On my Hitachi ex120 had a track pin come loose from the a link few weeks back..it was a former repair on the master pin where someone welded it to the link bores and it appears the welds broke free...so the pad bolts were loose from what appears to be stretching and of course busted link bushings didnt help as it all was a loose mess..Had no problem getting the old bolts out last week with a 3/4 sliding t-bar and pipe..used a bit of penetrating oil too..then the master pin slid out after the pad fell away. Well this past week decided against rewelding the master pin back and just turned out a shouldered pin at work..put a bolt thru hole on the other end..today managed to get it all put back together and I have to say that I thought tightening the new track pad bolts would be no problem...well I think it was the most intensive work I've done in awhile...had to put a cheater bar on my 3/4 ratchet..constantly fight the square nut spin...I expected a slight drag on the threads but my God once the bolt started passing thru the nut it was game on..didnt use oil but kept the wd40 sprayed on every so many turns..one minute they would start to feel easy to turn then next the cheater..the nuts started good the first few threads each bolt..the whole ordeal just left me feeling that I messed up somewhere. Was the black coating supposed to be removed or a special lubricant put on the threads? ...as one came through the threads it appeared to have the threads wiped away however they all tightened down..any thoughts?
I used a stubby 3/8 ratchet w/ 1/2 adapter on the pad bolts on my 320DLRR. Ran them all the way in with zero effort. Followed by the torque turn method. Did you reuse the old bolts?
No..new bolts and nuts were used..got them at my local JD heavy equipment dealer...gave them the Hitachi #'s and they crossed them to Deere..I know the bolts matched up to the old ones except for being about 1/4" longer...what bothered me most is I never got the feeling I had more 200 ftlbs on them..
Maybe someone mixed the metric nuts up with the imperial bolts. I always try a nut and bolt install in my hands before installing them. Another idea might be did the holes line up perfect before you installed the bolts in the pad?
Sounds like there is a mismatch on thread between the 2. I just installed 368 5/8 bolts on my machine over the past 2 weekends. I was able to hold them in the chain pocket with my finger and snug them with a cordless impact. Never once did i put any strain on the impact driver while snugging them. They probably could have been hand tightened.
Yeah I guess I probably should've stopped with the first one and took a good look at all of them even doing some measuring with my calipers...I've never cinched up track shoe bolts before and assumed it was some of the tightest tolerances by how much difficult it was to wrench off the old ones...Once i got them all started a few threads by hand i couldn't even start them with my 1/2 ratchet. .but I put all bolts in the holes and thinges lined up ..I guess that would've been a clue... Now I don't expect them to stay tight for a long time..especially with the link bushing or two gone in that area of track.
Anyways got some grease pumped back into the tensioner today and snapped a few pics of the thread aftermath and including the pin before install...now dont laugh too loud this is just an old farm hoe with a track thats headed to the grave haha..
Looks like you put the nuts on upside down
They are a one way thread?...heck I just started them according to which way I got the better number of hand turns before they got tight...Makes me wanna go pick up more and give them a good inspection this time...I do have a broken(to the rail) track pad that I need to replace any hows.
Sure looks like the threads are stripped. I enlarged the pic as much as possible. I did something similar. Metric threaded nut to a SAE bolt. Durned Chevy product. It'll either hold or get loose. Likely, you'll have to torch them off since the threads won't back off once stripped.
Ok..well dont feel as bad about it now lol...besides have always needed a reason to buy a nice torch cutting outfit...can't believe I've gone this long without one!
I'd be talking to your JD dealer and want a better deal on new bolts with the correct nuts.
those are self locking nuts. get another one & check it one side will have an oval shaped hole the bolt goes in from the other side
Does anyone else think that the bolts are wrong (thread issues aside) for no other reason than they are far too long.? Normally I’d expect to see no more than a couple of threads sticking out of the nut. Wonder if they were mis-labelled in a parts bin somewhere..?
Yeah I've never seen track pad bolts stick more than a thread or 2 past the nuts.
Talk about never being able to get them off. Almost enough room for 2 nuts.
Here's a easy way to determine the length of track bolt you need. Take the thickness of your shoe, the thickness of your link where the bolt goes through, and the height of your track nut. I'm going to use milometers as it's easier. Say the shoe is 10mm, the link is 20mm, and the nut is 18mm. 10+20+18=48. Your bolt needs to be at least 48mm long. Something between 48 to 50 would be idea. Another problem with track bolts when they are very long like yours is that the shoulder is sometimes longer and if the shoulder comes through the link you will never be able to tighten the shoe because you run out of threads. Longer bolts are made to accommodate thicker shoes and taller nuts. You should be able to spin the nut on the bolt by hand all the way up the threads. The finish is black oxide or the same as parkerizing. If you take the nut and screw it on the bolt while holding it and the nut locks up take the bolt by the head and whack the nut on something hard. There is probably a little bur on the threads and this will straighten it out. The old bolt nut combo looks just about right. You should have taken one with you to the Deere dealer. Thirty years ago undercarriage was fairly simple but now days it's not since there are so many different models and some use the same part and others something completely different. James
very possible mislabel
Thanks for the input guys..going back to dealer tomorrow to try some different part #s..gonna take one of the original bolts/nuts with me...I guess ive learned a tough lesson on this one being my first experience with a track fix...I actually thought my only real issue was the bolts being too long besides not having a big drive impact.
Take heed of Master Link's comment regarding the fact that you should be able to screw the nut all the way to the bolt shank JUST BY HAND. If you find a tight spot somewhere along the way simply lay the bolt flat and whack the nut side-on with a 2-pound hammer. if there are any burrs on the bolt thread that'll flatten them. Not sure about this model but usually when installing track bolts it's anti-seize under the head of the bolt and on the bolt shank, but NOT on the threads. This is especially true when installing new bolts into old track pads and chains. You want the friction that clicks off the torque wrench coming from the threaded joint, not from the bolt head or the shank hanging up on burrs somewhere.