FortisHD Tracks Any Good? (Takeuchi / JobAce / TB25 / TB250)

[calinb]

I'm working to grade an old logging skid road on my property so I can reach our old homestead's spring and do some spring redevelopment. The skid road is full of cantaloupe-size rocks and it's just a touch under 20 degrees pitch in the steepest section. It's not a good place to throw a track and I definitely need new tracks, because cables are starting to poke out of the rubber. I've already fully thrown a track once but I corrected it the second time before it got very far off the motor sprockets and I carefully made it back to the shop. Both times it was the track with the visible cables. The track adjusters are perfect but the bad track is just too loose and floppy.

I'm waiting to receive a photo from https://www.fortishd.com/product/rubber-tracks/mini-excavator-tracks/takeuchi-tb25/ to see what the tread pattern looks like (it's not the patterns featured on the website) but a professional operator friend of mine said there are some track block patterns that offer a significant improvement when operating in rocks, reducing the likelihood of throwing a track.

If the photo of the actual track Fortishd has for sale looks good, I'll post it, but the three other places I've checked only have tracks that I think are mostly designed to reduce damage to suburban lawns (straight bars). In the meantime, I'd appreciate any opinions. I'm just a weekend warrior.

1. Any experiences with FortisHD tracks?
2. Any experience with a dealer selling "rock block" pattern tracks (H or C patterns or other patterns good for operating in rocks)?

Here's the pattern that FortisHD says is best for rocks (and clay): https://www.fortishd.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/block-pattern.png

and this pattern looks pretty good to me too:

https://www.fortishd.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/H_Pattern.png

but they don't have them for my mini-ex.

Thanks,
Cal

 

[calinb]

The only two tracks I can find with a block pattern are from HDFortis for $1902 / pair shipped (considerably higher than their price advertised for the TB25 track on their website, allegedly because they neglected to update their online advertised price ??? say what....!!!):



And these Prowler brand tracks from Rubbertrack.com for only $1427.40 shipped:



I confirmed with rubbertrack.com that the above is the exact track pattern they will ship.
https://rubbertrack.com/rubber-trac...chi-tb-25-320mm-wide-rubber-track-320x100x40/

summitrubbertracks.com specs their pattern as a "JS" pattern for a bit over $2k per pair (IIRC--online chat quote). I don't know if this is the actual JS pattern:
https://www.summitrubbertracks.com/320X100X40-Rubber-Track

I can't find any staggered block patterns, which I've heard are the best on rocks. Will these differences in tread patterns make much difference on ground full of 4" to 6" diameter rocks? Does anyone here have any opinions of quality vs. pricing?

Thanks so much for any feedback!

-Cal

 

[Welder Dave]

I don't think any rubber tracks are really that good if you have a lot of rocks. Would be best to use the excavator to remove the rocks so you don't have to drive on them. Would such to spend $2K on new tracks only to have them torn up in short order.

 

[calinb]

I don't think any rubber tracks are really that good if you have a lot of rocks. Would be best to use the excavator to remove the rocks so you don't have to drive on them. Would such to spend $2K on new tracks only to have them torn up in short order.

Thanks for your reply, Dave. Yes--I've been trying to move the rocks off the grade to the side (on the low side of the hill so they won't tend to roll back onto the grade). It's always going to be a rockier surface than the mini's rubber tracks and I like though...unless I spend a fortune on gravel and haul it up there with a few dozen trips in my Kubota RTV-X900's dump bed. Even assuming that effort and expense, I think it would still need to be mostly graded before I can spread the gravel gravel.

 

[Welder Dave]

I'd look for reviews and look at the warranty for different tracks. I don't know if the tread pattern is that critical on a mini-ex.?? On a CTL the tread pattern would be more critical to the type of work being done.

 

[Cogniz]

Following.