Quick question: why do some vehicles have tracks instead of regular tires? I mean, aside from the awesome aesthetics, what is the point? (Imagine an Army tank with tires instead of tracks—it would look quite odd indeed!)
There's something to be said about tires. After all, they get our vehicles from point A to point B with nary a hiccup, as long as you stick with macadam-covered surfaces or well-packed gravel. Off-roading, even with a jeep, can be tricky business.
Of course, the easy solution is to simply stay on the road. However, for many cases that solution simply doesn't work. Whether in a construction zone or while doing excavating, vehicles need to not only be off the road, but performing intense maneuvers on unstable ground.
Tires on unstable surfaces have one major problem. There are only four points of contact supporting the entire weight of the vehicle. These four points are small, meaning that unstable ground gives away easily—and dangerously. And don't forget how much heavier construction machinery is compared to a regular car.
Rubber tracks are the rather ingenious solution. Tracks loop around multiple small wheels, providing several basic functions: better traction and better stability. After all, the rubber excavator tracks provide a supporting surface which runs the entire length of the machine. Instead of four small contact points with the ground, there are lots of contact points, allowing for a better spread of the machinery's weight.
However tracks are not as simple as looping grooved rubber. The size and type of machine is important, as is the expected surface. Smaller, triangular tracks like Kubota tracks are often used in snow. Komatsu rubber tracks, a simple straight loop, are good for muddy, flat ground.
Even smaller machines benefit. Rubber tracks for mini excavators are pretty crucial since a mini excavator is typically much taller than it is wide, meaning spreading the weight on uneven surfaces much more imperative.
If you have a wheeled vehicle with the wheels on the side rather than below, you can often buy tracks that fit over the wheels. Say you have a skid steer loader with tires, but you need to take it out in the mud. You can find a track for a skid steer for sale which will fit right over the existing tires.
So whether you're working with a small skid steer loader or a huge excavator, rubber tracks provide the safety and stability needed.