tractor-skid steer traction ?

[tnmtn]

not looking to start a war but curious of the opinion of guys that have run both. under the same circumstances does a 4 wheel drive tractor or a skid steer have better traction on hills or in mud? thanks for the opinions.
good luck

[Scag48]

It's hard to say, depends on a few different variables. I've never been able to get a tractor really stuck, and I'll take a tractor on a hill any day. I grew up working in an orchard and the terrain is far from flat, I was taking tractors up 35-40 degree slopes as a kid. I would never venture out there with a skid steer, just a little too dangerous. Plus, you can't jump off. I almost rolled one of our tractors about a year ago, would have jumped but as soon as I hit the brake and did some quick steering it sat back down, never went all the way. Had it on 2 wheels though! :drinkup:

[minimax]

The tractor will have better traction because of the front axle will move up and down to keep all wheels pulling!

minimax

[jd270]

i would have to go with a skid with tracks.......taking a tractor on a much of a hill without a roll bar is plain stupid and it is hard to jump clear of a tractor most tactors have a higher center of gravity than a skidsteer and most tractors are not true 4 wheel drive they are called front assist ..........true 4 wheel drives are like my 8650 all the tires are the same size and it articulates in the center

[DUSTYCEDAR]

tractor has a higher clearance so it tends to not bottom out as fast
so it can dig deeper before u need to be pulled out
i have gotten both stuck and had both on same job and tractor would go places skid wouldn't due to depth of mud
we can beat this to death and still get nowhere

[Gravel Rat]

It all depends I had the JCB 4x4x4 I ran up to the axles in mud and it worked its way though it. A skid steer I think once its bottomed out and the tires dig 4 holes its down for the count.

On hills and slopes a machine on tracks is far better I had the JCB on slopes and let me tell you your but cheeks are clenched pretty tight. You learn the capabilities of the machine your on but backhoes and tractors are tippy. Let me tell you I was working on one job decending a slippery slope and the backhoe started sliding sideways I darn near **** my pants I thought she was going to go. The hill was greasy enough if you walked up it your feet would slip and slide.

It all depends on what you want to do with the machine.

[AWJ Services]

I cannot count the wheeled skidsteers I have pulled up hills and around jobsites with my Kubota.

[RockSet N' Grade]

GravelRat...been there too! Best one for me was when the sand bank caved in underneath my machine....coulda stayed there and flipped over down the hillside or just gun it and ride the slide out to the bottom.....my thinking now is that if the question arises about muddy hills and getting stuck, I take my boots off and go sit in my easy chair and watch Oprah.....what I'm sayin' is, better safe than sorry and if it looks risky, it probably is and I'd rather have some other cowboy do it.......

[Gravel Rat]

The road was fine in the morning but we had a rain shower and the little bit of clay turned to grease :eek:

Nothing beats a machine on tracks like they say if its got **** or tires your going to have troubles with it :laugh:

[tnmtn]

the reason i asked this question is it seems i am running into a chink in the armor of my B300. it has skid steer tires front and back. i notice on hills the traction isn't great. just wondering if a conventional compact Tlb would do better with the larger rear tire. it does do well side sloping. just doesn't seem to articulate very much at all. thanks for the replies.

[Scag48]

The road was fine in the morning but we had a rain shower and the little bit of clay turned to grease :eek:

Nothing beats a machine on tracks like they say if its got **** or tires your going to have troubles with it :laugh:

The track idea only work if they're double or single grouser, triple grouser excavators slide fairly easily (as you probably know). I've done it, not fun. I was pulling an orchard last fall on steep ground, started coming down the hill at a good clip with a full grab of trees with a rental 312. Let up on the pedals, locked the brakes and I slid down the hill. Ground had frozen, then thawed out during the day, slicker than hell. Triple grousers get full of mud and it's a sledding run.

[cddva]

I'm sure no expert, but I'd be curious to know if your B300 tires are "filled"? I think it's pretty common to have the rear tires filled on a tractor which improves the traction and helps keep the center of gravity lower.

[tnmtn]

i haven't filled the tires on the B300. i had thought about it but it already weighs in around 9500#.

[ksss]

I have been working three days of the week in Big Sky, Mt. I considered running the Loegren tracks on the 440 and decided not to, I got up there (about 8500 feet at the lot location), the trees and deadfall were so thick you could barely walk through it. I worked my way in with the TB53 and brought the skid steer in behind me with a grapple bucket. I have not shot the elevation fall on this lot yet but I would estimate there is about a 10-15 degree slope down the hill. The skid steer got in and could not move anywhere but down. The next morning I went to Belgrade and got a set of heavy duty tire chains (to the tune of $450 from the local CASE/Bobcat dealer.) I must say they are awesome. I have used lighter chains when I pushed snow, but these chains are much larger and man do they bit. I could go anywhere I wanted to on that lot with those chains on. The nice thing is they don't take as much power to turn as steel tracks and it you get a flat its not near the PITA. I would suggest if your running in light mud or side hills to look into the chains. They work good in conditions other than ice.

[Dirty Water]

The track idea only work if they're double or single grouser, triple grouser excavators slide fairly easily (as you probably know). I've done it, not fun. I was pulling an orchard last fall on steep ground, started coming down the hill at a good clip with a full grab of trees with a rental 312. Let up on the pedals, locked the brakes and I slid down the hill. Ground had frozen, then thawed out during the day, slicker than hell. Triple grousers get full of mud and it's a sledding run.

This is the point when you drop your boom.

I watched in awe one afternoon as I watched a 35 year veteran operator digging out a 25' deep pond. The pond was filling with ground water and they had two pumps but they couldn't keep up.

It was heavy clay and it was slick as snot. He was working on a steep slope on the bank of the pond.

I watched the excavator lose traction and start sliding down the bank into the pond, the operator swung around, dropped the boom and pushed it back up and out of the bank, all in 15 seconds.

He always had to use the boom to pull himself back up out of the pond, the tracks would just spin.

[Scag48]

Well I wasn't going to hit anyting, I just rode it out. I had a bundle of trees that I didn't want to set on the ground and make a mess. It was a fun ride, granted the bucket was only a couple feet off the ground anyway and directly in front of me.

[janb]

the fully articulated 4x4 orchard tractors (like Ferrari) with decent sized tires all around would be 'killer good' in rough terrain (like a skidder). They even have models with steering that will allow you to steer wheels same direction and drive uphill sideways. Frt and rear 3pts and PTO's, and reversible seating. I can see some use for these in tough spots. Maybe I'll do some 'year-end shopping'. :hammerhead:

I was really amazed at the tight work a guy was doing with an articulated Kubota 'Mini wheel loader'. He`was doing remodel digs on a steep lot on dense Seattle lots. I watched him drive though a guy's garage (through the rear 48" door) dig a crawlspace addition next to house ~20'x16', with sq corners!, then step his way out of the hole. He`then grabbed a 2000# metal lathe from the guy's backyard shop, and walked it back through the garage, and loaded it on my truck! :weightlifter: