THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF CTL UNDERCARRAGE

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPACT TRACK LOADER UNDERCARRAGE

Ridged or sometimes referred to as fixed undercarriage is at this time the most common undercarriage. When compact track loaders first hit the market most of them were ridged undercarriages. If an undercarriage is “ridged” the right and the left track frames are welded or bolted to the main frame of the machine. Rollers and idlers are also bolted to the track frame and typically just roll in two directions. Ridged undercarriages unique advantages are one they are more rugged. The simplistic design is better suited for harsh environments. Two, the simplistic parts are usually cheaper leading to a lower cost of ownership. Operators have different opinions on how this type of undercarriage affects grading but, there is no doubt that this type of undercarriage gives up ride quality vs. the suspension type of undercarriage. After market undercarriage parts are available at TractionsourceUSA.com for these types of undercarriage parts.

Suspension undercarriage is the new and up and coming thing. Machine manufacturers have approached this style of undercarriage a multitude of ways. It also seems this technology is also evolving. There always seems to be a newer better suspension undercarriage. Suspension undercarriage uses movable track frames supported by torsion springs. It is also common to see rollers and idlers that adjust or in some cases suspended with leaf springs. Basically, the tracks ride to the contour of the ground. You can imagine this greatly improves the ride of the machine. In lift and carry applications it also improves your productivity. You can travel faster and drop less material. The downside of these undercarriages is cost. The parts are expensive, break more often and have exclusive places you must buy them from.

When purchasing a machine, it is important to consider the application you are going to use the machine in. For example, if you are in demolition application 90% of the time a suspension undercarriage is probably a bad choice. Consider cost of ownership and productivity when

TractionsourceUSA.com – Dave Langefels