Hi guys, I have a Cat 315CL with 7k hrs. The track chains are worn out, so I will be replacing the chains and sprockets. I need to check the rollers and idlers more carefully, but I think they are ok for now. I am currently putting about 4-500 hours a season on the machine doing general excavating work in Northern Wisconsin, mostly sand or clay, not a lot of rock. My question is with the aftermarket undercarriage parts. NYHT has chains for $1700/each, other places are $2300/each, Cat is I think over 3k per chain. Do the aftermarket parts hold up? Is it not worth the "savings"? While it would be nice to do everything perfectly, we are still getting this company off the ground, and the undercarriage isn't the only thing this machine needs, not to mention the rest of our equipment, so if aftermarket track components would be acceptable it would free up cash to deal with other issues. Also, are there any aftermarket brands that are better than others? Thanks in advance!
Something else to check - manufacturers often upgrade the design specs for rollers and chains as they gain experience with machines that are in service. I found out the hard way that you cannot put a revision 3 roller on a machine with a revision 0 track chain. If you look up the parts in the manual, it will typically list the latest version as a replacement for earlier parts, but there is rarely a warning about compatibility with earlier parts. I replaced one failed track roller on a Deere machine. The track chain was still in decent shape, but started getting rapidly chewed up by the new roller. An examination of the new roller showed that it had a different spool height, and a different track to roller hub engagement angle. I found an original rev-0 used roller from an excavator salvage yard and swapped it out with the new roller. The chain and roller have been fine ever since.