Best skid/CTL for dozer type leveling/grading

[4 seasons lawn&land]

less than 500 hours is not acceptable to be having problems. the Taks look pitchy front to back. I know mine is but mine is small and vts tracks look pretty short too...

[bobcat_ron]

I never had an issue with the "pitchiness" of the shorter track from my Takeuchi, I give their track design a A++ for extreme harsh conditions. VTS is just a bad, bad way to go, you add 30% more weight and work load to the machine and that adds stress on a machine that was designed for tires.
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[KrayzKajun]

I ran a Mustang MTL25(same as gehl/Tak) w/ a 6way dozer blade on a large clearing job for a buddy. I worked the perimeter of the property doing select clearing, while he cleared the middle with a D5. I really had to over push the machine to get it be tipsy. We had a lot of rain, and I could still get some really good pushes. If I ever come across a MTL20/25 forsalen I will do everything in my power to buy it.
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[AEL]

Bobcat M series T650-770 or a Kubota svl series. As for pitching, I've never had that issue on a ctl, a good smooth operator can eliminate any pitching issues.

[slowleak1]

Im going to have to go with the kubota like said above. Compared to the BC and TK, it is much smoother and pushes way harder. I did alot of final grading work on your typical residential yards which came out immaculate, and LOTS of lot grading after demos, and the svl90 will push nearly an entire pile of river sand without hesitation. I was down to about 10 minutes per lot that we graded compared to 25-35 with the TK and 45+ with the BC.

I must admit, when I was told that we were getting a kubota I was super pi$$ed, I thought they were junk compared to the TK tl250 we had. I ate crow big time on that one...

The BC 870 we demo'd was super ncie, and very strong, but I didnt get enough time in the seat to actually test it out.

[stuvecorp]

Originally Posted by 4 seasons lawn&land

less than 500 hours is not acceptable to be having problems. the Taks look pitchy front to back. I know mine is but mine is small and vts tracks look pretty short too...

Originally Posted by bobcat_ron

I never had an issue with the "pitchiness" of the shorter track from my Takeuchi, I give their track design a A++ for extreme harsh conditions. VTS is just a bad, bad way to go, you add 30% more weight and work load to the machine and that adds stress on a machine that was designed for tires.
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My question is how much 'dozing' type grading are you taking about? Is is amazing what the 440 with VTS will do...

Have you seen how long a VTS is on the 465?

I still say the VTS equipped machine is superior to ANY CTL/MTL out there. Ron have you run a VTS equipped machine?

[AWJ Services]

Any Large CTL will grade excellent.

[bobcat_ron]

I have never ran any VTS machine, but I still say it's the poor man's answer to a CTL and I would never do it. A lot of the work I do with the 277C is on concrete floors and by all means can be done with a rubber wheeled unit, but it's not like I'm smoking tracks off that machine left right and center due to improper operating techniques.
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[Digdeep]

Originally Posted by bobcat_ron

I never had an issue with the "pitchiness" of the shorter track from my Takeuchi, I give their track design a A++ for extreme harsh conditions. VTS is just a bad, bad way to go, you add 30% more weight and work load to the machine and that adds stress on a machine that was designed for tires.
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I have it from a very good source at Terex that the VTS is essentially dead and slowly fading into oblivion. It has proven to have a higher cost of warranty than the ASV and everyone sells a CTL now. The accelerated wear on the OEM SSL that it was placed onto was noticeable. OEMs discovered this quickly when it first came out and denied warranty if it had a VTS on the machine and that is why Loegering(ASV) had to provide power train warranty with the purchase of the undercarriage.

[Nelson M Martin]

Originally Posted by AWJ Services

Any Large CTL will grade excellent.

I second the statement........
But i will add that an operator with minimal grading experience will find it tricky in a machine with suspension (all ASV's and the Cat machines with the MTL under carriage.
Not saying it cant be done because i have landscaped/graded with such machines.
For precision grading then a solid mounted under carriage makes life easier for the guys with little to no experience