[Bill Schwab]

I was hoping someone put together a common parts wear chart like is available for heavy iron.

Typically, I've been gauging wear as I go, but one machine with 1800 hours, still looks like we have another few hundred or so before replacement, another machine with 900 hours that has a prototype set of retreaded tracks. That machine looks pretty good thus far. If we use 2000 hours as the factor, and the replacement of tracks and rollers is 5,000, we have a run cost of $2.5 on the 257.

So, the question is, with the C series comming out in 2007, do I replace the tracks when they need it, or do I just trade when ready?

I think you'll like your Takeuchi, very powerful machines. I'm not sure but I think they use a different style of vulcanizing the steel to the rubber which has been Bobcats down fall. I've yet to see a set of Bobcat tracks with over 1000 hours on them, they all grenade around where the gear connects to the drive.