Be Your Own Boss

Things I Have Learned Along the Way
By Roger Cook

Not Just a "Skid-Steer on Tracks"
Understanding Compact Track Loaders is Key to Maximizing Your Investment

Even an experienced guy like me can use a good, old-fashioned machine operation lesson once in a while.

A recent one for me involves skid-steer loaders and compact track loaders, which are both great machines for landscape construction. I've always used skid-steer loaders, but I added the first compact track loader (a Bobcat® T200) to my fleet a couple of years ago. I had no idea that I knew so little about the machine. Looking back, I wish I'd had a more in-depth conversation with my dealer. I shouldn't have let him assume that I knew the differences between skid-steer loaders and compact track loaders, and I could have asked for help and let him be my consultant. The machine ended up needing maintenance earlier and more often than it should have. After a few headaches, I realized the problem was how I was using the machine and maintaining it.

When my dealer first showed me the track machine, I thought, "Great: a skid-steer on tracks." Looks like a skid-steer; operates like a skid-steer; does much of the same work as a skid-steer, plus a bit more. And I can run it just like I do my skid-steer. I was part-ly right. Turns out that an investment in a track loader can pay off quite well. But owning one requires an understanding-of when to use it, how to operate it, and how to care for it.

I wanted to share my experience because we're starting to see compact track loaders all over the place, especially in landscaping. They're popular machines, and there are many applications and ground conditions where they perform better than a skid-steer loader. A lot of other contractors may buy one with the same thoughts I had. You should know what to expect, what questions to ask, what you can do with it, and how you can make your investment pay off.

First, it's important to know what type of work is best suited for a compact track loader. Mike Fitzgerald, a loader product representative at Bobcat Company, says, "If the operation includes moving a lot of dirt, contouring ground, pushing, and backfilling, where a machine is on dirt most of the time, it is best suited to have a track machine. In those applications, a track machine will do the work well, get more done in a shorter period of time, and work in many varying weather conditions, improving your productivity.

"Compact track loaders also perform well in muddy or soft conditions. They have good maneuverability, flotation, pushing and grading force, and breakout force."

Two Good Choices

Mike says that while the skid-steer loaders are the traditional entry-level machine for landscaping, track machines have also become a good choice. "If you are new to the business or just getting started on your own, be sure to research your options carefully. You may only need one machine to do a multitude of things. If you plan on doing mostly dirt work, in a wide range of ground conditions and in varying weather, you should probably step up and buy a track machine. We are seeing more and more landscapers add a compact track loader to their fleets, increasing their productivity and enabling them to do jobs they couldn't do before."

A lot of people point to track and tire wear as an indicator for when compact track loaders should be used instead of skid-steer loaders (and vice-versa). There may be cost differences between rubber tracks and tires, but if your production is increasing exponentially, it may not be a concern. Basically, they both wear out. As a friend of mine usually says, when rubber meets rock, rock wins. So my story is not about rubber tracks versus tires. It's about knowing how to operate and maintain a machine to protect the most basic differentiator: the track undercarriage. If you operate and care for your compact track loader the same way you would your skid-steer loader, the result can be premature wear on the undercarriage.

"By understanding the differences, you will be able to make the right machine choice," Mike says. "Then, if you take a few extra minutes to operate and maintain a track loader appropriately, you'll be in good shape. You just need to be conscious of what you're doing."

This is where I made some mistakes. I thought I could just climb into my track loader and run it exactly like I do my skid-steer loader.

Photo Gallery

"The beauty of the skid-steer loader is the ability to take that machine and turn it around in its own length, and to basically 'skid' with it," Mike says. "Many contractors are used to that, so when they get into a track machine they operate it in a similar manner. While track machines have the ability to do this, adopting slightly different operating techniques will help reduce wear on the undercarriage components."

Developing a different work pattern that includes more radius-style versus "skid" turns reduces wear on the tracks (or tires, if you're operating a skid-steer loader) and undercarriage. Maintenance costs can be significantly reduced with a little care. If you must maneuver and do a lot of work with a compact track loader on asphalt or concrete, sprinkle a little material down to let it slide. If you take gradual turns, you'll minimize wear on tracks and undercarriage components. By the way, that trick works for skid-steer loaders, too.

Compact track machines perform so well in some landscaping conditions, that crew members are eager to use them. So some contractors are selective about the jobs they'll let them out on.

Proper maintenance is also key to owning a compact track loader. With a skid-steer loader, you do the normal scheduled maintenance at the end of the day and you're done. With a track machine, (in addition to the scheduled maintenance) you want to make sure its tracks and undercarriage are clean, which is no different from larger dozers or other crawler equipment. In fact, one of the best maintenance practices would be to wash off the tracks and undercarriage with a hose at the end of each day, if possible. There is also some additional basic routine maintenance, such as checking track tension, but that is just part of the deal. You can do more with it, so it all pays off.

compact track loaders have changed the way I do business. Here's a great example: I recently took a job removing old farm equipment from a property that had just been sold. The homeowner had shown me around this land littered with junk and basically asked, "Is there anything you can do?" With my track machine, I was able to go through the woods, up and down trails, and through the snow, pulling out 126 tons of recyclable scrap metal with a grapple attachment. That was a month's worth of work-during the winter-I would not have gotten without my compact track loader.

I would always have a track machine in my arsenal. One of the other things I've been doing with it is bringing trees into existing yards and planting them. I can go across a lawn without having to put down boards; I just go in, put the tree in a hole, back out, and say, "See you later."

I have learned that compact track loaders are great for landscaping, but you need to be knowledgeable if you're going to own one-a lot of guys call them "skid-steers on tracks." They are anything but. They look like skid-steers. But they are very different machines. Lesson learned.

Special thanks to Mike Fitzgerald of Bobcat Company for contributing to this column.

Business Information Source

For this and more columns by Roger Cook, as well as other helpful articles on running your own business, visit www.BYOB-pro.com.