I noticed today I have one track roller leaking on my 931B. It is the 2nd one from the sprocket. There is oil on the outside flange but looks like it is pretty recent. No oil on the track pad. It is an aftermarket roller and appears to have a hex plug in the end of the shaft. I was thinking of just putting some thicker oil or grease in it and monitoring it. I can pick the machine up and tilt it pretty good with the backhoe to get more oil in. The roller shell is in good shape and has about 1300 hours on it. I need to use the machine for about 30 hours in a couple weeks to dig and load sand. After that it will likely sit for most of the winter unless I need to clear deep snow. Could it leak from not being used enough and thicker oil may not leak? I can price a new roller in the mean time but would like to wait till next spring if I need to replace it.
If leaking a lot I’d go with grease
I did some looking and think maybe the JD corn head grease would be a good option. Liquid when warm but thickens when cold so it won't leak out.
If you feel ambitious & have the time you can rebuild them. I did 5 of mine on the 941 this year & can still get the parts. Sitting can start them leaking, then working again they dry up.
That's what I was thinking.
I can get the JD cornhead grease locally but was reading the polyurea does not mix with conventional oil. I found this grade 00 grease that I can order from Napa. It is a little thinner and uses lithium for the thickener. According to what I was reading online 00 grease is the consistency of apple sauce when at rest. I figure if it helps prevent leaks in wheel hubs it should help prevent leaks in track rollers. Looks like you use a caulking gun to dispense it. Does anyone know what size of hex the plug on a Cat D3B roller is? Also should it come out fairly easily or need some heat? https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/CAS0109670 https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/...33E000A9831/$File/BPXE-A56UZ2.pdf?openelement
Whatever you put in it will displace the oil over time as that lighter oil leaks away. Rebuilding them and replacing the Duo-cone seals is not that hard especially with tooling I have seen you have.
It could seal itself back up with a little use. It is possible that it just has a bit of grit in the seal. If you keep watch of it and it gets worse then I would think about adding more oil.
I'll see if it looks like it has leaked more when I go out there again. Hoping not to have to take the roller off. Bolt won't come out or breaks, then it turns into a PIA. It's an aftermarket roller so not sure if parts are available.
Other than the duo cone seals of which there are only so many sizes the bushings you could have made by any machine shop. I have rebuilt them before it is just a tedious task.
We use this in our trailer hubs at work as the seals start leaking from non use with oil
Hi Lithium percentage, good grease.
What would everyone think about something on the order of STP.
I think it is similar to what I ordered, semi-fluid grease lithium complex (grade 00) for trailer hubs to help alleviate leaks. I didn't need a whole pail of it though.
A pail of it is going to lube that roller for a long time. !!!!!
How do you know when the roller is full of lube? The 00 grease comes in a tube like caulking. Do you fill till it runs out the fill hole with the roller level or does it take more than this? I can use the backhoe to tilt the machine to add more oil if necessary.
Ever try Lucas Oil Products "Hub Oil"?
Not a lot of specs. listed for the Lucas other than it is for hubs. The Castrol I ordered lists different applications and all the specs. Also have read where others recommend a grade 00 grease for rollers. https://www.wakefieldconnect.com/u/0/products-detail?pr=5098 Castrol SPHEEROL SHL 00
Corn Head Grease "0" grade works well for controlling modest leaks
Thank you Old Magnet! I can get the cornhead grease locally but have read that the polyurea thickener doesn't mix with conventional oil. I did some looking online and found that grade 00 grease used to be specified in rollers and also helps prevent leaks but is lithium complex based so mixes with the oil in the rollers. It is apparently the consistency of apple sauce. I don't think the leak is that bad as it doesn't appear to have dripped onto the track pad. I also didn't crawl under the machine to see if the roller is leaking on the inside. There was a bunch of dirt on the side of the roller and with my luck the fill plug will be on the inside. Something you don't really think about unless you've done undercarriage in the past.