Compact Track Loader vs Skid Steer in 7 Numbers

Published November 2, 2026 by Equipment Reporters

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Same Engine, Two Machines

Most comparisons pit a small skid steer against a big track loader. That tells you nothing. So use a matched pair.

John Deere builds the 332G skid steer and the 333G compact track loader on the same Yanmar 4TNV94FHT engine. Both make 96.6 net horsepower in their Final Tier 4 form. Take away the engine and the brand, and only the wheels or tracks are left to explain the gap (Deere G Series skid steer brochure, Deere 333G spec sheet).

Rows 1 to 6 come straight off the two Deere sheets. Row 7 comes from Bobcat and Caterpillar, cited below. The weight row alone matters for your trailer. The track loader carries 2,100 more pounds down the road.

Why the Rated Capacity Looks the Same

Look at rows 3 and 4 together. The track loader tips at 3,370 more pounds. Yet its rated capacity is only 100 pounds higher. That's not a typo.

The two machines are rated on different shares of their tipping load. Deere's skid steer is rated at half its tipping load. Its 3,600 pound rating is exactly 50 percent of 7,200. The 333G sheet rates the track loader at 35 percent of tipping load, which gives 3,700 pounds. The same sheet also prints what it would be at 50 percent. That number is 5,285 pounds.

So what does that mean for you?

• Don't shop by rated capacity across types. A track loader rated near a skid steer has far more weight holding the load down.
• Still run to the plate. The rating in the cab is the number the maker stands behind. Don't load past it because the tipping load is higher.
• Read both numbers on a listing. If a seller quotes only one, ask for the tipping load and which share the rating uses.

Where Each One Wins on the Ground

Ground decides most of this. Speed and pressure point opposite ways.

The skid steer wins on hard ground. The 332G runs up to 12 mph in high range. The 333G tops out at 7.8. On a big yard, a farm or a paved lot, that gap adds up every trip.

The track loader wins on soft ground. The 333G spreads its weight to 5.0 psi on standard 17.7 inch tracks. Deere lists 5.6 psi on the narrower 15.8 inch option. Low pressure keeps it on top of mud and sand where tires dig in.

Both wear fast when you drive them wrong. A Bobcat product specialist told For Construction Pros to make turns before you reach asphalt or concrete. Cat's track specialist says high speed, sharp turns, counter rotation and spinning in a pile all chew tracks faster. Same habits, same damage, different parts.

A track loader is also no stranger to concrete. Cat says bar tread tracks give a better ride on hard surfaces. But hard ground still costs track life, so plan for it.

The Wear Parts Set the Real Cost

The purchase price is one bill. The rubber under the machine is a bill that keeps coming.

Skid steer tires. In a For Construction Pros report from May 24, 2010, a Bobcat specialist gave this rule of thumb for tire life.

• Mixed dirt, roads and parking lots, about 600 to 800 hours.
• Mostly dirt, like landscape work, about 800 to 1,200 hours.
• A careful owner operator, up to about 1,400 hours.
• Severe demolition work, as little as 400 hours.

A Deere product manager in the same piece put tires at 15 to 20 percent of a skid steer's operating cost. Camso, a tire and track maker, says almost half of skid steer tires fail before the end of their useful life. Cuts, low pressure and spinning kill them early.

Track loader tracks. Cat says to expect an average of 1,200 to 1,500 hours from well kept rubber tracks. Cat's used equipment team gives a wider range, 400 to 2,000 hours. The job, the operator, the ground and the upkeep set where you land.

Tracks are only part of it. The 333G runs five rollers and two idlers per side, plus the drive sprockets. That's 14 rollers and idlers that wear, against four wheels on a skid steer. When a track set wears out, check those parts before you price new rubber.

What to Check on Each One Used

A used machine of either type hides its biggest bill underneath.

On a skid steer, look at the drive first.

• Pull the chaincase check and look at the oil.
• Drive straight and feel for pull to one side.
• Read the tire tread. Titan Tire says lugs wear shallow in the center first. Camso says never mix tire types on one machine.
• Ask if the tires are foam filled. Foam can weld to the rim and make the next swap costly.

On a track loader, look at the undercarriage first.

• Check the sprocket teeth. Cat Used says rounded teeth stop engaging the track.
• Look for cracks and steel cords showing through the rubber.
• Listen for clicking while it drives. Cat Used ties that to broken links.
• Divide the hours by about 1,200 to 1,500. That's roughly how many track sets it should have worn.

New tracks on a high hour machine aren't proof of care. Worn sprockets under new rubber eat it fast. Our used skid steer guide covers the drive and hydraulics in depth. The skid steer hours guide covers the track count math.

Pick by Your Ground, Not the Brochure

Match the machine to the ground it will see most days.

Split work? Pick the ground you see most. Then price the wear parts for the ground you see least.

Read These Too

Shopping a common model? Start with its guide.

• John Deere 333G track loader inspection guide
• Cat 259D track loader inspection guide
• Bobcat S650 skid steer inspection guide
• 9 checks to run before buying used heavy equipment

Want someone on site before you pay? We run a heavy equipment inspection on skid steers and track loaders, undercarriage included. We work for the buyer, never the seller.

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