Forwarder tires / tracks ?

[BargeMonkey]

Would you guys explain to me the diff in forwarder tires ? I see the 600,700, 750 tires, what I want to know is how long do they usually last ? Without punctures how long can you run them bald ? Any brands to stay away from ? How much does a 600-700 tire cost ? Anyone want to explain the tracks ? What's a low hr set of 700 tracks worth in good shape ?

[chevytaHOE5674]

600/700/750 is part of the aspect ratio, just like any other tire. How long they last depends on a lot of things. Soil types, running tracks, length of skid, etc. All the tires we had fail were usually from old age/rot or sharp rocks, we ran them bald as can be especially with the tracks on them. IME Nokian tires hold up the best, new they get very pricey.

What do you want to know about tracks? They add a lot of weight and stability to the bunk end of a forwarder, also a lot of flotation. A new set of 700 series tracks was like 14K this spring when we inquired, so good used are priced accordingly. 

[Gary_C]

Most of the bogie tires I see are 700's but some forwarders equipped for thinning's are the narrower 600's. I rarely ever take my tracks off my Ponsse Ergo Harvester but have not run the tracks on my Forwarder, both machines are 700's, for some time. Reasons are some power/drive problems together with having to traverse some hard surfaced or county gravel roads. As chevy said they are excellent for both stability and flotation but not good for icy side slopes.

Life depends on how you use and abuse them like driving over stumps and rocks. Obviously forwarder tires take more of a beating but on a harvester if run with tracks can outlast the machine. I've had one 700 fail because of a sidewall cut that was there since I bought the machine. I have Trelborg, Firestone, and Nokia and never have seen any difference in life because of who made them. Age, abuse, and time in the sun may be the main reasons for failure.

Good used tracks are hard to find and usually half new or more regardless of wear.

[barbender]

The newer Ponsse's are going to a 710 I believe. The BuffaloKing has 710s under the cab, and 750's under the bunks. I've only had one tire failure in 5 years of forwarding, one 750 tire on the machine I just moved out of had a nasty sidewall cut when I got it. I spent 3 years in it, I just came off a mud job where that sidewall would pack full of mud and put a huge bulge in the side of that tire. There's still no cords cut and it keeps on rolling😊 Honestly, I'm amazed by how durable these tires are! All of our machines have Olesfors Eco-tracks under the bunks, and one set of chains under the cabs. The only time they come off is if we have a bunch of road crossings, or certain jobs (some foresters don't want tracks or chains on spring pine thins). Tracks mainly add stability and flotation, if you have worn tires or tracks, the tires tend to spin inside the tracks. You have to run them really tight in those situations, tighter than is good for your axles. In a situation where you were seeking pure traction, like the steep slopes you have, BM, I suspect an 8w machine chained up all the way around would climb mountains the best.

[mike_belben]

Theres a set of fwdr tracks in fayette maine for 8200 on CL, i have no affiliation

[barbender]

No CL links

[Riwaka]

The eco-tracks website has the user manuals online. http://www.eco-tracks.com/

There are 'climbing' tracks with long grippers for slopes and 'flotation' tracks that are extra wide for very soft ground and standard tracks for normal use. (and other variations)

http://www.clarktracks.com/en/accessories.html    (There are aftermarket suppliers (example in the UK) with as good as oem replacement links, chain tighteners etc)

BKT make forwarder tires that are 20 ply. You would need to cost compare at your location.

[CTL logger]

I got 7000 hrs on my first set of tracks. I run them year round never stays dry the last few years to take the front off. The olofors come in 2 sizes of links for my machine my dealer included the tracks with new Timberpro purchase, the problem was the sides and links wore out to point of not fixing/rebuilding them. They were 26mm links they also have 30mm, i wouldn't buy anything but 30mm they look twice as heavy as 26mm. I learned that the hard way. I bought 2 pair of used 30mm for 5 grand put new studs on them and they work great. 700 tires are what i have Nokian forest king F 26 ply i think they are the best. Those firestones on my cat were terrible put 2 on the back a year.

[Mountaynman]

bought a couple of those bkt tires from petes a few years back seem to be holding up well biggest thing with tracks is to make sure you run at least 65lbs air or you will have side wall chunking and keep them tight welded new 1 1/2 in corks on mine and it will go anywhere try not to run them in the summer to save some fuel

[ETHURSTON]

The newer Ponsse's are going to a 710 I believe. The BuffaloKing has 710s under the cab, and 750's under the bunks. I've only had one tire failure in 5 years of forwarding, one 750 tire on the machine I just moved out of had a nasty sidewall cut when I got it. I spent 3 years in it, I just came off a mud job where that sidewall would pack full of mud and put a huge bulge in the side of that tire. There's still no cords cut and it keeps on rolling😊 Honestly, I'm amazed by how durable these tires are! All of our machines have Olesfors Eco-tracks under the bunks, and one set of chains under the cabs. The only time they come off is if we have a bunch of road crossings, or certain jobs (some foresters don't want tracks or chains on spring pine thins). Tracks mainly add stability and flotation, if you have worn tires or tracks, the tires tend to spin inside the tracks. You have to run them really tight in those situations, tighter than is good for your axles. In a situation where you were seeking pure traction, like the steep slopes you have, BM, I suspect an 8w machine chained up all the way around would climb mountains the best.

Im assuming you ran a buffalo king? Do you run into issues with being too wide in thinnings, with the 750 tires on the back?

[barbender]

I don't think the 750's are any wider than 700 or 710's, just taller- but the Buffalo King is definately wider than a Buffalo. 8" I think, and a fair bit longer. They are a bit cumbersome in thinnings.

[1270d]

The 750 should be an inch and a half wider or so than the 710.   That number is the tire width in mm.  We have been running high pressure in our forwarder tires for a couple of years now and haven't had a flat since.   

For track tension, I think the spec is something like 1 to 2 inches of sag between the wheels. Tighter if your in slippery stuff or steep hills.   The tighter they are, the harder it is on your axle bearings.
   Our newest set has almost 4000 hours of forwarding year round and is at about 35 or 40% life.   One of my sets on the harvester has almost 18000 and is still 30%.   Harvesters just travel so much less and much more clean conditions.

[barbender]

I wasn't sure what the 750 measurement was for, but I do know we were running the same tracks on both size tires so I figured they must be pretty close. We also run high psi in the forwarder tires, 80 if I recall. The only flat I've ever had eas a blown sidewall under the cab. And yes, forwarders are waaay tougher on tracks, especially the bigger machines. After they start breaking crossbars, we put them on a harvester, and they don't have any trouble with them. Along those lines, if you do weld cleats onto your tracks, make sure you keep them to the outside. If you get to far to the middle, the crossbars will begin breaking at the weld.