The following is a quote from a reply, of mine, a couple years ago in a thread in which the OP was trying to get advice on an aftermarket track purchase:
"I have no experience with any of these MFRs but I wanted to throw my experience out there, for what it's worth. I often see folks, on this site, posting requests like yours. IME cheap is not always the best value. Case in point: I currently own a Bobcat 435 (+/- 12,000#) that has about 3,500 hours on it now. It still has the original tracks on it. They do not appear to be worn out. They have plenty of tread left and only show a few deep cracks and scars. I do not know how much they cost to replace (as I said, I'm still running the OEMs) but I bet they have already out lasted most brands by more than double. They are made by Bridgestone. I'm starting to think that these will probably last as long as I own the machine. I wonder what sort of life span HEF members are getting out of a set of tracks. I'll start a new thread so maybe we'll see. Good luck. "
The OP never replied regarding his ultimate choice but he certainly got a lot of replies with many opinions. The reason I am posting this now is because I find myself in a position where I need to replace my tracks and I thought HEF readers might benefit from my experience. The original tracks have held up well over the 8 years I've had the machine ('06 Bobcat 435 ZHS, with just under 3,900 hours). I am the original owner but have not put all the hours on the machine personally. My application is primarily custom home construction, remodels, and light commercial construction. I live in the Rocky Mountains so that means steep grades and rocks are quite often the order of the day. Suffice it to say that I feel the original tracks have held up well for the application. I'm quite satisfied though I would have preferred that hey lasted even longer. Oh well. We've probably all heard the old adage "How about you wish in one hand, and sh!! in the other, and let's see which one fills up first". I digress. The right side track has begun to break, or rather, one half of the track has broken. It has not gone past the sprocket holes yet and I'm still using the machine as I wait for new tracks to come in. I have heard that when cuts in the track get deep enough they will allow the steel chords to be exposed to the elements. Once that happens they get weaker and weaker (rust?) until they finally break. This appears to be what has happened to mine.
Since I am pleased with the service life of the OEM tracks (Bridgestone) I have decided to replace them with like kind. The thing that I have found to be most unusual is where I have found the best deal on replacement tracks. After searching threads on this site I saw that many had suggested buying from TufPads. Since I wanted to buy Bridgestones (of which they are a dealer) I contacted TufPads and got a quote. It should be noted that any search for TufPads will take you to BLS Enterprises in Chicago. I do not know if they bought out Tufpads or if they were always the same company. Regardless, the quote they gave me a quote and, to my surprise, they were SUBSTANTIALLY higher than the quote I got from my local Bobcat dealer. The dealer quoted me at +/-$3,000, delivered. The BLS quote was +/-$4,000, delivered. The Bobcat dealer is ordering them in on a stock order so shipping is not additional. After paying taxes at the dealer, it basically nullifies any advantage that they might have had in lesser shipping costs. Furthermore, the original tread pattern is a Bobcat exclusive. While I like the pattern I would have been willing to look at other patterns had the price been right in the aftermarket. Since I am replacing the tracks I decided that the sprockets are in need of replacement as well. This should certainly help keep the service life in line with my expectations. None of the other undercarriage components are showing noticeable wear.
I hope that others will benefit from this and I would also like to see others post their experiences, on this subject, here as well.
"I have no experience with any of these MFRs but I wanted to throw my experience out there, for what it's worth. I often see folks, on this site, posting requests like yours. IME cheap is not always the best value. Case in point: I currently own a Bobcat 435 (+/- 12,000#) that has about 3,500 hours on it now. It still has the original tracks on it. They do not appear to be worn out. They have plenty of tread left and only show a few deep cracks and scars. I do not know how much they cost to replace (as I said, I'm still running the OEMs) but I bet they have already out lasted most brands by more than double. They are made by Bridgestone. I'm starting to think that these will probably last as long as I own the machine. I wonder what sort of life span HEF members are getting out of a set of tracks. I'll start a new thread so maybe we'll see. Good luck. "
The OP never replied regarding his ultimate choice but he certainly got a lot of replies with many opinions. The reason I am posting this now is because I find myself in a position where I need to replace my tracks and I thought HEF readers might benefit from my experience. The original tracks have held up well over the 8 years I've had the machine ('06 Bobcat 435 ZHS, with just under 3,900 hours). I am the original owner but have not put all the hours on the machine personally. My application is primarily custom home construction, remodels, and light commercial construction. I live in the Rocky Mountains so that means steep grades and rocks are quite often the order of the day. Suffice it to say that I feel the original tracks have held up well for the application. I'm quite satisfied though I would have preferred that hey lasted even longer. Oh well. We've probably all heard the old adage "How about you wish in one hand, and sh!! in the other, and let's see which one fills up first". I digress. The right side track has begun to break, or rather, one half of the track has broken. It has not gone past the sprocket holes yet and I'm still using the machine as I wait for new tracks to come in. I have heard that when cuts in the track get deep enough they will allow the steel chords to be exposed to the elements. Once that happens they get weaker and weaker (rust?) until they finally break. This appears to be what has happened to mine.
Since I am pleased with the service life of the OEM tracks (Bridgestone) I have decided to replace them with like kind. The thing that I have found to be most unusual is where I have found the best deal on replacement tracks. After searching threads on this site I saw that many had suggested buying from TufPads. Since I wanted to buy Bridgestones (of which they are a dealer) I contacted TufPads and got a quote. It should be noted that any search for TufPads will take you to BLS Enterprises in Chicago. I do not know if they bought out Tufpads or if they were always the same company. Regardless, the quote they gave me a quote and, to my surprise, they were SUBSTANTIALLY higher than the quote I got from my local Bobcat dealer. The dealer quoted me at +/-$3,000, delivered. The BLS quote was +/-$4,000, delivered. The Bobcat dealer is ordering them in on a stock order so shipping is not additional. After paying taxes at the dealer, it basically nullifies any advantage that they might have had in lesser shipping costs. Furthermore, the original tread pattern is a Bobcat exclusive. While I like the pattern I would have been willing to look at other patterns had the price been right in the aftermarket. Since I am replacing the tracks I decided that the sprockets are in need of replacement as well. This should certainly help keep the service life in line with my expectations. None of the other undercarriage components are showing noticeable wear.
I hope that others will benefit from this and I would also like to see others post their experiences, on this subject, here as well.