rolling on rubber or steel tracks, compact track
loaders can spearhead operations and navigate jobsites
with extra flotation — especially in the wet
weather months. A dedicated undercarriage also gives added
tractive power (great in dozing operations), yet dispenses the
weight of the entire machine through multiple track contact
points for a lighter footprint. Extra power, lower ground pressure
and added flotation and traction — the advantages of compact
track loaders are growing on all types of professionals.
More and more customers are realizing the benefits of compact
track loaders, including minimal ground disturbance for
work on improved surfaces, smoother travel at higher speeds
for work on unleveled sites, low center of gravity for work on
side hills and overall improved productivity.
Compact track loaders have discovered some big markets
— landscape, forest and construction jobs that need extra flotation,
traction and pushing power (while still leaving a light
footprint). Wheeled skid steers will always have their strong
markets (especially when hard surfaces, cost of ownership
or increased cycle times come into play), but compact track
loaders continue to eat up market share in their specific applications.
With such impressive market growth always comes
increased competition and customers, which is why so many
manufacturers have begun selling their own unique lineup of
compact track loaders in the last few years.
Each compact track loader
manufacturer creates a
unique dedicated track
system that has its merits
and niche, so sample the
market, talk to dealers and
demo a few units.
From Bobcat to Caterpillar, Takeuchi to Terex, Komatsu to
Case — more than 10 manufacturers are producing or branding
these dedicated track machines today. Large or small, vertical
or radial lift, enclosed cab or just ROPs, basic or opulent,
suspension or no suspension, cheap or expensive — today’s
market offers a wealth of choices for buyers. Overall, units
range from 30 to 100 hp and operating capacities from 500 to
2,800 lbs (remember, that’s rated at 35 percent tipping load —
not 50 percent like skid steers). Mid-size loaders are generally
the most popular machines, because they are generally big
enough to handle most jobs, yet compact enough to get into
small spaces.
The undercarriage is as important to the machine as the
attachment or engine. It is the combination of components
that brings the machine to its assigned task. Without
the undercarriage, a compact track loader can do
limited work, similar to a car with flat tires. Extra power,
lower ground pressure and added flotation and traction —
the advantages of compact track loaders can add ammo to
any contractor’s arsenal.
Keith Gribbins is managing editor for Compact Equipment, based in
Peninsula, Ohio.
www.ceunbound.com June 2012 Compact Equipment 31