I was talking to the Deere tech about installing single bar pads on my shovel logger and their quote for the pads & labor was almost $13k! Has anyone here installed grouser extensions or had them installed? I am thinking a 2-2.5" extension every other bar on my current double bar pads. Just curious of the cost & satisfaction with them. Thank you.
you can look up price of grouser stock online and then get a price to have welded on, I have a track loader with grouser stock welded on every single ridge..im cutting the middle bars out with a plasma cutter as now all the pads do are clog up with mud very tight, the pads that I cut out the middle bar self clean much better...you should make sure each pad is balance so you dont bend or put unwed stress on components..
http://www.duratuff.com/products-grouser-bar.php I used these when I needed more traction on my D8H. They work good has been 5 years and haven't lost one yet. I think it was around $800 to get 86 of them 22" long and 2.5' tall. Used around 30lbs of .045 wire welding them on.
Thanks fellas! I would like to add about 2-2.5" of height to every other bar on the pads of my shovel logger. PLUS, that will keep me compliant with the timber companies that require double bar grousers for machines on the roads.
If you weld them on your self it quite easy if you weld on the front and back of the track so you can do all flat welding. One side from the front and one from the back. You can tack them on top on the side that will be down when you weld them on. You should be able to buy double beveled ones that will be close enough to work on you shovel.
Ditto. I have done a few machines exactly like this. I use grouser bar extension from trackweld. Most track suppliers should do a similar product. I also prefer to arc weld these on. 5mm Phillips 77's do the trick. if your existing grouser bar is excessively rounded off then get it square first.
how are you going to stay compliant with timber companies with single bar grousers when they require double bar ?
The pads are still double bar pads, one is just a lil taller than the other.
doesnt hurt to make a couple "A" shaped jigs out of thin plate to help line the barstock up with the original grousers for tacking either.
I have seen a couple of companies use single bar pads on their shovel loggers. The only place I've seen compliance issues was on state land.
Hancock contracts state no single bars on the road. It's dumb as a buncher has to get to the job too!
5 years ago I spent 2 full days in the shop mig welding 2" tall x 3/8" thick cold rolled bars (cheap steel found at any steel supply house) to each of my pads on a John Deere 550 dozer. Made a GREAT improvement on traction and so far in the past 5 years I've had no issue. Other than my time it cost me around $150 in steel and mig wire. I guess you can go the more expensive route and buy the hardened pre-cut bars but for my occasional farm use, the soft cheap bars are doing just fine.