Depending on what part of the country you live in, you might not see many track loaders on jobsites.
But after watching this episode of The Dirt, you might ask yourself why that’s the case. Sam Meeker, Caterpillar track loaders specialist, gives a fascinating overview of what he calls “a great big skid steer.”
Cat offers three models of track loaders: the 853, 963 and 973. Meeker details the differences in the models, their many advantages and gives us a brief history of the track loader.
From landclearing to finish grading, the track loader is a real “jack of all trades,” Meeker says. It can load, doze, cut and grade – – even single-handedly dig a basement – and save you from having to bring more than one machine to a jobsite.
“There’s a reason this is one of my favorite machines in the industry,” says Bryan Furnace, host of The Dirt and professional operator.
So to find out more about the often-overlooked track loader, check out the latest episode of The Dirt.
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In This Episode:
00:00 – Bryan’s Favorite Type of Machine: Track Loaders
00:25 – Cat Track Loader Lineup
01:54 – History of the Track Loader
03:38 – Advantages of Track Loaders
04:13 – Ground Pressure
05:20 – Ground Clearing Capabilities
06:51 – Basement Digging
09:49 – Undercarriage Costs
13:24 – More Track Loader Advantages
14:45 – Track Loader Applications
16:12 – Final Thoughts
Video Transcript:
Bryan Furnace
Today we're here to talk about one of my absolute favorite machines in the industry. We're here to talk about track loaders. Joining us from Caterpillar today is Sam Meeker. And he's going to give us a rundown of Caterpillar's lineup.
Bryan Furnace
For those of our audience that aren't familiar with Caterpillar's track loader lineup, can you give us an overview of what models you offer and kind of what differentiate us?
Sam Meeker
Yeah. You bet. So the track loader lineup today consists of that 953, that 963 and 973. So if we're taking a look at the models and size classes, you know, you're looking at 160 horse, 200 horse and 275. Or if you want to look at weights, you know, you're in 45,000, 55,000 pounds and 70,000 pounds roughly in those weights.
Bryan Furnace
Okay. And then what kind of yardages are you getting out of those buckets on those machines? Because that's one of the big advantages of track loaders, is they just move a monstrous amount of dirt.
Sam Meeker
Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, on that smaller one, that 953 you're anywhere in that two, two and a half, you know, up to two and three quarter yard. When you get into that 63, now you're in that three, three and a half, three quarter yard. And then that 73, it's four up into the 5.0 yard. And those are just the dirt buckets right.
Sam Meeker
You know like our performance series buckets going to be a little bit larger than a general-purpose bucket. And of course you know you've got the multi-purpose bucket that clamshell four and one where you can use that for other applications, picking up materials and and things like that. And, you know, not even talking about waste or wood chip buckets, those get those get even really large when you get that waste with that big trash rack on the top, you know, now you're pushing six and a half, seven yards or so with that big track loader.
Bryan Furnace
Wow. So for people who aren't familiar, because I know in our neck of the woods up here in kind of like the northern part of the Midwest, you don't see a lot of track loaders. What are some of the advantages that track loaders bring to the table over some of your more traditionally seen pieces of equipment?
Sam Meeker
Yeah. You know, the funny thing, just, you know, a quick history lesson about track loaders. Back in the old days, in the 20s and 30s, there were companies that would make an aftermarket kit loader device that would fit onto a bulldozer. and one in particular was the tracks and company, and they would make a basically a loader that was cable operated that would fit on top of a dozer.
Sam Meeker
And that cable operated eventually became a hydraulic operated truck tractor with a loader on it. And then eventually we purchased the tracks and company and started to build that loader on to that bulldozer. So fast forward a few years, you know, and a lot of generations of of what we would call front engine track loaders, where it looked like a bulldozer with a, you know, with a loader arm on the front of it.
Sam Meeker
And of course, a lot of refinements in there to make that tractor do what we wanted it to do. Then, you know, kind of getting into the 80s and into the 90s, we started to develop that rear engine track loader where we put that engine in the back...