We just bought a used E70b and have been using to push some snow around. The tracks make a loud snapping or popping sound when going through fairly deep snow (say more than 6" deep). Is this normal and if not what causes it?
OMG ! ... I can't believe i'm gonna do this ....... OK here goes .... the loose snow gets into the rails (chain) and as the track goes around it gets to the drive sprockets where the snow compresses between the rollers in the rail and drive sprockets teeth to a point where its almost like ice and then explodes making the sound you hear ...... have you ever noticed when you are walking thru the snow and under your feet the snow is making a crunching sound ? .... what makes that sound ? ....Hmmmm ! ..............cheers
It's not quite like that- it isn't a consistent sound like walking on crunchy snow. It will only pop once in a while and it's really loud. I would think that if the snow was just building up and then getting crushed in the sprocket that it would be more consistent and not as loud.
You will find the same things happen when you work in sand or at times soft dry soil, its the material building up in the sprockets or some times on the idlers. Cant say I can really explain it without typing more than I care to, but its certainly not uncommon. Swing to the side pick up the track and spin it to clear the build up.
OK ...are these rubber or steel tracks ??....... and let me ask you this when it starts to make that sound are the tracks becoming really really tight ??????? ...... which it probably is cause it just does that in snow ...it builds up to a point EVERYWHERE there is a tolerance or wear that the ice displaces the sloppy spaces ..... other than that, it is what it is, snow just does that. As ddigger said, pick it up and spin the tracks to clear them out
Your chains are getting packed with snow to the point where the sprocket is disengaging and slipping to the next link.
that sounds is also occasionally associated with your track rolling down the hill on its own, so lift a side and clean them out.
as above I'd say the sprocket is jumping a tooth, or at least not meshing correct with the chain due to build up. you should see a change in the track tension before and after this happens looking at the top of the track. This can strip teeth within the final drive unit. Can you clear a path to some degree for where you're intending to travel to minimize the build up
Its is normal as snow in cold climate's.... and it is NOT the sprockets jumping thru the rails.
Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll have to look at the tracks next time it happens to see if they're tightening up a lot. I just had a shoe come apart (four bolts broken) so was a little concerned it was related to the snow. If I'm going to keep using this machine in the winter to clear sites I may just get a larger blade attachment for it since the little stock blade is just too small to push a lot of snow.
EXACTLY !!! ...if that track is sooo loooose that it's jumping teeth as sugested by the boys above, then any responsable operator should be fired for running it such a state (even if you are the owner/operator ...lol) .... you can not possibley have that much snow built up in there to do that (jumping in the rails)..... if anything the tracks get tighter keeping the rails on the idler and sprockets .... OMFG...... get over it ...it's just what happens in the winter!
I wonder if it could be that the snow is building up in the tracks and compressing the recoil spring then quickly letting loose and slamming? or maybe some stiff or frozen track pins or some combination of the two?
Same thing happens in loose dry sand. No big deal Bang Bang!
For the love of God....would somebody listen to the guy in Hundred Mile?!?!?! The sprockets are packing up with snow and "relieving" themselves of said packed up snow.
I always thought this was because of the front idler becoming compressed by the sand/snow build up on the idler and other places in the track loop then "popping" back out as the tension is eased off as the material clears.