Rubber tracks

[Storrsy]

Well I've just been shopping around for the E27, just because they are looking a bit battered and I don't want the downtime. Prices so far-

Astrack Terra Track plus- £416

MST- £380

Bobcat genuine- standard £414
Premium- £724

Cautrac- £440

All about the same bar the ludicrous Bobcat 'premium' ones. Yet to get a price for Camaso HD tracks. Anyone else you'd try? Which would you go for? My work is hard on tracks.

Eh! You've only had the machine 5 minutes havent you? How many hrs has it done.
Very happy with the Camso from digbits myself

 

[Storrsy]

If I was buying again for my 803 I’d buy Bridgestone’s as per the originals. The feckin Tuff Trac crap, or whatever they are called, that I bought last time were half the price but half the track in my opinion! It threw another track yesterday, bloody horrid things.

I had some aftermarket ones once off main dealer for my Tak. Uttter utter shite- would have been better off with a giant elastic band . Used to pop off just doing a turn.

 

[doobin]

I had the Camaso HD on my old Hyundai, but ended up selling it before doing enough hours to be able to review them properly.

The E27 has done 1250 hours. A lot of my work in woods etc and a fair bit of tracking means they are looking a bit worse for wear. Knowing my luck they’d just snap or let go right next to a fire.

 

[Bri963]

I had the Camaso HD on my old Hyundai, but ended up selling it before doing enough hours to be able to review them properly.

The E27 has done 1250 hours. A lot of my work in woods etc and a fair bit of tracking means they are looking a bit worse for wear. Knowing my luck they’d just snap or let go right next to a fire.

Sounds like you’d be better on steels. When minis first came in from my recollection, as many were on steel tracks as rubber.

 

[GazCro]

Sounds like you’d be better on steels. When minis first came in from my recollection, as many were on steel tracks as rubber.

That's probably the case for a fair share of rubber tracked machines or there for 80% of their use. Trouble is that other 20% would create so much hassle it's not a viable option to even consider steels.
1250hrs is either poor quality tracks or (you're not gonna like this) badly driven.

 

[doobin]

That's probably the case for a fair share of rubber tracked machines or there for 80% of their use. Trouble is that other 20% would create so much hassle it's not a viable option to even consider steels.
1250hrs is either poor quality tracks or (you're not gonna like this) badly driven.

Coming from a guy who told me it would be more efficient to move brash with a dumper yet doesn’t have a rotator for their grab

My work is hard on machines but it makes the money over and above the rates I see bandied about for a machine five times the size…

This is what the tracks look like currently. Maybe I’m being overly cautious. Ignore the oil, it’s from doing the track motors. Which I do ever 250 hours. As I do a lot of tracking…

 

[GazCro]

Coming from a guy who told me it would be more efficient to move brash with a dumper yet doesn’t have a rotator for their grab

My work is hard on machines but it makes the money over and above the rates I see bandied about for a machine five times the size…

This is what the tracks look like currently. Maybe I’m being overly cautious. Ignore the oil, it’s from doing the track motors. Which I do ever 250 hours. As I do a lot of tracking… View attachment 34611

Provided cracks/splits aren't down to the wire inside the tracks there's nothing wrong with them. The tracks on my 4 tonner at 12 months old didn't look too dissimilar and I looked at them and thought they aren't gonna last as long as the ones on the machine before it did. 4 years later they don't look much different.

 

[TiltyShaun]

When my old pair gave up they gave me notice. Sprang off a couple of times and on inspection there had been a rebar go through and split the belt. I decided to go for a pair so I still had a useable replacement later. No plans on changing the machine anytime this decade, so it might come in handy yet!

 

[Storrsy]

Coming from a guy who told me it would be more efficient to move brash with a dumper yet doesn’t have a rotator for their grab

My work is hard on machines but it makes the money over and above the rates I see bandied about for a machine five times the size…

This is what the tracks look like currently. Maybe I’m being overly cautious. Ignore the oil, it’s from doing the track motors. Which I do ever 250 hours. As I do a lot of tracking… View attachment 34611

Bloody hell doobin- years of life in them!
My old ones went to 2800hrs and I'm always working around granite. Reckon you'd be best buying a pair and just keeping them to hand just I'm case. Buy I reckon you'd get another 1000hrs out of them

 

[Shovelhands]

Coming from a guy who told me it would be more efficient to move brash with a dumper yet doesn’t have a rotator for their grab

My work is hard on machines but it makes the money over and above the rates I see bandied about for a machine five times the size…

This is what the tracks look like currently. Maybe I’m being overly cautious. Ignore the oil, it’s from doing the track motors. Which I do ever 250 hours. As I do a lot of tracking… View attachment 34611

I agree theres loads left in them yet. IMO they are not old enough for the wire to have rusted to the point where they will just snap unexpectedly. Unless theres a major wound in them somewhere then i think they will go for a long while yet. If you do a lot off tracking then they might actually wear out before they break!
If you’ve got the space to store them and money to buy them then i can understand you having them in stock for the future, but the question you’ve got to ask yourself is how long are you keeping the machine? If they don’t fit the next machine then buying tracks now could be a massive waste of money? Those old tracks could well see the machine out of your ownership?

 

[GazCro]

Bloody hell doobin- years of life in them!
My old ones went to 2800hrs and I'm always working around granite. Reckon you'd be best buying a pair and just keeping them to hand just I'm case. Buy I reckon you'd get another 1000hrs out of them

Unless you're machine has an obscure size set of tracks on it i wouldn't bother having a set of tracks sat just in case when you can likely get them next day delivered anyway. They could be sat for 2 or 3 years easy which ain't gonna do them any good.

 

[Smiffy]

Coming from a guy who told me it would be more efficient to move brash with a dumper yet doesn’t have a rotator for their grab

My work is hard on machines but it makes the money over and above the rates I see bandied about for a machine five times the size…

This is what the tracks look like currently. Maybe I’m being overly cautious. Ignore the oil, it’s from doing the track motors. Which I do ever 250 hours. As I do a lot of tracking… View attachment 34611

I have honestly seen people fit worse tracks than that to a front line machine. They look virtually new from here unless there deaper cracks

 

[GazCro]

Be careful not to run tracks too tight. Its easy to obsess over keeping them tight cos if they are a bit slack you'll lose one off, but too tight and if they try to come off if a stone or bit off wood gets in there it'll expose the weakest point instead or just constantly put any splits under strain.

 

[Bri963]

That's probably the case for a fair share of rubber tracked machines or there for 80% of their use. Trouble is that other 20% would create so much hassle it's not a viable option to even consider steels.
1250hrs is either poor quality tracks or (you're not gonna like this) badly driven.

If you’re 100% not running on tarmac or pavement steels make a lot of sense, especially in the type of conditions Doob works in.

 

[Smiffy]

If you’re 100% not running on tarmac or pavement steels make a lot of sense, especially in the type of conditions Doob works in.

Problem with minidigger steels is the grousers are welded on and last forever. The chains on the other hand wear really really quickly. They also make most if not all 2.5t class machines to heavy to transport on a trailer. Especially if you need to carry buckets on the trailer

 

[JD450A]

Trouble with steels on anything below 3t is they are too heavy, the diggers don't really enjoy the extra lumping around and tbh they don't give any advantage..... Having had our little 2.2t (actually 2.6ish) Kobelco I loved it's steel tracks BUT they where a significant pain in the arse most of the time.

Over 3t.... Yep steels all day long...... Road pads are alright (Geo Grips) but they get cut to death on anything but Tar.

 

[Smiffy]

Trouble with steels on anything below 3t is they are too heavy, the diggers don't really enjoy the extra lumping around and tbh they don't give any advantage..... Having had our little 2.2t (actually 2.6ish) Kobelco I loved it's steel tracks BUT they where a significant pain in the arse most of the time.

Over 3t.... Yep steels all day long...... Road pads are alright (Geo Grips) but they get cut to death on anything but Tar.

Rubber block pads are awful things.
They trashed on anything bar perfect ground
They make the machine vibrate like hell when tracking. They have no grip on slippy surfaces especially lorry ramps. You can't track in crush with them yet they sink in mud worse than rubber bands or steels.

 

[JD450A]

Rubber block pads are awful things.
They trashed on anything bar perfect ground
They make the machine vibrate like hell when tracking. They have no grip on slippy surfaces especially lorry ramps. You can't track in crush with them yet they sink in mud worse than rubber bands or steels.

You say that, but the set of Geogrips (Rubber block pad, not clip ons) on my 7 tonner have faired ok doing what I do..... I never have issues getting around with them, only thing they don't like is tracking 75mm or larger rubble in..... deliberately avoid it as it just cuts them up. Anything below 75mm though they are alright to track in.

Worst thing is when people fit clip on or bolt on rubber pads every other Pad...... usually national hirers..... All it does is fucks the machine.

 

[Smiffy]

You say that, but the set of Geogrips (Rubber block pad, not clip ons) on my 7 tonner have faired ok doing what I do..... I never have issues getting around with them, only thing they don't like is tracking 75mm or larger rubble in..... deliberately avoid it as it just cuts them up. Anything below 75mm though they are alright to track in.

Worst thing is when people fit clip on or bolt on rubber pads every other Pad...... usually national hirers..... All it does is fucks the machine.

But on the sub 75mm stuff I find they simply don't compact it. Spend ages tracking it in and doesn't seem to bind with them.
And take them in the woods or on a demo site they just disintegrate.

 

[JD450A]

But on the sub 75mm stuff I find they simply don't compact it. Spend ages tracking it in and doesn't seem to bind with them.
And take them in the woods or on a demo site they just disintegrate.

TBH your pissing in the wind trying to track stuff in with excavators.... Very rare these days that the grousers are narrow enough to do any good.