Skid Steer How to pick the best brand, the right size & choose between Tires or Tracks...

How to pick the best skid loader, including the right brand, the correct size & which is better- Tires or Tracks. If you could only buy ONE-this will help you choose the right one. A skidloader is the #3 piece of Must have landscaping equipment.
Heres the best prices on Some of my favorite Amazon tools:

ISO tunes

Winter equipment-Best cutting edge ever:

[StephenCoxfixit]

Iv installed 10 sets of MWE rubber tracks and all of them have been top notch. I was able to get one set at 10pm one night. My customers were always happy with them as well.

[brandonbarr]

We have an older bobcat 773 with steel tracks, LOVE THAT THING! It has worked and ran soooo well. Yes, the steel tracks do rip up the ground, but the traction that they give you is better than anything else!

[Proverbs-qviu]

I swear I’ve been watching skid steer videos for weeks now and this is hands-down the most informative the most reassuring video I’ve watched. Thank you so much for making this content. I’m definitely going to subscribe.

[aRustyVenture]

I've worked with most skids and I have found that it really depends on the condition for certain types of tracks or tires. It just like you said if it hits all the right marks then it is best for the job. I found tire works best for plowing snow of which you know. Tracks don't work in the snow. Simple as that. If you're going for the fine grade then tracks are the way to go. You can still fine grade with tires but it's easier with tracks and more efficient. Like you said it all depends on the job. So go for the machine that can hit the most marks. I like your videos, my friend. KEEP IT

[jamespayne]

Just had to chime in on this one. I'm by no means as experienced as many operators may be. I've got around 2000 hours in wheeled Bobcats and probably 5000 hours in tracked machines. Primarily all 3200+ hours in our Takeuchi TL 140 plus another couple thou in various other CTL's we've used over the years. I will say that I can see where a wheeled machine would be the right choice, blacktop, hardpan, high speed finish grade work with a harley rake for seed bed or sod prep, but other than that, I'll take tracks every time. If I have to work on asphalt with my CTL, I spread some of the spoil across the area to give my tracks some slip and I try to minimize the distance from the pile to the dump and angle the truck to reduce the turning required. In the soft stuff, the tracks can't be beat. I've had the wheeled loaders with steel and rubber overtracks and while they work pretty good while the tires are new, they really turn into a liability when the tracks start slipping on worn tires, or God Forbid, you don't foam fill your tires and get a flat inside the tracks....nightmare scenario. I'd love to run one of the Cat 299's, to go with my Cat 304C CR mini Ex, but I really find the Cab's of the Cat CTL's to be a little small and cramped. I'm really interested in the new Kubota SVL 95 series. I sat in one a couple weeks ago and it was much more spacious and had excellent sight lines. The fact that many machines in the market utilize Kubota engines for their own machines speaks volumes for the Kubota brand itself. While it's like pulling teeth to get my bosses to realize the value of many of the work tools available for these machines, there is no denying the value these tools bring to a jobsite. While I spend a great deal of time running a backhoe in the commission of my job, I'd much rather be using my mini Ex and CTL to get the job done. Anyone in the market for one of these machines owes it to themselves to go to one of the construction expos or demo days events to try out the machine they are considering spending a small fortune on. They all look pretty similar, and they all do the same kind of work, but the differences between machines, in my opinion, are significant enough to warrant a test drive.

Enjoy your videos Stan, even if you are a little goofy. It's just the right touch. Keep em coming.

[braddenham]

I purchased a new set of T590 tracks and sprockets from midwest equipment (MWE). They still look good at over 800 hrs. Very reasonably priced!

[ObsidianKnight]

If you do any snow removal I'd recommend wheels instead of tracks. Also if your climate has lots of freezing and thawing I'd recommend wheels for that as well because if you park the machine with the tracks full of Mud at the end of the day, you will come back in the morning and your track will lock right up. Also if you're on sites with lots of curbs or rigmatts you're going to peel out of the tracks...

[sheldonfrey]

Just bought a new JCB 175 this week. Not needing to climb over the bucket or forks is the thing that did it for me.

[Jsantosishere]

I watched your video and read almost every comment, I’m going to get one with tires!! I wanna thank you for making this video !!!

[jasonsutton]

Great Videos Stanley! Really appreciate how you put these together. Also, glad to hear you say! God Bess ....so God Bless you too!

[SLFYSH]

On-point regarding dealer service versus brand! -Best brand doesn’t compensate for having a bad supporting dealership-all machines need servicing and this can be the best or most painful part of owning g the equipment.

[harveyrousejr.]

Thanks for the great information. I really like the rubber tracks over the tires option. Im considering a skid steer for work in poultry barns so only the small frame or midsize units will work because of height limitations.

[jackbradley]

Great advice. I've operated skid steers for over 20 years. Tracks! Tracks! Tracks!

[rkbrauercontractingservice]

I've said "I'm so glad that I have tracks" many more times than "I'm so glad that I have tires." Tires are great for snow and on hard surfaces, like asphalt milling, but other than that, the tracked machines - in my area of SE Pennsylvania - are superior. I go with Cat, because Foley Cat is my local dealer and they are second to none in my area. I have a Cat 259 and it's my workhorse. It has a 9226lb operating weight and does everything I want. If you're doing excavation, tracks are the way to go. Cat, Takeuchi,
and Kubota are the machines seen on most job sites around my way.

[rodyates]

One thing i'd REALLY like to see given a lot of attention, is the suspension of the seat. After about ten years and about four 800 series Bobcats, I now have chronic spinal pain from bouncing on a pinched nerve. Of course, I worked as hard as could, but didn't always realise how easy it is to become tense, while being focussed on a difficult job. This should be a primary issue in evaluating new machines. it wouldn't be hard to design a better suspension system for operator safety,
And by the way, when will we be able to get an Espresso maker that fits on the exhaust?

[dakotaellingson]

Great video Stan! Great points the bad thing with the rubber over the tire tracks they get packed full of mud and ROCKS! Rocks have no where to go once inside. It will stop the machine and just spin the tires inside the tracks. Personally don't like rubber over tire tracks. Steel with rubber plads are the way to go.

[kvmosley]

I didn’t hear it mentioned but a major advantage of track machines is lifting capacity, a lot more.

[kfstreich]

Thanks for the video, I need a skid steer for personal use and had a hard time with tired machine, but the older ones are cheaper!

[robpond]

185 are very good machine. Rent big/smaller/track machines. Keep your cost low and beat on rentals when needed

[shane]

Working in the logging industry stacking logs loading trucks. Tracks are next to worthless on snow that gets packed and or turns to ice. Tired machine throw a set of chains on you can move around no problem without all the spinning and slipping. Tracks and maintenance are exuberantly expensive compared to tires. In saying that in sand and mud a track machine wins all day. I agree the best option for many, would be tires with a set of rubber tracks. But for people working in yards and dirt and mud and no pavement a dedicated track machine might be the best option. Great video. By the way I've owned a bobcat t300 and the same machine with tires.