I spent a few hours banging on the track master link pin on my PC-120. Im trying to get the pin out to unfold the track and get it back on the sprockets. I just dont want to spend all my time banging in the wrong direction. Is there usually a certain way they need to come out?
Their an interference fit which means you need a hydraulic press! If you dont want to spend the time or money with a press then they can be hit out with a sledge and dolley but you'l need to heat the link prior to this and make sure you dont remove the track pad. I'm not recommending you do it this way, but it can be done.
Ive got a hydraulic press at the shop but getting it to the track or the track to the shop is the problem. My plan was to heat it an beat it out but I wanted to make sure I wasnt trying to band it the wrong way. Im going to try to beat it out but If i cant Ill fint a way to get the press out there. I really dont want to pay someone to come break it for me becuase guys charge upwards of 200 an hour to bring their mobile units out to a site.
and all they'll do is heat it and bang it out. It took three people to drive the pin on my unit. It takes a lot of heat and a lot of pounding, but it will come out. Mine wasn't tapered at all.
Do you really have to break your track apart? You said your trying to get it back on the sprocket, sounds like your just putting your track back in place. If you have some other equipment to work with, and the idler is fully retracted, you should be able to slip the track back on without having to break it. I don't beat a pin out unless I have no other options.
:iagree alot of hassle if you dont need it!
YUP ! Happens all the time esp. when the sprockets are getting worn, you'll walk out of them every time You DO NOT split your track As posted, just release the grease fitting at the hyd tensioner ,usually the hole on side of the car body .... and because its an excavator swing to the side lift it up block it underneath , use the exc boom/stick/bucket and push the idler roller back all the way Then use a short chain hang it on the end of track pads use exc power and not u'r back to lift it over and into place combined with patience and a little track power to walk it back on Thats the way we've been doing it in the bush where no shop truck could ever get to Have FUN !
Ohhh and BTW ..... PC 120 you say ?..... I'll bet if you ever had to break the rails apart .....hmmmm ....look really really close at all the rail or inner chain as some call it, and I'm really sure that there is a Master link that is easy to take apart You'll recognize it right away it's different looking than the others, its either a link with the pin that has a cotter pin thru it or a bolted together type and it would have visible saw tooth look to it from the side ....ttfn
The master pin on a PC120 has thicker ends than the middle. You identify the pin by a dimple in the center. I never heat and beat anymore to break a track apart. The pin only costs about $15 so I burn a ring into the ends of the pin and let it cool. Then you can knock the in out with a four pound hammer. You will need a new pin anyway if the track has any wear on it. I have attached a photo of what I'm talking about. Good Luck
Used to do the same thing on D8 tracks before the alligator links except we'd cut an X in the ends to relieve the press fit. Glad those days are behind me, carry on
John C. said it best. Cut a hole or an X in the master pin and hit it out. You can buy a new master pin for around $15. I don't see why anyone wastes time with a portable press for a master pin. We have a portable press and it rarely gets used. If your chains are wore out, You should try to just roll the chain back on before you open the track up. Good luck, QuickTrax
John, I like your method for gettings the pins out- clever. ---- A few asides, Hitachi master pins are tapered. They have a snap ring on one side (inside) and you drive the pin towards that side. A few hours in the freezer makes the install a little easier. If you're short of cash, you can cut a link out but it will be less than a year 'till you're throwing it again.
Hello, I'm new to the forum. I agree they are a pain to drive out, but we never used a press for the master pin. Heat, bang, repeat. Sorry I know this dosen't help much, but I've got to post three times in a forum before I can start a new thread. Good luck with your pin. Word of caution. Put on some safety glasses. Sometimes a miss hit on the pin will send little slivers flying.
Torching a hole in the pin sounds like a much better plan than trying to salvage the pin. Ill swing by the dealer in the morning and grab a new pin and see if I cant get the tracks back on before the weekend. Id like to get some work done with all this nice weather weve been having. Thanks for all the help, Ill post some pictures if anything interesting happens.
One more thing.....Are they directional? I cant tell wich way they were on the machine because we had to winch the track out of the mud. Will it matter wich way it goes on?
The Komatsu pins are not tapered. The ends are thicker than the middle and you will see it instantly when you get the new pin. There will be a dimple in one end. Install the pin with that dimple to and outside of the machine so you can see it easily if you have to remove it again in the future. Good Luck!
If you mean are the tracks directional, then yes they are. When the track is on the machine, the pin on each link is the same side as the sprocket, when looking at the lower half of the track which the bottom rollers are running on. Take care its easy to put them on wrong from experience.