New member here! I work at a coal mine in North Dakota. We have a fleet of excavators, mainly komatsu PC490LC-10 but a couple bigger ones too. We recently bought a track press to do undercarriage work in house. We have everything we need to remove and install pins, the issue we run into is holding the track together during the process. I've used a couple of 2 or 3 ton come alongs hooked on the side of the track pad but we always end up bending hooks because they're not meant to side load like that. I'm tired of replacing brand new hooks. Does anyone make a tool or something that can pull the track pads together? Or just like a bracket so I can pull straight instead of bending hooks? If nothing like this exists I'm gonna have our welders build me something but the shop prefers buying tested and rated tools. Before you guys ask, we are releasing tension first and our machines don't have master links so we just press whichever pin. Any additional tips for these tracks is welcome also. Thanks!
Could you make a plate(s) that bolts on instead of a track pad with a vertical ear at 90 deg's. welded on to fit a double end clevis? Then you wouldn't need the big hook. Could use a short chain on the main body of the come-a-long with a similar double clevis to replace the big hook.
I've always removed a pad on either side and threaded a sling though the links. It leaves the receiver end loose so you can place the seals and line her up. Also, we use an old pad, cut to fit the links to maintain the spread. Otherwise your squeezing the snot outta the inner links and binding the outers. Good luck
BTW, swing by new member introductions and say hi, introduce yourself and tell us what else you're up to.
We've definitely mangled a couple links that way, I'll need to find some old pads to cut up for that. Thanks!
I'm betting our welders can put something like that together. Thanks for the idea!
I have a tool I have always thought was made for that don’t know who made it but never used it on anything that big I’ll try and git a picture
Done about every size digger and dozer tracks there are, what are you guys having issues with the links spreading and being crushed together or the track wanting to unroll off the machine ?
Release tensioner. Push back idler with bucket. Undo pad on sprocket. Press away on pin. Sprocket will hold it. Press pin will hold track together. Forklift on pad and lower to ground. Reverse to put back together. Only worked on mid size machine. Also used ratcheting dogs to pull pads together.