By McLaren Industries 
Steel vs. Rubber Skid Steer Over-the-Tire-Tracks
Choosing between steel crossbar over-the-tire tracks or rubber over-the-tire tracks is an important decision that skid steer owners must face. Ultimately, the question comes down to which option will give you the best value. This guide will help you determine whether you should choose steel vs. rubber over-the-tire tracks based on which option is most efficient and cost-effective for your application.
Job application
The application of your skid steer is one of the biggest determining factors of whether to choose steel vs. rubber over-the-tire tracks. Because steel crossbar OTTs can cause damage to hard surfaces, they are best suited for applications on farms, around one’s property, or in tree nurseries where they are used in off-road conditions 80 percent or more of the time. If you are doing jobs for yourself and know that the applications of your skid steer are mostly off-road, steer crossbar OTTs will get the job done.
However, if your job application requires you to cross hard surfaces such as pavement, sidewalks, or roads, then rubber over-the-tire tracks are the best option. Rubber OTTs are especially beneficial for those who are doing jobs for other people when the skid steer’s exact application is a bit more unpredictable because they provide a far greater amount of versatility. The versatility of rubber OTTs is almost double that of a steel OTT which makes them suited to a much broader array of applications. As such, rubber OTTs allow people to take on a greater amount of unexpected job opportunities that may come up.
Budget
Budget is often a significant determining factor when deciding between rubber and steel crossbar OTTs. While rubber OTTs are overall the most advantageous and most sought after option due to their versatility, they are also far more expensive than steel crossbar OTTs—costing roughly 45 percent more. At McLaren, you can spend around $2,000 on a set of steel crossbar OTTs while a set of rubber OTTs will cost roughly $3,200 or more. As such, if your budget is more limited and you don’t require a large amount of versatility, our steel crossbar OTTs will provide you with a quality economical solution.
Long-term financial gain
While rubber OTTs cost more money upfront, they often result in more significant long-term financial gain. When owning a skid steer, you may come across several job opportunities that you didn’t expect. In such instances, rubber OTTs are more versatile and allow you to do more jobs. Due to the added revenue potential that they provide, owners of rubber OTTs often end up making more money, which ultimately causes the more expensive rubber OTTs to pay for themselves.
In addition to the greater amount of revenue opportunities, rubber OTTs also better protect pneumatic tires from punctures because there is less gap between each crossbar than there is with steel crossbar OTTs. By offering better protection, rubber OTTs can save you money and reduce costly downtime caused by having to replace flats.
McLaren Industries provides a wide variety of over-the-tire tracks for skid steers that can greatly increase the capabilities of your fleet. Our tracks are designed with unmatched quality and can be installed quickly to give your machine the capabilities of both a skid steer and a track loader. For more information regarding how our over-the-tire tracks can benefit your application give us a call at (800) 836-0040 or click here to request a quote today!