I have an old Poclain and are new to this website. The excavator is 15 tonn track machine. The question that I have is how do you split the tracks as I need to replace the seal in the frame to the final track drive cog. I have removed the hydraulic final drive and replaced the oil seal in the hydraulic unit.
First of all welcome. I am about as far as you can get from being a track expert, but I would not expect to have to split the track to get it off. Once the pressure is released from the track adjuster the idler will push back in far enough to give enough slack to get the chain off. With the pressure released push the idler back with your bucket and a block of timber. With the bucket at 90deg to the undercarriage pick the track slightly off the ground, using a block of wood or two at an angle you should be able to travel the track forward and by trapping the wood on a track plate force the chain off the idler as it comes around. Once the track is clear of the idler you should be able to walk the machine out of the track. Putting it back on is another thing altogether Seriously, getting it back on is the reversal. The hardest part is to get the chain onto the sprocket as until you manage that you cannot drive the track. Another machine would be useful and makes life a lot easier but if not available it is still quite possible. IF you really want to split the track, I believe one of the pins will have a dimple in the end which denotes it is the master pin and should hammer out. Thats a very big hammer and a lot of sweating and cussing.
I believe AtlasRob is correct about the master pin dimple. If you are taking the final drive out put the master pin at the sprocket and split the track there. Once the link is apart move the machine forward only enough to clear the sprocket and park it there. When you get ready to put the track back together, hook onto the top loose end with the bucket and pull the track back over the sprocket while you move the machine in reverse. I usually burn a hole in the master pin to take it out. It usually takes all the wear anyway and they are usually pretty cheap. You can heat and beat if you want. Good Luck!
why did they make the machine with a hyraulic track adjuster?? with my machine the track keeps coming off!! can i take a link out???
You do understand that the track adjuster although looking very much like a hydraulic cylinder, is not operated by the machine hydraulics. There will be a plate ( might be missing) mid way along the outside of the track frame that conceals a grease fitting that allows you to tension the track by adding grease. If you already understand this, I apologise. If that is the case we then get to your main question " can I take a link out " HELP! Seriously, the answer is probably yes but if your track is tensioned to its maximum ( the idlers will be nearly out of thier guides) then taking a link out will only give you a limited amount of further use.
no i didnt understand. i thought the adjusted was operated by the machine hydraulics. when it starts the ram goes out. so i am ignorant. so is the only way to tension the track is by grease?? you cant adjust anything manually. i wish they made a god damn manual for this thing!!!! (sc150)
No problem RED-355. This forum is here to help each other, be they expert or novice. Theres plenty here with an awful lot of knowledge that are still learning tricks from other parts of the world. :cool2 The biggest problem is trying to understand just how experienced someone is by reading thier question, it is easy to make a wrong assumption and end up trying to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs ( sorry thats an old UK saying that might pass clean over your head ) Track adjustment / tension is usually by adding grease ( standard manual lever type will do, nothing specialist) through a nipple/jerk that is usually hidden behind a cover plate mid way along the outside of the track frame. This is the side of a 4.5t exc with worn out running gear, but it does us The red box shows the cover plate, the blue box shows the idler almost out of its guides which tells us that the tracks are well worn. The other clue is the sprocket teeth. If they are very blunt that is good, if they are sharp then they are worn. I have come across big flat headed grease nipples that require a different adapter but I expect yours to be standard. Once you find it spin the cab 90deg to undercarriage and lift the track clear of the ground. Give a couple of pumps with the gun and the track should show signs of tightening. Then travel the track a revolution and pump some more, do this after a each couple of pumps as it will give you a better clue as to tension. You want a couple of inches gap between the bottom rollers and the chain. IF you have the tracks too tight you will rapidly increase wear and stresses on rollers, idlers. finaldrives etc. IF you think the tracks are too tight, DO NOT remove the grease nipple, it will not release the pressure. The grease nipple will be mounted on a section that will have flats on it for a BIG spanner, undo this section about 1/2 to 1 turn and you will release the pressure. This is what you will have to do should you loose a track again once tensioned. Usually occurs when they are worn out and you get a stone/rock/root or other foriegn body in the chain :Banghead Hope all this helps. :drinkup
hey mate thanks for that!!!! so i'll try to tension it first and if that doesnt work i'll take a link out!!! i was thinking of jacking it up , taking both tracks off, pressure cleaning it all, and painting it and general maintenance. should i undo the Big flat section as you explained above to first release the pressure then somehow roll the tracks off. someone mentioned hit the pin out to take the tracks off, but im not sure what is best? thankyou for your help.
Personally I suggest you tension the tracks and run the machine for a few hours/days and see if they keep tension. The reason I say this is, if one or both tracks do not hold tension then you are looking at stripping the tracks off to get the idler out to do some serious maintenance. I would hate to hear you had done a track removal, clean, paint and rebuild only to find that you had to strip it all again to replace a seal in the track adjuster. Me, I would not remove tracks to clean and paint the undercarriage, but its not my machine and I am not you. I am pretty sure I could clean and paint all the bits that mattered without taking the tracks off, BUT thats IMHO :drinkup Me, I would not split an exc track to get it off or on again, I hate hard work and swinging that BIG sledge makes me ache just thinking about it, but I fully understand the guys that prefer to do it that way :notworthy. you need a good sledge, big drift and somebody you can trust with your fingers. Heat can often become neccessary. Pump them tracks up and lets see what happens.
good idea. blasting them with degreaser, and painting them on seems a much better alternative!! it might just be something very simple too! thanks mate.
I appreciate these instruction tips. I`m just splitting the track to change one link who is damaged on my 1979 fiatallis SL9 excavtor (16ton) It is hard to get the bolts out and probably best to burn a hole as suggested but... what to do when putting in the new ones? Somebody told me that I might put the bolt in the fridge overnight... I think that sounded as a good idea any comments... has anybody tried this?
I`ve got a 1979 Fiat Allis SL 9 16 ton excavtor. I still works fine but I am looking for operator manual, service manual etc.... anybody out there who can help? Tom
I throw pins in the freezer all of the time, it shrinks things enough to get them in with out using a press. You have to be quick though as they will warm up quickly... Some people like to pack them in dry ice or other things, I personaly do not like to as at that tempature the steel becomes more britel.
Thanks I also got a hint today that when trying to hammer the bolts either in or out You have to be very careful about keeping it straight because the bolts easily "wedge" or get stuck if the direction is a bit wrong
ok, here are some pics of the tracks. the idler on the RHS is almost at its limit but the chain is still loose!!!, the one on the LHS seems fine!!!, remembering i am still negotiating a price for the machine, and the track comes off all the time, 1. what can i do to fix it? and the cost?? 2. i was told i could just remove one link, push the tensioner all the way back in and go again?? 3. so this would mean that the sprocket is worn or the idler gear at the front? or both?? 4. how much life would it have in it if i was to shorten the chain?? 5. would a slack chain on one side cause the machine to track slighty sideways???
Yes mate, You can take a link out of the chains and start again with the adjustment. The other components around it will be fairly worn but on an oldie like that IMO it does not matter. How much are you planning on paying for that? What is it for? Shane
we im planning on $3500 us dollars (converted). im planning on digging a few monster dams, cleaning out some dirty ones, and cleaning up paddocks that have rocks in them so i can plough, digging some house pads, a shed pad and general cleaning up!! i know shes an old beast but you get what you pay for!!!!!! yes everything is worn......but hopefully not worn out!!!!!!!! do you think this is expensive????
I am actually in Australia, so how much in our currency? As long as it is running and working fine I that that price is quite good. How much do you have to spend? Shane
oh yeah, sorry.. about $3000 -$4000 somewhere, we are in that region, but havent agreed yet. it does run, ( havent seen it yet and wont buy it until) , but one ram leaks a bit ( apparently) and the track keeps coming off, and it doesnt track straight!!!!! so i am in two minds, !!!!
The ram leaking should be a simple pull apart and reseal, look at the chromed surface and see if it is fairly smooth and neat to make sure but that would be my guess. Not tracking straight, not uncommon on old machines the you have to hold the travel stick at different locations to track evenly. How much money do you have to spend on an excavator? Shane
the chrome part looks fine!!! well i wasnt looking for an excavator, rather a bulldozer, but i saw this one and it is kinda cheap i think, even though you'd have to find parts in a museum!!! so about 5,000.
Which cylinder is leaking ? Are there 2 cylinders that lift the boom and are connected to the turntable ? If one of those is leaking sometimes the pin that connects the boom to turntable can be bad. That can get expensive and difficult to repair. If the pin is bad and the boom wiggles one way or the other the lift cylinders are not equally sharing the load and can blow seals.
call this guy we have a poclain 160 and he keeps me running. super nice people! http://www.rapidmachineryinc.com/
yes i have spoken to Rapid Machinery! he is a nice guy!, im in australia, so they say 'you have a what???, a poclain??? um... never heard of them!!!' the ram which is leaking is the one at the very end of the boom, it angles the bucket back and forth.
also, im not 100% sure if this track adjuster is all the way out! is it easier to somehow chok the idler rather than taking a link out of the chain??
There is still more adjustment left in that track. Shane
thanks guys!! i appreciate all your advice!!!
It looks like that track is too loose and the idler is too far up front in order to fix this track, the best solution is to remove one of the links, and by looking at your final drive, you need need sprockets.
it needs much more than sprockets!!! but it will only be used once a month so im hoping that it will last a few years!! you get what you pay for!!!