Doubtless the 1st sign of development in any country youwill see is a marked increase in their infrastructure. One can see construction of roads and buildings and bridges which are on going fast forward. Depending on the dimensions of the project there are great cranes and earth movers together with many other high performance construction machinery. One of the most commonly used machines on any construction site is the Track Loader. This is basically an earth moving machine although it can be used to move other construction materials like bricks and foundation stones. Let’s look a touch more closely at what a Track Loader is and how it works.

A Track Loaderis an engineering auto whose frame is attached to tracks. Unlike most passenger or commercial vehicles which have wheels under their framework, a track loader has tracks which makes similar to amilitary tank. The front end of this has a loader attached to it which performs the digging and loading functions. While this machine has been around for a very long time now, there were three important evolutions in its design.

With each evolution the Track Loader turned into a more useful and all around construction machine with multipurpose capabilities. Naturally the drawback to this is that these machines can do a touch of everything but do not have a particular specialty. The Track Loader in essence combines the functions of the standalone machines into one – bulldozer, excavator and wheel loader. This multitasking ability is the primary reason why it is sometimes used on construction sites.

The look of the modern track loader started from the time when they were made from track tractors with scratch built loading extensions. They were modeled along similar lines to the bulldozers of the time and so were cable-operated. Like bulldozers, these machines were unable to dig into ground and were primarily used for moving material and loading automobiles.

Following this, the following major design change which was incorporated into these machines was the integration of hydraulic systems. The advantage of using hydraulics was the overall power of the loader was increased. As a consequence of the increased power these loader could now apply downward pressure to the loading bucket which gave them the power to dig the ground. At the time many of these track loaders would face a lot of wear on the undercarriage. The front idler wheels particularly would get worn out faster than the other parts as the planning of the loader was based primarily on the bulldozers where heavier parts used to be placed on the front end of the track loader.

The subsequent invention in this machine was the hydrostatic drive system. With the arrival of advanced technologies like hydrostatic transmissions and electro-hydraulic controls, this workhorse of a machine all of a sudden turned into a complicated machine. In fact these were the machines of choice on most digs and construction sites until the introduction of advanced excavators. The excavators are quickly find favor with most construction corporations due to business factors as well as their flexibility of function.

I’ve had my Mitsubishi FTO MIVEC for 3 years and have had nothing but happiness and enjoyment out of it. The only problem is with getting the parts needed to keep it maintained. I have used 3 sets of Wiper Blades and I am still not happy with the current version that I have on. I purchased the high performance Silicone Wiper Blades from a local garage but they do not curve to the correct angle of the windscreen.

The concerns that I have with ordering parts for the FTO is that everything has to be imported from Japan to get the correct fit and style. I did recognise this when I bought the car but I didn’t realise the cost of importing such things as Wiper Blades direct from the factory in Japan. This is because they do not make the current version of the car anymore and therefore everything is by order and demand.

There are a couple of specialist companies that can help with high performance parts, such as Wiper Blades, and I have used them in the past when the car failed it’s MOT and I needed a new seatbelt, mirror and locking catch. These specialist dealers are comprehensively cheaper and you actually get to talk someone who will give you exact prices and delivery times. I used SMC who are a specialist FTO parts dealer, I purchased the above parts and ordered the new high performance Wiper Blades which were a perfect fit, unfortunately they were too high performance and a local kid decided to treat himself to them the following week!

I have resigned myself to using local garage or store for Wiper Blades in case of the same occurring again. I went down to a local store and purchased a set of regular Wiper Blades which I thought would fit the windscreen, they were sizes 20” and 21”, they didn’t fit although the FTO name was on the packaging. I took the pair of Wiper Blades back and exchanged them for the rigid 19” version. The Wiper Blades fit the actual windscreen but did not curve around to fit the passenger side. I left these Wiper Blades on for at least six months but I noticed that during the winter months the rubber was wearing and I decided to go back to the Silicone Wiper Blades. As I have already commented on, I am still not happy with the look of my Wiper Blades but they are the best that I can find without paying for an import from Japan and paying a huge amount.

I’ve had my Mitsubishi FTO MIVEC for three years and have had nothing but happiness and delight out of it. The only problem is with getting the spares needed to keep it maintained. I have used three sets of Wiper Blades and I am still not happy with the current version that I have on. I purchased the high performance Silicone Wiper Blades from a local garage but they do not curve to the correct angle of the windscreen.

The concerns that I have with ordering parts for the FTO is that everything has to be imported from Japan to get the correct fit and style. I did realise this when I bought the car but I didn’t realise the cost of importing such things as Wiper Blades direct from the factory in Japan. This is because they do not make the current version of the car anymore and therefore everything is by order and demand.

There are a couple of expert companies that can help with high performance parts, such as Wiper Blades, and I have used them in the past when the car failed it’s MOT and I needed a new seatbelt, mirror and locking catch. These expert dealers are comprehensively cheaper and you actually get to talk someone who will give you exact prices and delivery times. I used SMC who are a expert FTO parts dealer, I purchased the above parts and ordered the new high performance Wiper Blades which were a perfect fit, unfortunately they were too high performance and a local kid decided to treat himself to them the following week!

I have resigned myself to using local garage or store for Wiper Blades in case of the same occurring again. I went down to a local store and bought a set of regular Wiper Blades which I thought would fit the windscreen, they were sizes 20” and 21”, they didn’t fit although the FTO name was on the packaging. I took the pair of Wiper Blades back and exchanged them for the rigid 19” version. The Wiper Blades fit the actual windscreen but did not curve around to fit the passenger side. I left these Wiper Blades on for at least six months but I noticed that during the winter months the rubber was wearing and I decided to go back to the Silicone Wiper Blades. As I have already commented on, I am still not happy with the appearance of my Wiper Blades but they are the best that I can find without paying for an import from Japan and paying a huge amount.