I am seriously considering buying a TD7G that needs a track and sprockets. Is there a way for a total novice to determin weather to replace pins and bushings or the whole chain. If I go with the whole chain is this something I can do myself. Sprocket bolts look like they would be the hardest. Must have a high torque requirement ? Or should I bring it to a shop and let them decide what I need.
I believe you will be money ahead to just replace the whole rail versus installing new pins and bushings. The problem I have found is it is hard to get them to hold grease after a turn . I would take off the old rails and take it to a track shop have them swap the pads . As far as changing the sprocket you need a good 3/4 impact to remove it. Be sure when you install the new sprocket to clean the mating surface well between the two. I think you can buy the rails and 2 sprockets and pad swap for about 3200 bucks. Run it a bit , and re tighten the master bolts and the sprockets .
I'm in a similar situation as this. I just bought a TD7C that has the P's&B's completely shot. The bushings are worn through to the pins, and the rail height is right at the 100% worn mark. Check out Crawler Heaven they have the specs for the chain. 3" is 100% worn, but for light farm duty I was told it should give me enough life. But there is also a lot of wear on the inside of the links which cause snakyness and I don't want that, so will probably go with new chain when I get enough $$.
I don't see any center plugs in the track pins so I am assuming you have the old standard sealed track instead of SALT track. Check the other track and see if there are rubber plugs in the ends of the pin or that look just like those in the photos. If you track is sealed then you might be able to turn the pins and bushings and replace the sprockets as it looks like there is plenty of link height wear left. I would suggest you find someone locally that knows what they are looking at who can school before you make any decisions. Good Luck!
By looking at the picture, your links look good. I would call a local track shop and get a price on a pin and bushing install vs. the price of new chains with a pad swap. They should ask you if you have the 1/2" or 9/16" bolt hole chain. The bolts are in-line on the 1/2" and off-set on the 9/16" bolt hole chain. From the picture they look like they are 9/16. The wear specs on the 9/16 bolt hole chainYare......new=97.5mm 20%wore=95.5mm 40%wore=93.7mm 60%wore=91.8mm 80%wore=89.5 100%wore=87mm you measure link height from the pad mounting surface to the bottom of the link. Good luck, Quicktrax
Thanks all. From another picture I took I can see that the front pair of pad bolts are set wider apart than the rear pair. So if I understand correctly they are 9/16". The bushings are broken thru in some places and have already been turned. Another thing that confuses me. On Crawler Haven's pin/bushing wear limit chart the pitch (?) for 4 links on a TD7 is 24" to 24.6". This machine which is a TD7G measures 26.6+ which makes it look like a worn out TD8 track. Any guesses why that would be ?? In general I am not finding any tech info on TD7G.
The 9/16 bolt hole chains is the same chain that also fits on the TD8. The difference is the TD7G has 34 links and the TD8 has should have 36, 37, or 40 links depending on what model. If your pins and bushings have been turned and are wore through to the pin you shouldn't worry about the internal wear because you will have to have either new pins and bushings or new chains. What kind of tech info are you looking for? Thanks, Quicktrax
It has 34 links to add to my confusion. Could it be a TD7 with a TD8 U/C parts ? Since I know next to nothing I was looking for an operators manual. The controls looks simple enough but I don't know what types of things to avoid that would cause unnessary stress on the steering clutches, transmission, or U/C. The other thing is maintainace items and schedule. It has a Cummins motor. I should be able to take care of that but the rest is an unknown to me.
It is always good to have a manuals on a machine. These will tell you when to change oils and what oil to use. When you should service you machine etc...
QuickTrax, I read your posts again and see that you are telling me the 9/16" bolt chain fits either the TD7 or TD8. The difference being the number of pads. Thanks for straightening me out. Sorry I'm slow to catch on. gg