Hello gang, I just bought a 2004 277B and this is my first piece of equipment. (Bear with my stupidity) I have been using it to back fill my basement, and add gravel/sand for my weeping tile and garage fill. I have basically no knowledge about the care and upkeep required for tracks. Looking at my tracks after +32F snowy day they were just plugged with muddy snow. I did my best to clean them out, but all I had was a spade and a large crow-bar. Today I attemped to move the machine, and the tracks were froze to the ground and the remaining mud had bunged things up enough that it took a lot of power just to turn them. I used it briefly, then came to the conclusion that I am going to wreck something if I continue. Soooo... The question is, is there a better way of getting the mud out of the tracks? I don't have a warm storage location, as I am living in my holliday trailer while building my house. The forcast is for warmer weather in a few days, but what is the trick for ensuring I can keep the tracks running? Thanks in advance.
park it on boards... like 4x4's I don't know if the spray stuff they use in dump truck beds would work.... it's some kind of no stick made for lawn mowers... clean tracks once an hour maybe... hotsy or carwash... propane weed burner.... easy on the burning part....maybe as a last effort.
clean tracks and undercarriage as best you can then park on dunage when your thru for the day
Parking on boards will prevent it from freezing to the ground but does nothing for the mud packed in the undercarriage. You need a powerwasher, in your case probably a gas powered unit would be best. Wear a rainsuit. It takes a while with that undercarriage. You have to clean it before you put it up for the night. That really isn't a great machine for a newb. Given the cost of upkeep its not a great machine for a homeowner either since you not generating any income to offset the costs of it, which can be steep depending on your ground conditions and operating ability.
Thanks for the responses guys, Nothin's easy working in the mud. Sounds like I got my work cut out for me. Hopefully the maintenance shouldn't be extreme as I will either put very limited hours on it for personal use, or it will be earning if the hours rack up. I expect to put about 200-400hours on it this year during house construction, then likely less than 200/year for general upkeep and plowing snow.