On this machine I bought Someone put all new undercarriage but left the old chains. Hasn't been too long because there is very minimal wear. I found a set of very good tracks from a dismantler. Now one guy told me you have to press the pin back in, and another told me to just heat up the bosses and start hammering. Any input from you guys would be appreciated and what is a average cost to press pin in? Thanks
It all depends on the size. Is it a 1.5t mini digger or a 65t class machine?
Volvo ec210blc
Remove the old one? if its scrap, I'd say cutting torch or plasma, I've worked some old equipment where there is a master pin that can be hammered but the new sealed tracks, that might be a press only operation.
So, 20T class machine. It's a bit borderline. With a willing assistant, chicken bar and BFH you may be able to flog the pins home cold OR you may find that you have to break out the gas. The problem with modern track chains is that they often have plastic grease seals and if the pins are tight and you heat the boss you will destroy the seals. Not really a concern if the chains are part worn and your expectations aren't very high. On the other hand, if you were installing new ones I would opt for a track press to avoid damaging the investment.
I vote track press. Last time I hammered a pin a lump of steel came off the pin and went through overalls, pants leg, a thick sock and into my calf muscle. Then I had a doctor with short fat fingers try and dig it out. TRACK PRESS.
Yes I love it , this forum is awesome. Track Press all the way! Thanks guys
If you are close and can freeze the pin it will go in a lot easier also.
Good day again 03 210B Here is a link with advice it may help Kind regards Uffex https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3CHoxRUD5qAemdQcHpHbTJ1a3M/view
Use dry ice on the new pin before you try and install it. It worked wonders on our thousandth per inch over sized bushings on the 550 dozer. Most of them dropped in with a little heat.
I would endorse Redneckracin advice this is a preferable method to that of heat as i has a bad effect of the parent metal. KR Uffex
Before you opt for anything you find out what kind of master pin your new tracks are going to have. The T bar headed master pin and links are pretty common now days. That kind of pin is held in with a big cotter key. You can knock them out and in with a four pound hammer. I never used a press on excavator tracks but many times wish that I had. If you have the right press you don't need the liquid cold. The other thought is that with sealed track chains and standard press in master pins that have the fiber seals you will likely have to have the pad installed on the chains. The fiber seals do not have the spacers and the links will be pressed in further than wanted. The pad holes will not line up if that happens.
Yair . . . Don't know what happened post disappeared and now I have a double post . . . oh well, you will get my drift, (grins) Cheers.
Yair . . . Re comment from uffex up thread that "heat has a bad effect on parent metal". Theoretically it is so but in the real world I have never seen an issue with heating links. I have always used heat for master-pin removal and assembly . . . if one tractor was down both tractors were down so there was no time to shag around with more hammer work than necessary. I have flogged together track assemblies from links, pins and bushes flown in with a Cessna and obviously they needed to be cherry red to assemble with a FBH using the "C" frame as an anvil. We noticed no undue wear or failure. The Berco links were difficult and I found it easier just to cut a "V" slot with oxy, slip them onto the bush and pour the amps in when rewelding to shrink them back to tight. This was in the era before sealed track of course. Cheers.
When did the sealed tracks start coming out? Can you tell if they are sealed by looking at them? Mine is a 2003 Volvo 210
True SALT (Sealed And Lubricated Track) chains are usually only found on machines that do a lot of tracking, eg. dozers. They are easily identified with a split master link. Excavators have for a long time (30 years maybe?) used a sort of cheaper half-way-house called a Grease Lubricated Track. They have grease installed between the pin and bushing with a rudimentary plastic seal to keep the grease in and the dirt out. This works for a while but compared to a SALT chain, the lubrication is quickly lost. I would be surprised if your 2003 machine doesn't have grease lubricated chains. Edit. I suppose the rule of thumb would be if you are splitting a track on a newish machine with the grease still there, you should use a track press, grease the joint and install new seals. On the other hand, if you were splitting the track to replace a worn out idler or to remove a link in a stretched chain, the grease in the other links will be long gone and there would be no point in installing new seals so you can save yourself the trouble of a track press and just warm it up with the oxy.
Great information When you say " identified with a split master link" Does that mean taken apart or just the type of link ? Thanks
I have a friend that had installed many sets of tracks without safety glasses. The inevitable finally happened ---> he was hammering a pin in and a piece of it punctured and blinded the vision in his eye. I vote track press too.
It's the type of link. It is held together by the four bolts that also hold the pad in place. I would post a picture but it's getting near my bedtime and I shall sleep safe in the knowledge that one of our other erudite members with more time on their hands will surely post a picture before long. :thumbsup
Well here's one example of a "Split Master Link" it says it's for an Hitachi Excavator. The bolts that hold the pads on also hold the link halves together. So does this qualify me as "erudite"? And is that a good thing?
Good day 03 EC210 The sealed track group belongs to tractors not excavators, as to our research we have not seen sealed track chains fitted to excavators. Hope it helps Kind regards Uffex
EC210B track chain Original spec Regards Uffex View attachment EC210 chain copy.pdf
I believe Cat calls all their excavator chains sealed or grease lubed. I have never seen SALT chains used on excavators. The link in the photo above is what we used to see on Berco chains for tractors. Here are a couple of photos of excavator master links I've seen in the last ten years. Hope I get this right.
I dunno. I always thought it was something to do with sniffing the saddles on ladies' bicycles?
With or without the lady present in the saddle?
As peter Griffen from Family guy would say..Eww gross!
How we've done it before, when all pins look same: Weld up a pin punch just under pin diameter, that's long enough to allow you to stand over it between your feet with your back next to the tracks. Weld foot length cross pieces about six inches in from hammer end, find some wooden blocks etc so that with the pin you're removing down by ground (behind you) you can stand on cross pieces and everything lines up good. If pin has centre divit, weld a blob on your pin punch to help keep it lined up. Choose most likely candidate for bashing out, and wire brush crud off, remove burrs with grinder. With machine on level ground in the right place for whatever else you are doing, pull track adjuster in all the way. Do this with your chosen pin between two bottom idlers. Get your 14lb sledge hammer and got stand with your back to a pile of rocks, line up rocks and practice hitting one between your feet for 10 minute until you can do with eyes shut and full bore swing, you're trying to smack it between your feet so it punches it backwards behind you into the heap. Adjust hammer handle length, wrap a bulge of tape after your hand position so your full swing is natural and full of confidence... Go stand on your pin punch with your back to the machine and drive that pin out. You will feel good when it starts to show signs of moving. Have faith, if you can smunck it hard enough it will come out. Mind your eyes.
Thanks That is all very helpful If tracks make it through the job I am on I will be attempting the track change out next week
if the old tracks are trown away i would just cut the old tracks. atleast then you dont need to bash out the pin that you never gonna use anymore. If you are using the old pin, then John Shipp is the way to go. i had the privilage to do it a couple dozen of times before we had a press.. try to do it on a Friday, then you can relax in the weekend:drinkup and gloves and good googles are a must.. dont heat up the links to much, cause if they get even harder they could crack on you with some metal in your legs as a result of scratering.. good luck
Yes the old tracks are scrap. I will just cut them off. I been thinking about how to wrap the new ones back around the machine. Can I just cut the old ones, lay them down, then lay out the new ones in front of them and drive the machine (idlers first) on to the new ones? I do have a 6ton machine and a bobcat available if needed. New tracks are going on a ec210
And here I thought I was being of some help here!
Definitely helping!
I normaly swap the plates on a bench(big i beam where the chain lays on) or dragline plates so then it is easier(cause your working on a nice height)to take the chain off and swap them and then just wrap around the new one. Depending on the situation and size of machine and if there is another machine onsite i will wrap the chain from the sprocket or from the idler side. With a smaller excavator im pretty handy in wrapping the chain on there starting from the sprocket, i can lift the chain up a bit on to the sprocket and on to the toproller when feeding it in with the enddrive. Until you reach the idler and you can put the pin in from that side. But this doesnt always work that well with the 50-100tons excavator im doing. So if there is a extra machine or you have long straps you are able to pull the chain over the rop rollers with the extra excavator. Or in some cases when no extra machine availible i wrap a long strap around the enddrive and let the excavator pull its own chain ovet the toprollers from the idler side. Usely i do this until i can get my strap on the bucket and pull from there. But usely i pull it with the enddrive until im at the sprocket and then pull it with the bucket. Personaly i like to close the chain on the sprocket side just cause then its easier to wiggle with a prybar and the sprocket has already the right pitch. Good luck with it.
It was helpful. No offence intended. My apologies.
No offence taken, just trying to be a wise ***, comes real easy(too easy) some days!
Yair . . . 03EC210, It is very simple and normally there is no need for a second machine or straps but you will need a helper. Do one track at a time on level ground . . . it's surprising how a machine can roll once the sprockets are disengaged from the tracks. Lay out new track the right way , line up machine and cut old rails in front of idler at such a point that the track will flop down leaving no more than (say) about a foot of gap between the end of the cut chain and the new one. Reverse machine to lay old track out and then drive forward onto new chain . . . it is assumed you have already pulled the idler back with a drawbar pin or some such in the sprocket. Once the machine is positioned on the new track block both ends up so the ends are above centre height of the sprocket and idler respectively. Back machine into the raised chain and have the helper slide a crowbar through links and engage tooth of sprocket, Gently take up slack and, with helper behind bar drive forward with helper lifting end of track over support rollers and guiding it onto idler. Drive forward into idler and assemble spacers flex rings or whatever into recess in links slip a suitable bar through (long 3/4" extension or breaker bar?) and carefully reverse back to the position the join at a convenient position on the sprocket. The bushes engaging on the sprocket will assist with alignment and with the old style chains we used to give the links a good heat with the rosebud and bump the pin in with a four pounder. Cheers.
Thanks BuMack and Scrub Puller Definitely some helpful advice. I like the idea of one track at a time. I was thinking cut them both and drive machine on to both new ones, but that would just complicate things. Trying to keep it safe, it's my first time with something this size.
Putting back on is easier with a helper of any size, even if they can't run the link over the idlers with the crowbar because too heavy etc, if using a strap to pull chain along while tracking it's very useful to have a set of eyes watching and guiding, you can't see from cab and on your own it can take a couple of try's coz the sprocket gets ahead of itself etc, especially if ground is not exactly level.