OTT Tracks - one thing leads to another

bcollida · Apr 22, 2009

Hey guys, I just put the Loegering Steel Tracks on my 853. What a huge difference. I'd have to try really hard to get stuck with these tracks. So along with the tracks I had to get wheel spacers, boom stop and I picked up a used 74 inch Bobcat HD construction bucket. Life is great. So here's the next thing what's your thoughts. The tracks make the ride a little rougher and with the bigger, heavier bucket out front I can see the empty bucket and liftarms shaking around a lot in the fully lowered position. It didn't use to do that. Seems like it would save a lot of wear and tear on the lift arm if I made some type of lift arm stabilizers/support block that the lift arms could rest against while in the fully lowered position. That way all of the weigh wouldn't be centered on the 4 inch boom stop in the middle of the machine. I'm affraid if I'm pushing a load, and with the tracks I know I can push a lot, if I don't have the load centered I could twist/torque the lift arms. Has anyone done anything like this? Should I be concerned?

Land-Tech · Apr 22, 2009

My Mustang had pads on the frame that worked good .If you want to take trouble, I don't see how it would hurt.Scott

Fishfiles · Apr 23, 2009

Land-Tech said:
My Mustang had pads on the frame that worked good .If you want to take trouble, I don't see how it would hurt.Scott

It's the nature of the beast , I really don't think there is a whole lot you can do about that shaking , I use to double dip as an operator some times and have run an 853 with Loring tracks , your right about it being a body shaking machine , one thing I remember doing on long runs when possible was to run in reverse , and when the bucket was empty while running backwards I'd put the bucket on the ground in float , that really smooths it out , a rear view mirror will take some stress of the neck

Muddin_Mavric · Apr 23, 2009

Fishfiles said:
It's the nature of the beast , I really don't think there is a whole lot you can do about that shaking , I use to double dip as an operator some times and have run an 853 with Loring tracks , your right about it being a body shaking machine , one thing I remember doing on long runs when possible was to run in reverse , and when the bucket was empty while running backwards I'd put the bucket on the ground in float , that really smooths it out , a rear view mirror will take some stress of the neck

one thing i found helps with my 853 is run less air in the tires that way the tires can flex when driving over the track instead of going up and down. if you have to much air in your tires the ride will be pretty bad. also with less air they seem to spin less inside the tracks when they get muddy. i dont think you would tweak the loader arms at all unless you hit something going wide open ( all of 6 mph) and stop intantly. i have had a few encounters with tree ruts like that but was not going that fast. also if your loader arms are shaking back and forth its because your tracks are off set and one tires is up on a track while the other side is between them causing the shaking. if you let off of the one stick so it turns real quick then slowly turn back somtimes it will line them up so the ride is a little better. mine only rides a little rough when on the gravel road on dirt or grass it rids just fine. maybe im just use to it.

skidsteer.ca · Apr 23, 2009

Muddin_Mavric said:
one thing i found helps with my 853 is run less air in the tires that way the tires can flex when driving over the track instead of going up and down. if you have to much air in your tires the ride will be pretty bad. also with less air they seem to spin less inside the tracks when they get muddy. i dont think you would tweak the loader arms at all unless you hit something going wide open ( all of 6 mph) and stop intantly. i have had a few encounters with tree ruts like that but was not going that fast. also if your loader arms are shaking back and forth its because your tracks are off set and one tires is up on a track while the other side is between them causing the shaking. if you let off of the one stick so it turns real quick then slowly turn back somtimes it will line them up so the ride is a little better. mine only rides a little rough when on the gravel road on dirt or grass it rids just fine. maybe im just use to it.

You'd have to get pretty mean to tweak a loader arm. I did shim my bucket up tight where it meats the loader arm to prevent sliding sideways. The rest you live with. 35 psi is enough air pressure for most applications. Also depends on your surface, a few trips over the same spot loosens the soil and the ride get better.
Ken