Mini skid steers tracks versus wheels

Menchhofer said:
Wheeled articulating machines are best for working on lawns. Tracks are always are harder on grass/lawn than a wheeled vehicle no matter how "careful" one is or how many wide turns are made back and forth. Why go to the trouble of putting down plywood all the time when not needed? Would not purchase a mini on tracks of any kind.
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So the wheeled mini skid option are, for new units? Ramrod, Toro, and ditch witch zahn.

All of which lift 10-20" lower in height and have a 800-1000 lbs lower tip capacity of the Vermeer 650tx or comparable tracked ditch witch.

Anything that is skid steer (tracks or wheeled is going to scuff a lawn). It is the nature of how it turns. Heck even a zero turn mower does if you spin on a dime.

It isn't hard to put down 2-3 sheets of plywood, while the climber is setting up, for turning points...if needed.

I do agree that an articulating steer is probably the overall best for a lawn, but wouldn't work for me due to size and other issues.


"Kiss My Axe"
Associate degree in forestry from PSU Mont Alto
Certified Arborist
Owner/operator of Climb High Tree Service established in 2002
www.climbhightree.com
https://m.facebook.com/ClimbHighTreeService
https://www.youtube.com/user/climbhightree
https://www.youtube.com/user/2treekiller2
 
climbhightree said:
So the wheeled mini skid option are, for new units? Ramrod, Toro, and ditch witch zahn.

All of which lift 10-20" lower in height and have a 800-1000 lbs lower tip capacity of the Vermeer 650tx or comparable tracked ditch witch.

Anything that is skid steer (tracks or wheeled is going to scuff a lawn). It is the nature of how it turns. Heck even a zero turn mower does if you spin on a dime.

It isn't hard to put down 2-3 sheets of plywood, while the climber is setting up, for turning points...if needed.

I do agree that an articulating steer is probably the overall best for a lawn, but wouldn't work for me due to size and other issues.


"Kiss My Axe"
Associate degree in forestry from PSU Mont Alto
Certified Arborist
Owner/operator of Climb High Tree Service established in 2002
www.climbhightree.com
https://m.facebook.com/ClimbHighTreeService
https://www.youtube.com/user/climbhightree
https://www.youtube.com/user/2treekiller2
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Have you operated a wheeled unit?
Oh that's right, sorry I reread that...you have not.
Thanks for sharing.
 
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Ha, you get my humor. I have used a wheeled skid steer and can agree than on lawns it can be better. I can also see in really tight back yards where it might come in handy as well. It all depends on your market and what your location is. I work on large properties where we usually have lots of terrain obstacles and have found the track units to work best. I also use my mini for snow removal and have also found the track unit to have much better pushing capacity. It also works great when your dumping the chips on the homeowners property that you can pretty easily spread then out, or push them over a bank. I tend to do that a lot. But then again, that is my market area that allows me to do that.
This was a property with a very steep hill. We placed plywood down and then just ran the track machine up and down the hill all day with no worries. I am not sure a wheel unit would have been as successful on this job. No saying it wouldn't have worked, just IMO not as well as a track machine. I run into properties like this all the time.
 

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KYAPLE said:
Do you run 1/2" plywood Royce? 3/4"? Nice pic!
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3/4", we have about 14-16 sheets on the bucket truck. Just take them off and use them for mini when needed. I am looking into the alturnamats. They are just expensive. Well worth it, just expensive!!
 
I have both alturnamats (4X8) and plywood, and definitely prefer ply, even though it gets chewed up.
The alturnamats seem 2X as heavy, and don't load up on a trailer very nice (ridged on both sides - they don't slide over each other) No big deal when you have a helper to load / move them, but I'm often the dummy by myself trying to get stuff loaded up in the evening for the next day.

Also, I dunno if anyone has inadvertently backed a mini over their foot (happened only once so far while backing up the last foot or so into trailer), but that low PSI ground pressure thing is purely theoretical. The rubber track exerts about a half million pounds pressure, and you can't get it off your foot quick enough.
 
Thanks Royce. We've got 4 sheets of 3/4" and 14 black alternumats. We run a Vermeer s800tx and it spins nicer on the plywood than mats (also ribbed on both sides) mostly cause a few of the mats have chewed up corners from a hungry stump grinder. So a couple sheets at the chipper and a couple near the tree and mats in between where needed and so far were alright.

Ouch Pelorus! Sometimes I push down on the safety plate and nudge the machine forward or backward when chaining it down on trailer while standing next to it as opposed to on it like your supposed to. I can see how thus could happen

Kieran
 
So I have come to a conclusion...I think tracks were designed for, not not tearing the crap out grass.

We have been doing so many "off turf" jobs this last week (we are keeping the machine another week, now that we see its capabilities) just gonna stack the work we think it will excel at, while we blast and repaint our skid steers frame.

My wheeled machine is not worthy of a bucket off pavement, when compared to this pig.
Tracked units definitely have their own set of sweet dance moves on dirt.
Hey, I said once I would not get a bucket truck...

We keep (12) 3/4" sheet of ply cut in half on the bucket truck. We have 12 alturnamats available when ever we need them from another local tree guy. I stopped trying to give him money a while ago.
I have needed plywood for my wheeled not to tear up turf in front of the chipper like 10% of the time, at a stretch.

So we have been doing some big white pines this last few days. Some on lawns, some in over grown backyards that have no lawn.
After we explode the tree, the clean up with the tracked machine on the lawn versus the non-lawn job was clear.
Non-lawn no thinking, just attack and skid at will...fun.
Lawn job better think out your routes and watch what the tracks are leaving for a wake...more fun then no skid steer.
 
Lumberjack said:
A mini on tracks is about your only option for getting through a 3' gate, with the exception of a few machines with pizza cutter tires.
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What's considered pizza cutter?
My 900T is 35" inches wide with 8" wide turf tires at 25psi.
They actually smoosh out quite a bit when loaded making a larger foot print with round edges, some times allowing it to climb hills loaded more easily then unloaded.
To me those tracks are cutters, when you nose wheelie a tracked machine on that small radius there is some serious ground pressure there with thin edges ready to scalp the earth.
 
The Ramrod 900T and the Thomas 25G are essentially the same machine, weighing about 1400lbs plus the attachment. My Thomas was 39" wide with 8" tires, are you sure your machine is 35" wide?
 
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