Hi, I was wondering if I could get some advice on what to look for when looking for wear on the undercarriage /walking gear of 20 to 30 tonne excavators. Thank you
Welcome to HEF mightycelt! :drinkup
There is a lot of general discussion on this matter. Trying searching. Here is a recent one:
thanks thanks squizzy.
Wear on undercarriages - Wot to look out 4! There are usually 5 areas of main importance when it comes to looking for wear on excavator undercarriages Chains, Sprockets Rollers, Idlers and Pads The chains wrap around the sprockets and are guided by the idlers and rollers. It is the chain that the pads are bolted on to. The chain is driven by the sprocket, much in the same way a motorcycle chain is driven. The chains links are held together by pins, the pins are encased inside a cylindrical sleve bushing. It is the bushing which actually makes contact with the sprockets and idler. This bushing will recieve wear everytime the machine travels and you will know how much wear it has recieved by the shape of the bushing If it is perfectly round then it has received little or no wear. once the bushing exhibits a triangular type appearance then the busings are starting to show signs of wear. You will know if the chains need immediate replacing if the bushing has been "eaten" through ie: the pin is exposed and the bushing has a hole worn into it. Excessive wear would also show sharp tipped or broken tipped sprocket teeth. If there is plenty of "beef" (thickness) on the sprocket teeth tips then the sprockets shouldn't need replacing. The Idlers should run true and not wobble from side to side - if they do the bushings and/or pins that hold the idlers to the undercarriage need replacing. The idler centres may need rebored or even remanufactured if this is the case. If the rollers top or bottom are showing signs of flatness instead of roundnesss then this is a sure sign of roller wear. Finally the pads that make contact with the ground should not be warped, broken or excessivly thin as reguards grouser grip as this shows wear and will need replacing. Hope this helps -Chris
Best way would be to see if you can get ahold of the dealer of whatever make machine you are buying and see if you can get them to come out and inspect the undercarriage. They can give you a detailed analasys of the condition, and tell you how much life is left.
That may be true, but there's certainly an advantage to be had by knowing what to look for on your own. The more background knowledge you have, the better. That's why we appreciate nice, detailed answers like the ones in the thread Squizzy cited, or the reply Chris gave... :notworthy
That's true Chris but at least up here on mid-size 200/300 type excavators their link assemblies will normally wear out internally before the bushing is badly worn. Internal wear is indicated by the tracks appearing loose and requiring adjustment. Severe wear will see the links becoming 'snaky' and the pads appearing to rock when you climb on the machine. My advice for maintaining track life is to keep your working area free of rocks etc. use narrow pads, avoid unnecessary and high speed travel and watch your track tension (don't overtighten).