Skid Steer Tracks Made From Used Tires

Skid Steer Tracks Made From Used Tires TIRES/WHEELS New Uses 20-4-2 They're low cost, easy to mount, and won't scratch up concrete or asphalt, says Gillmore Tire Recycling, Springville, Iowa, about its new rubber tracks designed for skid steer loaders that are made from used rear tractor tires. The company cuts down worn-out 18.4 by 38 tires so they're 1 in. wider than the loader's tires. Steel guides - 3 in. long and made out of 1/4-in. plate - bolt to each side of the track at 8-in. intervals. "Our tracks sell for $1,300 to $1,400 compared to about $3,000 to $4,000 for conventional rubber tracks and $2,000 for i steel tracks," says owner Joe Gillmore. "The tracks lie flat on the ground with a metal hinge at either end They're easy to take on or off. You simply drive onto them and let the air out of the tires, then insert a single pin to connect the ends of the tracks together. We use tires that have only about 20% of their tread left. That still provides more tread surface area than you have with conventional tires, yet isn't too aggressive. "We can custom build the tracks for virtually any skid steer loader that has at least 1 in. of space between the tire and ma-chine - if you can put chains on your loader's tires we can put tracks on. The guides are secured by countersunk bolts that go through holes drilled into the tread. The bolts have a 1 1/2-in. flat head to keep them from pulling through the belting. With some conventional rubber tracks you have to replace the loader's original tires with smaller, narrower tires to make room for the guides. We have had problems mounting the track on some Bobcat models because stops that keep the loader arms off the tires interfere with our guides. "As the track wears you can adjust its length in 1-in. intervals by changing the position of a pin on the hinge." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gillmore Tire Recycling, 473 Dubuque Road, Springville, Iowa 52336 (ph 319 854-6903).

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