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Random Quote: he ain't afraid of hard work, i seen him sit down right in the middle of it.
I had a CAT 262 skid steer. Extra hard on my back and sold it. I still need something like it badly. Wondering if anyone knows if the track is much better. They claim it is alot smoother. Thxs
My Gal,
I can't say I've owned a tracked skid steer, I've only owned Bobcat 742, however, as you probably know, anything on tracks is going to be smoother.
The Cat on Tracks is a slick machine. Very Fast also, Designed like a high track dozer.
go with takauchi, cat, or new holland tracked machines.... there are pros and cons to each machine though... plus tracked cost at least 10,000 more... oh and yes they are easier on the back and the kidneys and the bowels.... you get less of that being thrown in the air till the harness or bar catches you thing.... always favored new hollands on wheels their the strongest not sure about their tracked models but im betting its just as strong and alot smoother....
My experience is that the longer wheelbase skid steers have a smoother ride but take more hp to maneuver with a load and tear the ground up more. We used a Bobcat 743 that I could take into a finished yard and not make a mark but a similar sized JD tore everything up. The New Hollands look like their balanced well and an intermediate wheelbase but I haven't run one (almost bought an older 6xx a couple years ago at an auction).
The only tracked skidsteer I've driven is a Bobcat T190 and it was the roughest riding thing I've ever been in (including a C4 dozer and a LS2600 Linkbelt trackhoe). But, it sure could work and it was fast!
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*Sometimes I sound like I know more than I do. Other times I don't.
My gal, want to save you back, brain, legs, knees, ankles, feet, fingers, elbows? Stay the he!! away from any skid steer. Or put a mexican on it, then it won't matter. The tracked skid steers have no shock absorption at all, except the biggest caterpillar. The price of the machine plus the the "floating" undercarriage having to be replaced along with the rubber tracks about every 1000 hrs at a price of over $10,000 makes it very difficult to turn a substantial profit with, not to mention the high fuel use. They are handy to have, just do yourself a favor, and put someone else on it, it will kill you.
Yea, I'm starting to think my back and a skid steer won't work. I really liked my CAT- it was very strong. By the way, I ruptured a disc when a large load, stump, fell out of the bucket and the back end slammed down hard, I mean hard. Maybe it was the operator more than the machine. I'm also thinking about the Bobcat A300- it's an allsteer, wheels. I don't know, maybe I should just hire someone but I really liked playing it. Thxs anyway.
I spent three months mucking out barges on a Has-Mat job. I burnt out two Bobcats. The company finally got me a Cat to finish the job.
It took four months for my back to heel after that job.
Takeuchi is by far the toughest thing on the market right now, and has a very smooth ride compared to others I have been on, other than the floating undercarriage CAT's. The biggest problem I have seen with the Cat brand machines is the rubber track rollers, that require much more maintenance and more often replacement than the other brands. Before selecting a machine, I would first look at it's application. I would only go with tracks if you absolutely need them for traction, just from a $ standpoint. If you are on a solid surface most of the time, a tire machine with suspension tires will be by far your smoothest option. If you are on a hard surface much at all, stay as far away from foam filled tires or solid tires as you can, these will do all kinds of unkind things to your body. For tire machines, the new John Deere line is very tough to beat (essentially the same exact machine as a Hitachi). For tracks, IMO Takeuchi is hands down the best thing out there.
Skid Steer Question 
