Diggers

[John boy]

looking in to buying a digger what are the pros and cons of rubber v steel tracks? Thanks.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Pros for wheeled ,,you dont need a trailer to shift them other than you do need insurance and zero tax reg ,,they are very handy for running around sites .
Against ,,they are ok on solid fields but in the wet they are very numb

 

[Pan mixer]

Steel tracks chew up concrete but are great for tracking in hardcore, more difficult to get them on a trailer without chewing the floor and ramps but better in a wet field than rubber.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Compromise ,,steel tracks with bolt on street pads ,civils boys use them on road upgrades

 

[Pan mixer]

Compromise ,,steel tracks with bolt on street pads ,civils boys use them on road upgrades

Bit worried about those for grip in the damp?

 

[Pan mixer]

Who you really need to ask is @Shovelhands

 

[agrimax]

Street pads turn the tracks into skis on steep,wet hills......

 

[H200GT]

Steel best for soft ground as generally you can have a wider track, and they grip much better.

Rubber kinder on hard surfaces

However, finding a machine sub 8t on steel will require a bit of searching, almost all in recent years seem to be rubber tracked.

Depending on what your going to do with the machine, rubber is generally considered good “all rounder”, hence why i suspect most new machines in 8t and less seem to be rubber.

 

[Zetor]

Bit worried about those for grip in the damp?

Don't, there's no difference for grip
Pros on steel is tracking in
Pros of rubber is kind on hard surfaces
I've 4 on steel and 2 on rubber

 

[renewablejohn]

I have steel in woodland.

 

[John boy]

Best place to look for good secand hand diggers?

 

[H200GT]

Best place to look for good secand hand diggers?

Depends what your after, and how mutch you want to spend

 

[Shovelhands]

The real question is, what is the OP going to be doing with the machine? @John boy ?

I prefer steel on an 8t class machine, it best suits what I want from the machine. When those times occur when rubber would be best, I’m happy to make do with running on ply, tyres, rubber belting ect.
Steel imo are far superior for any work other than regular work on paved areas.

Smaller machines, then rubber is probably the smarter choice and the smaller you go, the less of a compromise it is imo.

 

[John boy]

Im looking for a 8 tone machine to do general farm thing ditching,gateway and tidying up. Would spend 10-15k.

 

[Shovelhands]

Im looking for a 8 tone machine to do general farm thing ditching,gateway and tidying up. Would spend 10-15k.

Buy on steel if you can, it sounds like it will best suit your application. But, and it’s a big BUT, you are going to be restricted by what is available, in good condition, for your budget. First find a good machine, in budget, if it’s on steel then it’s a bonus!

If the tracks are knackered, on an otherwise good machine, don’t rule out a purchase, but you could use it as a bargaining chip, budget 1800-2000k for new rubber and a pair of sprockets. But probably double that, and a bit, for a set of steels. As steels will want new rollers top and bottom, and also sprockets, regardless of how good they may look, unless you wish to prematurely wear nice new chains!

Stell will last longer though. And provide the opportunity to fit wider pads if that floats your boat, literally , and also add a sensible chunk of weight in the right place!

But we are talking ideal world stuff here, and possibly the reality of your budget won’t allow all the boxes to be ticked?

 

[John boy]

Buy on steel if you can, it sounds like it will best suit your application. But, and it’s a big BUT, you are going to be restricted by what is available, in good condition, for your budget. First find a good machine, in budget, if it’s on steel then it’s a bonus!

If the tracks are knackered, on an otherwise good machine, don’t rule out a purchase, but you could use it as a bargaining chip, budget 1800-2000k for new rubber and a pair of sprockets. But probably double that, and a bit, for a set of steels. As steels will want new rollers top and bottom, and also sprockets, regardless of how good they may look, unless you wish to prematurely wear nice new chains!

Stell will last longer though. And provide the opportunity to fit wider pads if that floats your boat, literally , and also add a sensible chunk of weight in the right place!

But we are talking ideal world stuff here, and possibly the reality of your budget won’t allow all the boxes to be ticked?

Ok thanks for the good advice. What would you think my budget would need to be to tick all the boxes?

 

[Shovelhands]

Ok thanks for the good advice. What would you think my budget would need to be to tick all the boxes?

Gut feeling, is you will need to be nearer 20k for something tidy. But I could be wrong.

Have you any preferred brands or models?

 

[John boy]

I like takeuchi. But not really bothered. Where is best place to look for one?

 

[Shovelhands]

The internet is your oyster!

How old, TB175? Have a google and see what pops up.

Tidy looking one on eBay , but does have an Engcon fitted, so is at premium money.

 

[KB6930]

Steel every time for me we hire an 8t for a week every winter and as soon as you get into a wet hole the rubber tracks just aren't wide enough to keep afloat