Hi, I am looking for a Track pin press for unto 25 ton machines in Australia. I would rather buy it from somewhere in Aus but if there is a reputable store in the US or England(anywhere but places like india and china) Nothing fancy, just to be able to do the job Cheers, Nick
I am in search of one also in the states. if you come across 2 let me know and i will do likewise. seems that otc stopped making them a while ago.
Contact W.T.C. Machinery. They are a track press dealer in the U.S. QuickTrax
i need a portable pin press for field work does wtc have them or just shop models?
any idea on pricing? http://www.wtcmachinery.com/repair-equipment.cfm?id=50 or the 100ton model would suit me fine. I have emailed them Cheers
These Boys also sell them, i think they deal world wide www.hemsltd.com
track pins. Nick, I have a massive set of CAT/Komatsu Sprocket and pin pushing kit,but only very rarely use the track pin pushing set up, it is heavy as Hell to position, plus it'a a bit of a time consuming old game, on small Excavators 25Ton down the master pins are not to hard to whack out, I know it might seem a bit Cave Man to say this, but my thoughts are to save your Cash (it will be a Big Wad) and put a Weekend into making an adjustable drift holder to aid the sledging action, if you are totaly set on paying out for this sort of equipment an Italian Co Big Nozzi might be the best people to aproach, I have spent a few thousand Euro's with them and found their stuff first class, I use a 28lb and 14lb Hammer to split tracks and have never had a pin get the better of me, plus I am 54 now and to thick to change my ways. tctractors
If you are thinking about getting a portable press I agree with tctractors. we have one at our shop and it never gets used. I would spend your money on a BIG sledge.
If you want to throw your money away for one job! Buy me a plane ticket and pay the shipping on our track press. I'll split your tracks. Same here. Ours only comes out for 30t and larger undercarriage. Most of the time I just cut the master bushing and pin if the 20lb won't move it within ten minutes. The time it takes to set up the track press and the room it takes in the bed of the shop truck costs to much(time&money). If the machine has to be running and the replacement parts can't be waited for. That is when I take it out. The last two times I used it, the hammer was still used for the majority. I tried to use it on a TIGERCAT LX830c Feller Buncher in the snow with a blown final. Thought it would save me time there, it didn't. It took more time to set up than cut the pin and reinstall. I'm 28 and just following the veterans ways.
Weighty Kit. Nick, I hope you dont mind the comments saying keep your Cash in your pocket, but the weight of even the small setup is best described as a "danger", the last time I pushed out 2 master pins Hydraulicly was on a very early D8R, a 1940's tractor with as new tracks and now like Gold to find, this was a few months ago and Boy those pins were solid all the way out, the time before that was for the biggest collectors of Crawlers in the U.K., again on a D8R with the hard to find undercart, all the modern stuff upto about 50 long tons will pop to bits with a bit of a whack, it does help if you show the links a Pepperpot heater, do you split many chains in a Month ??? tctractors
Hi, Thanks for all the replies. I got a quote for $6500 without the pump. I was hoping they were cheaper, as i had to pay $1200 for the guy to come out with it to do the job. He is the only one remotly near where i live apart from CAT. Nick
:drinkuptctractors has a lot more energy to swing a sledge to a b&o than i. i would rather just crane out a press and push the pins out works good on link belt and liebherr. nevermind the schrapnel that flies when beating. i guess i will have to start having a pint of that warm dark brew to get me in shape
I'am Sick , Ive just worked out what Nick paid to get a pair of pins poked out. and to say I am sick as a Dog would be a poor use of the phrase????, so I would like to offer my service to split and rejoin 6 track chains for this Coinage, I dont want to pull anyones Pants down but it will be "easy Money", I had some daft idea that $10 aus = £1, dont ask me why??? Nick dont let this comment bother you as the job was done, but in the future ask on this Forum as I would turn up myself for that sort of Coinage. blowing it on tctractors
You'd have had a couple of days in the sun, travel by Jumbo instead of by Tardis, return flight and still enough change for a pint back in the local. :notworthy I must admit rather you than me beating those pins out, but your a professional, do it for a living and have as many years experience juggling spanners as I have juggling levers. :notworthy I would love to see a few pics of your drift holder next time you have it out. noooooooooooooo the one for the pins
Pin driver. Rob, I did have a first class pin driver gizmo, this would mount onto the track plate or into the track plate bolt holes, but I sold it to Big Jimmy in December 1999, he told me it was going to be the end of the World in a few days (2000) so I let him have it and spent the Money on Beer "just in case", so now I split tracks by holding the drift in one hand and swing my 14lb hammer in the other, if thing get a bit tough I find somebody daft enough to hold the drift, while I set to with the Man Hammer "28 pounder", I may be thick but I am not silly enough to hold the drift with that thing whacking Hell out of it. tctractors
Today we drove the pin out of my 240 excavator. Took three people. Mechanic on the hammer ( he took the end of the sledge handle in the ribs, while i laughed) I held the drift ( it had a long curved handle welded to it. Another guy heated the link opposite the drift. Took a lot of doing. If i was doing it a lot, i would invent some sort of drift holder that clamped (robustly) to the track pad. The mech said it was about as bad as it gets. Normally i guess it is isnt that tough.
I agree, and was what I was trying to get a pic of from tony ( tctractors) as I suspect thats what he had done.
Self-propelled track press Found this on the net and thought it was a handy bit of kit, would really make handling a press handy! Could'nt really throw it in the back of the van or truck and head of!! still i want one for Christmas!
Can you be more specific, is it the van, trailer, Hitachi, pin press or dinky toy you wanted. I'm still compiling my Santa list and would hate to order the wrong one for you Nice find, why have a truck and Hiab when you can have a man with a van and trailer hiding a toy
I'm with TC on this one:notworthy,I worked with a manufacturer for twenty two years and by choice didn't use the press for machines under forty tons, (big hammer and cutting torch to heat the link), now work in an open cast mine and have recently done a cat 375 and rh40 as above but using liquid nitogen to shrink the pins, probably not what the health and safety man wants to hear but I wonder how many tracks he has split ps I am 57 but if someone can show me an easier /quicker way then I'll try it:drinkup.
Thanks Rob, I'm all for surprises any of the above would be a great stocking filler!!:drinkup
we have a Cat track press and it is pretty easy to use we bring it out to jobs all the time. i dont understand the guys who use the track press on the dozers cause they havea master link that splits in half when you unbolt the track pads
???????? Eh, John1066, yes you are correct to a point about Blade track chains, the wet link group are clipped together using pad bolts to hold link grips together, but there is still plenty of tractors still running about with the dry chain Master link, the CAT D8 tractors that I quoted, are from the 1940's (as stated) nearly 70 years old so this was " How they done it then stuff " you can still buy Dozer track chains dry linked and plenty of people do so dont get rid of your Hammer yet, depending if I use a 70 or 100 ton ram the weight of ram,frame and tooling must be well over 200 lbs for posh set, for my old setup (the 1 you see in old CAT service Books) it must weigh close to 200lbs and takes a good bit of mauling about. I would love to see a Pic your Light-Weight set if its possible, also of the set in action. tctractors I will dig out a few Pics of track splitting over the next few days.
we have the cat set up that weighs about 200 lbs but with another machine to help it takes no time at all to position it and use the press
i want to see tctractors super sledge and that magic b&o the one we have at the shop is a otc the bigest problem is getting the track pad off then it is just a matter of hooking it with the autocrane on the service truck and push it out
tctractors still looking for those pictures sure would like to see them when you get the chance thanks mljohn
A few track jobs These track splitting jobs are a few from mainly this year
continued
part 3
Track jobs. mljohn, please dont think it is always raining in the U.K., some years it might not rain for nearly a Week, the green Land Rover (my top of the range Service truck, U.K.only) is now replaced by a new every gadgit money can buy Land Rover (fairly Basic realy), I have no photos of myself splitting tracks or me poking the things back on as I work by myself near always, the big Lad pumping the track pin out on the old banger, owns the tractor, he is as strong as an RH200, so he pumped the pins out like blowing up a paper bag, the ram that I have set to the push frame is only the standard Universal 72 ton Cat cylinder, this would be used if things were going O.K. otherwise I would use a 105 ton cylinder but the weight is a right pig to handle, I have a pic of the "Big Hammer" some place but have not found it yet. tctractors
I thought he was too young and good looking to be you. Do you ever get a breakdown on a sunny day on tarmac, you'll be getting the UK a bad reputation. Hope you had a good Christmas Tony. Take care, heres to a good New Year :beerchug
tctractor,i bet the wife has a spot in the back yard where she hoses all the mud off you when the day is done.does it ever dry up over there?
summer yes i have heard summer is going to be on a weekend this coming year
bring up a old thread again, iv had enough again, since posting this i have had them do it a few times and buy now i would have owned the equipment. Its still around $1200 for them to come out, thats the cheapest i could find(i guess not many people do it in Aus), i tried your suggestions of hitting it with the sledge hammer, no go. You can get the ones with a split pin out easy but the pressed in ones i couldnt make them move. Is there a company that sells them for around $3-4000 with everything you need? WTC wants $9800 with the pump. I am happy with a hand pump, i only really need a pusher for 25ton machines and less. Cheers, Nick
http://www.slidesledge.com/heavy.html might be an option, their pretty good for moving pins are the force is more direct and targeted compared with a normal sledge trouble is you get what you pay for with porta=powers enerpac is the best and CAT gear is really good but you'll fall over if you get a price for a electric pump unit which is why companies charge lihe they do to do the job with the right gear all we used to do with our 20 ton diggers is thermal lance (can be done with x2 oxy sets and one modified cutting tip to fit the lanceing rod dont go out and buy the $1400 arc-welding attachment) the pin/s out then they'll tap out once their cooled, use a dummy pin to assemble the link with the new seals ect then use liquid nitrogen to freeze the new pin and knock it in, only drama can be is the link can spread which can be solved with two guys and two sledges knocking the link back together This will work for master pins any day of the week, regular pins it can be a abit harder but it was standard practice for us for 20ton n smaller excavators, it is usally quicker as theres no need to pull off 4 track pads like you would if you used a track press, only two, 30 ton and bigger track press all the way There used to be a guy who works/worked in the track shop at our local WA Hitachi dealer who was an absolute weapon on an 18lb sledge, could whip out a pin on a 30tonner in crazy speed just had to run for cover incase anything let loose!
nickbowers, you must be hitting that pin with a rubber hammer mate, all the masterpins in the photo's I posted are the standard master pin, these have no split pin tapped through the end to keep them in place, nick I hit them out by myself, no one is willing to hold the drift so I hold it with 1 arm and swing the sledge (14lbs) with the other lump of fat (arm) and make no mistakes I am no monster, I have never had a pin beat me yet so I cannot understand the reason you seem to be still on the starting blocks with this donkey task???, if the pin does give me a tough time I just burn into the pin ends with my gas cutting torch and tap it out easily, I would never cut a pin out with a thermic lance just to much heat and not enough control. tctractors
Nick, the Firm's been thinking??? perhapse my previous post was the wrong thing to print, what you need is a bit of help to be able to sort this track pin removal thing, it might be helpfull if you posted a few verbs and a few pic's of how you set about this task, its easy for me to say beat it out, but you might be making some blinding error that is making this task a right dog and beating you flat, plus the cost of new master pins cannot be crazy coins even in your camp???, I hope I have not rubbed your back up with this subject so lets see if we can be a positive help and get you to super pin bashing standard. tctractors
haha your alright, its not me that's been trying its the old man and i have taken his word for it. Ill have a crack at it on the weekend with him and maybe we can get them. How do you go about getting the second one out when you have nothing to hold the track? Cheers, Nick
Thanks for the link, we have one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ren29YWb0Ak&feature=related which i took 3 pads off each side in a matter of minnutes
Second what??, do you mean the master pin in the other track please explain in a bit more detail, the man thats been coining it in popping your pins out probably beats his own pins out with a whack from a hammer, when I have to split a track the last thing I think of is pushing the pin out,plus I always leave the track plate on the links that I am hitting the pin out of, as already stated the links spread without the plate on, so I never take that plate off, we all go about the task our own way but its hard enough work without making things harder????.
to take a link out, on the older machines we get as much out of the tracks as we can before they go.
Nick you just cut the link off with the gas, I can tell you that I often go to sites and chop a link out of both tracks and re clip them back together, with the pins that have to be beaten (Pushed) what ever, its honestly a mornings work, if you look at the pic's I posted of the track jobs I did at that time, it was not the 1 track it was both of them, have a good look at the sprocket locations, plus it was more than 1 excavator, I also had to sort the track adjuster seals, that Co' would only pay for 1 shift, if I could not sort it in 1 day they would get someone that could and sharp tell me to ~@#? off, I cannot believe you have been forking out massive coins (Pop Star Money) for a donkey task. sat with an odd smile tctractors p.s. you might notice that many of my jobs are in the big workshop, (near all) and the U.K. is a tad damp??
Just thought I would say that I have just posted a few pic's of pin pushing (CAT 350 Links) in the Shop Talk section, on the weight thing I have the Hydraulic Cylinder at 180lbs, 2 tenson rods at 38lbs, push head and adapter 75 lbs, so things start to get heavy, the hydraulic pump set is sold with no fittings pipes gauges etc, the tension rods are in the U.K. £600 for the 2 (Ex CAT) most excavators have sloping carbodys that you have to strip track plates off or lift and block the track groups up to push out/in pins, so hitting the pins out at the front idler can be a very good option.