Deere 670g machine. Top rollers are in rough shape. What’s typically the reason for this? I’m guessing bearing locks up or frozen?
IMO failure to dig out the undercarriage. Carrier rollers get packed in mud and stop turning.
This machine is from Alberta, cold climate also
Frozen mud is even better than standard mud at stopping rollers from turning.
More common for the top ones to freeze up vs the lower rollers?
Yes, because the track rollers have the weight of the machine riding on them plus it's somewhat harder (although not impossible) for them to get packed with mud like it is for the carrier rollers.
Good info, Nige. I work in lots of S. Georgia swamp mud at my farm. The carrier (upper) rollers are always encased at the end of the day. I don't clean them every day because the mud does not have time to dry before the next use. But if I am going to leave the machine out of service for awhile I make it a point to clean around the carrier rollers. So my OCD instinct about those rollers is well founded.
This is an example of the kind of slop down here...wet mud is a mess but doesn't cement things into place...when it dries, it is very different.
Operators job is to clean tracks every day before leaving.
Absolultely. it's the same as daily greasing and walk-around inspection.
As the owner/operator, it ain't gonna happen everyday. Like today...my regular job has had me busy all day coordinating 4 major medical installations...scheduling tests, installations of equipment, follow-up tests after installations. I thought I'd be "in the mud" by late morning...it's 3pm and I am finally able to go grease the CAT, pressure wash the radiators and then get in a few hours of actual in the dirt work. Some days like this I don't shut it down til 10PM...then I go eat supper before bed. I grease it every 10 hours, reliably. Cleaning the undercarriage everyday, nope. I'm hoping it's not causing unseen problems. Educate me if I need it.
We can also get some really bad, heavy clay mud. I can spend 1/2 hour shoveling out 210 tracks….then walk machine 300’ & now just as if never cleaned! Completely ‘caked’ up… Generally I just clean at end of day, or if a long multi-kilometre move then will shovel out several times; also allows finals some time to cool. If winter/freezing then must be cleaned at end of day for sure…