Tire and Track Costs of Skid Steer and Compact Track Loaders

The highest cost replacement component of a loader are the tires.

A decent general-purpose tire for a skid-steer loader would cost you about $250, which depends on the size and type of the tire, while a set of tires would cost you about $1,000. Their price is concerning $800-$900 for a tire, which means you will need to pay about $3,000-$3,600 per a set of tires.

Indeed the initial costs are higher, but the heavy-duty tires can reduce the cost per hour because of less frequent replacement periods.

The life of the tires primarily depends on the surface conditions and the amount of skid steering in those conditions.

For example, lug-style tires would not last as long as severe-duty tires. This proves that the life of the tires varies: some tires could barely last for several hundred hours, while others could easily exceed 1,000 hours. The general-purpose tires normally last for 600-800 hours.

Looking the things of another aspect, skid steer loaders with general-purpose tires that work next to milling machines may barely see a tire life of 100 hours.

Just like the tires, rubber tracks represent the highest cost replacement element of the compact track loader.

In addition of this, replacement of rollers and idlers are required to be replaced, which only increases the replacement cost. This means that the owning and operating costs of compact track loaders is appreciably higher than skid steer loaders. Replacement of tires of a skid steer loader would cost you about $1,000 for a tire set, while tracks for a compact track loader of similar size about $3,000.

If we do not add the productivity into the cost analysis, it is better to buy a compact track loader than skid steer loader, eV as tracks offer greater service life. It is believed that a brand new set of tracks can last for 2 ½ times longer than tires in a given skid steer loader in same application by same operator.

The life of compact track loaders vary within the application and it is hard to determine. The experience of the operator, the type of environment and carriage maintenance are some of the factors. For example, compact track loaders that work in gravel and hard conditions would last about half as long as compact track loaders that work on soft surface.

Track and tire wear is the prime indicator for when a skid steer loader should be used instead of a compact track loader, or vice-versa. There are surely cost differences between tires and tracks, vD but they both wear out in time. To conclude, it is not about whether tires or tracks, it is about knowing how to operate and eV maintain your machine.