Through the years, the skid-steer loaders have been dominating the loader market for jobsite and farm operations. It was in 1986 when a general purpose loader product has been introduced, and this is none other than the CTL or compact track loaders that changed the game in more ways than one.
At first, the SSL operators didn’t adopt well to the use of compact track loaders. Tracks weren’t able to last that long unlike tires. Idlers and undercarriages didn’t have a robust and solid design yet and there are also skid-steer loaders who simply don’t wish to use the new type of loader.
With the evolution of compact track loaders, their benefits over skid-steer loaders became even more apparent. Not long after, operators began seeing the benefits of tracks over wheels and compact track loaders starter gaining a solid following among general contractors, landscapers as well as farmers.
CTL Tracks Now Have Longer Life
Track manufacturers today have developed tracks with longer life through advances in rubber composition and track design. It is now common to see sets of tracks that can last for 600 up to 2,000 hours. Manufacturers of the equipment also noticed the trends in the market and started to design more robust designs for tracks with improved idlers and suspension. There are also various designs for suspended tracks to let operators work more comfortably in the cab during long working days.
With undercarriage designs and track technology continuously evolving, it is no longer a surprise that more operators are choosing compact track loaders over skid-steer loaders.