Just looking for advice on aftermarket track rail brands and what everyone likes to use.
Well lets see, I'm not very good with track chains but from what I've seen over the years most everybody relies on CAT cept for the Wirtgen people....Roadwreck CMI CAT use primarily CAT chains because of the longevity they get from them but if the chain itself is wearing to where its walking off the rails and you are having operators who cut hard turns with overdrives on alot...thats not the chain wearing out its just people that....are...nevermind Under good operating conditions track chains should last 5 years or better..I've never heard of aftermarket chains although I'm sure they do exist. Cairoh do you work for CMR? its possible we met last summer
Richard from WSP (Western States Profiling) and who worked at APP (Arizona Pavement Profiling) just pointed out to me that a company called Greer aftermarket parts here in Phoenix can put together a track chain for most mills for half the price of a CAT chain. They slap the links together at the length you order. Richard also informs me that I need to STFU because I'm just a dumb @ss operator
They are cheaper but you need to know a lil more than the chain length. You'll need link length and height. Along with width at the narrow and wide end of the link. Bolt locations to match the grousers. And measurements from the pivoting pin to the pin after it, and I think from pin to bolt too, i can't remember for sure.
Most chains can be looked up by the make and complete model of a machine. I always ask for the length just to verify that my information is correct. Just about every machine has some kind of dozer or excavator chain under it. On most paving equipment the chains rarely wear to 100% because the links usually end up breaking. This is usually due to the weight of the machine. Milling_Drum is right, hard turns also end up cracking links. I have seen all different brand chains on paving equipment with the same results.
Well thats nice to be right for a change. Most milling people think I'm out to lunch about these things...but its aight, I've gotten used to it. One of the big issues with track chains I've noticed over the years is that most companies (operators/groundsmen) pay little attention to if the chain is tight or not. Add in the hard turning with overdrives on or at a high rate of speed and what usually happens is the spocket and dummy wheel get worn out so bad that even if the chain isnt in too bad of shape the whole track carriage unit is useless when it comes to turning/crabbing in or out of the cut. But if I say anything about this to the milling supt or foreman, they give me the old, you dont know *** your talking about. Then I quit when the chain walks off the sprocket and they say I was supposed to know better.....they say...you stretched the chain...I say LOOK at the chain there isn't anything stretched about it...the carriage assembly is wore out because you people are (fillintheblank). Wonder where Cairoh is at????
Another big factor on chain wear is running with worn out track pads. Poly or rubber pads decrease the overall vibration of the unit, therefore decreasing wear. Keeping good pads on the chains will increase the life of the track chains and other under carriage components.
Thanks Tex, you just woke my kidneys and lower back up:drinkup In the southeastern states they will throw you off the job if you show up with steel track pads. No mercy or tolerance for it because of the years of torn up shoulders after walking off the road not to mention getting lined up and tearing up the new mat paved the day before.. The PR1000 I was running last year had steel pads but it was related to a CIR train....thats about the only place you might get away with it these days...
heavyquip sells lots of track parts and are generally cheaper then cat however are not the same quality of course.