A lot of people often confuse multi-terrain loaders with compact track loaders but these two are not really the same.
Caterpillar and previously ASV is the main manufacturer of track loaders that used the term multi-terrain loaders. In particular, Caterpillar uses this term to distinguish from the compact track loaders. Other makers such as Bobcat solely focus on compact track loaders. However, the key difference of between these two goes beyond their names. They are also different in the type of terrain where they are most suitable for, the way they were designed and if they can handle more aggressive applications or not.
The Undercarriage
Compact track loaders and multi-terrain loaders look just the same at first glance. The two both make use of tracks and seem like they were meant to serve a similar purpose. But, these two were in fact designed to perform completely different things, with the undercarriage being the part where you can find the difference in their design.
The undercarriage is a crucial aspect of providing the tractive and floatation power of the two loaders. This includes components such as the tracks, idlers, chains, sprockets, final drive hydraulic motors, and wheels. This is a complex system of several interactive mechanisms and parts and again, this is what sets the multi-terrain loader apart from the compact track loader.