Hi, Just wanted to ask if there are any tricks to getting some pads moving again. The machine is an old Hitachi UH045 that was sitting for a couple of years. There are about 7-8 pins stuck on each side. I have used a bunch of PB Blaster and these tracks are the first thing that PB Blaster has not worked on. I am wondering if there is more to it than just rust. I am probably using the wrong terminology for the parts of the track. Hope you get the idea. Thanks, Rod
I've heard of taking a torch and heating the pins up nice and hot them pouring cold water on them so they will shrink, hopefully they will break loose. I have no experience doing this but think it may work. Does the machine run so you can track back and forth? Maybe soaking the pins and wiggling the machine back and forth will break the bond.
The machine runs, it smokes, but it runs. I ran the tracks quite a bit after hitting them with the PB Blaster. And I do not think a single link broke loose. I woulda thought at least a couple would have broke loose.
Can you run the track the the idler then take the bucket tooth and pop the edge of the track with the corner bucket tooth. It may be enough to break it loose.
When I get dozers or excavators in and they have links that are froze even when they do break free and look like they are flat as soon as you make a pass around the sprocket and idler they are kinked again. Only method I found is knock the pin out and clean adn replace. I have a portable track press that is rated for 50 tons and without heat and this press they are too much work to press out. Normally I give up even with this high dollar press and send them to u/c shop for a turn. Better than beating myself up with out the proper tools. Keep us posted on yoru luck though. Darin
Can you explain this a little more?
If this question was to me then here goes. If not then oops... Basically you need to remove the frozen pin out of the link bushing and replace or clean it. My history shows that these pins don't unfreeze,,,, normally... Someone may chime in as say different. I've went through tons of pb blaster, kroil, liquid wrench, torch gas and oxygen, sledge hammers, c presses, & everythign else with very poor results. Sorry for the bad news but hey I may learn something new from this thread. I'll stay tuned. Darin
Old engine oil and a sledge hammer... run the track to the idler then back up a bit till you see the kink in the pad .... Knock it down with the hammer , move the machines track foward around the idler then, back up.. it will prob. be frozen still... do this over and over till its not frozen any longer.... done this many times on my TD9 , my D7 cat , and the D4 cat ..... Works for me.....
Just try heating them until they just turn red at the pin boss and have some rotate the tracks while you heat them.
See I told you... it will work for everyone but me. Darin
A UH045 is a pretty old excavator. The problem you are describing is called bridging and I have found no sure cure for it except as stated by darinray. Basically the outside diameter of the pin and the inside diameter of the bushing have rusted together. You can remove the track pad over the stuck link and the one just forward of it to allow clearance for the track press. Push the old pin out, clean the bore with a die grinder and small flap wheel and then press a new pin in. The problem is that it will take all or more than a 100 ton track press to push the pin out. You will also find that when you go to reinstall the track pad that most of the time the holes will not line up. The whole process is time consuming, halfway dangerous and usually more expensive than the machine is worth. I tell most people it is cheaper to live with the problem. Use the machine enough and they may just straighten out. Good Luck!
That's why I said just to heat them up and ride on !!!!!
I have this same problem. I am going to try and fix it today. I am not confidant now. ;-) Baz
I managed to get some movement out of the frozen links, but this is definitely something I need to do with an assistant. Too much jumping in and out of the cab. In a couple of hours I hardly did anything. One link was so tight that lifting the excavator up o the bucket then dropping the track down on a strategically placed heavy piece of angle still didn't move it. The ones that moved went back to the original kink after one rotation of the tracks. I may just pour some oil and diesel mixture on them every day and hope that something eventually gives. Baz
The passive approach is probably the most practical here, I agree. As long as the machine moves, just track it around a lot. Also....let's have some pics of the Hitachi!
Frozen track pins. You do need an assistant as you heat the track pins to the point of redness, the tracks need to be rotated at the same time. Only work with one pin at a time until all move freely.
Thaks for all the ideas. Sounds like I have a few suggestions about how to go at these tracks. I will let you know how things work out. I will try and post a couple of pics of the Hitachi soon.
tracks when our old 315l computer died we parked the machine behind the shop and it sat for a little while.in winter , the drivers would empty the salt from the sanders right next to the machine.salt was rusting the hell of the track. once we got it running again one track was locked up pretty good. had about 10 links that wouldnt move. the machine was worked for over a year and they still didnt free up.....then we put it on a ledge job where a pilot line started to leak. ,,,the hydraulic oil dripped onto the the under carriage and over the course of a week, with the oil and the machine tracking over the rocks and uneven ground. the track is now loose and the machine tracks nice again. doesnt even squeek.
Now thats a sweet way to fix em. No sweat required.
All you got to do is find a paying quarry job and a small hyd oil leak