From CONEXPO 2026 to Your Job Site: The Real Story on Rubber vs. Steel Tracks

If you follow construction equipment news, you probably saw the headlines coming out of CONEXPO 2026 earlier this month. The Las Vegas show is always where big manufacturers show off what's next.

One announcement caught my eye—not because it was the flashiest, but because it quietly confirmed something a lot of us in the undercarriage business have been saying for years.

Yanmar, working with ASV technology, rolled out two new compact track Loaders: the TL25RP and TL50RP. The headline feature? They are the first OEM to offer both Posi-Track (rubber track) and steel track systems in the same product line.

Same machine. Two different undercarriage options. Your choice.

That last part—your choice—is the real story here.

What Yanmar's Move Actually Means

For a long time, buying a compact machine meant letting the manufacturer decide your undercarriage. You picked the model, and it came with whatever tracks the factory Bolted on. If you wanted something different, you were out of luck.

Yanmar flipped that script. Now, a contractor can look at their typical job mix—pavement one week, demolition the next—and pick the track system that fits. Same machine platform. No compromise.

It is a small shift on paper, but it points to something bigger. The industry is finally moving from "we know what you need" to "you know what you need, so we will give you options."

(For what it is worth, Doosan's chairman was also at the show talking about how AI is changing equipment. Different topic, same theme: the industry is waking up to what users actually want.)

So Which One Should You Pick?

Yanmar now gives you the platform. But the choice between rubber and steel still comes down to one thing: your job site.

Rubber tracks make sense if:

• You work on finished surfaces—lawns, driveways, asphalt, concrete

• Noise and vibration matter (residential neighborhoods, tight urban sites)

• Your typical jobs are landscaping, utility work, pool installations

Rubber rides smoother and keeps customers happy because you are not tearing up their property. But it has a limit. Sharp rocks, rebar, and demolition debris will eat rubber tracks alive. If your old rubber tracks died from cuts and punctures, that is your job site telling you something.

Steel tracks make sense if:

• You work in demolition, rock, quarries, or anything with sharp debris

• You need max traction in mud, slopes, or loose ground

• You are tired of replacing tracks that got torn up too soon

Steel is durable. It handles what kills rubber. But it will tear up pavement, so if you are running on finished surfaces, you need to think twice.

What if you do both?
This is the real-world answer for most contractors. Demo one week, landscaping the next. Yanmar's approach gives you one machine that can handle either. If you already own a machine, the next best thing is steel tracks with bolt-on rubber pads. You get the durability for rough work and can add pads when you need surface protection. Costs more upfront, but cheaper than owning two machines or replacing rubber tracks twice as often as you should.

Yanmar's move at CONEXPO is a good reminder that the industry is finally giving operators more control over how their machines are set up. But at the end of the day, tracks are still a wear item. The technology changes, but the basics don't.

Rubber protects surfaces and rides smooth. Steel takes abuse and grips hard. Pick based on where your machine actually spends its time.

If you are due for a new set of tracks and are not sure which way to go, take a look at your old ones. If they wore down evenly, you made the right call last time. If they came apart from cuts and tears, it is probably time to switch things up.