how do you know when tracks are worn out and what is the cheapest way of fixxing them:beatsme
We have welded square stock on the pads when they get worn down and hardface them, that gets some traction back but we haven't had to replace a full set of tracks yet. Hope this helps.
Is this a question of generalization? Or, Is the question regarding a certian machine(s) Ross
In general.... If sprocket teeth are sharp & pointed at the tips, they are worn. If your hydraulic track adjuster rod is at maximum extension, tracks are worn. If your shoe grouser height is much lower than new, and traction is a problem, than your shoes are worn. Also look for seized up idlers and rollers while machine is in movement.
Welcome to HEF Joe Hamper! :drinkup
When are tracks worn? Hi, MTB345. What Joe said plus a few things. One way to really tell if your tracks are worn is to acquire the appropriate track wear gauge from your dealer/distributor for your particular machine and run all the tests that are recommended. These gauges are relatively cheap - compared with the cost of replacing the track chains and plates, that is. Further indications are: If the bottom track roller flanges start hitting on the pin bosses in the links. If you can feel holes or pieces of the bushes broken away in the sprocket contact area between the track rails. When the wear line on the sprocket teeth reaches the top of the tooth, which is quite often, as joe mentioned above, the point where the tops of the teeth become sharp also. Idlers or rollers that appear loose on their shafts when the machine is in motion indicate that those items have a bearing problem - - - - or maybe don't have a bearing problem as they have no bearings left with which to have a problem. If the idler is not on the same plane as the sprocket, eg, appears tilted in or out when compared with the sprocket, you may have either worn or twisted track frame rails or a worn or broken idler shaft. Pretty much any crawler tractor or dozer should be able to spin its tracks in first gear under heavy load, even with full grousers. However, if the same machine spins its tracks a lot under heavy load in 2nd gear in reasonably good tractive conditions, it's a fair bet that its grousers need attention - - - - - - unless you've added 2 extra turbos to it, up-sized the injectors and wound the fuel pumps and governor off the map. In that case, it's likely to be the transmission and/or final drives that need attention - soon. Track plates that are bending - new and near-new track plates seldom bend. It is normally only when grousers get severely worn and/or the plates themselves are worn thin that they bend. Plates will usually take 2, 3 or even 4 grouser re-builds, depending on the conditions in which the machine is working and the type(s) of work it is doing. Drawbar work is usually much kinder to tracks than dozer work. Hope some of this helps.
We would need to know the machine and track type as it depends on what type of crawler it is, what type of track it uses and what you use it for. Generally a crawler undercarriage won't wear evenly so you have to evaluate its condition with a full inspection by someone that knows undercarriage. The pins and bushings will wear at different rates internally and externally. Internal pin and bushing wear is often called stretch or pitch extension, you check it by stretching the track tight by shoving something in the sprocket and carefully backing up then measuring across 4 links/5 pins and comparing with standard value and maximum allowable value. External bushing wear you can feel with your hand and see how out of round the bushing feels then measure the worn area with a caliper and again compare with standard values. Link height is the distance from the wearing surface of the links (where they run on the idler and rollers) to the underside of the track pad. Grouser/pad wear is normally the distance from the grouser to the top face of the track pad When you have the four values determined in % wear you can decide whether the pads will go again, whether the pins and bushings can be turned to offer a second life or whether its more cost effective to replace the track link assemblies based on link height. On smaller excavators its often cost effective to run the links to destruction until the idler is at full extension, on larger machines and dozers with a sealed and lubricated track it can be cost effective to make the turn. If you could provide some photos of the links/pads/grousers/sprockets etc we could make some guesstimations
A balanced undercarriage is the key, I bought my 1st D8H in 87' and now have 2 D8K's none of which ever had a evenly worn UC. You have to look at the tracks and rollers, consider how many hours a year you expect to put on the machine and decide what will work for you. As mentioned link height will determin if the rails are worth new pins and bushings. Pads can be regrousered if they are in good condition. I have a set I regrousered 10 years ago they are just now down to the weld. None of it is cheap, the UC is one of the most expensive componts on a crawler. Good luck. DP
This one is slightly worn if they look like this run away don't walk RUN
mtb345, here area few examples of worn tracks these are still running but need to be replaced. Pic#1 is showing badly worn Grouser as the bolt heads are the same height as the cross bars Pic#2 is showing a badly worn sprocket as the teeth are sharp on the tips pic#3 is showing the badly worn track rails as the pin bosses are wearing near the pin
One more, this one shows a badly worn bushing almost to the point of the pin being visible through it.
Good Photos. Hi, Wrenchbender. Good photos. Thanks for posting. Do you happen to know what machine those tracks are - barely - hanging on to? Again, thanks for posting. I imagine those photos will make it a lot clearer for the uninitiated among us.
Yes Sir Mr.Deas Plant those tracks are hanging on a 10C Fiat Allis loader
Thanks Hi, Wrenchbender. Thanks for the info. I ran an early F-A FL10 loader back in 1978. It was not a bad machine at all, not as good as the Cat 951's/955's of the time but not bad nevertheless. Thanks again.
they say a picture is worth a thousand words thanks for the info
:thumbsup Glad to be of help if and when I run across a good set I'll post those as well.
Track Pads How many hours should a set of grouser pads last? I'm on a D6R with 5800 hrs and the pads are getting dog eared. The undercarriage was done last year at 3600 hrs with new rails. I've been in some very rocky old gravel pits most of this year with it but I keep hearing that shouldn't matter. There's only about an inch of grouser left on the pads. I thought the pads should have been done with the rest of the tracks last year but of course the company didn't want to spend the money. Any thoughts out there?
Grouser wear will be relative to the type of work and type of terrain, in soft soil where the grouser penetrates the wear will be minimal. In rock or abrasive material the grouser and the plate will wear much more quickly. If you do a lot of ripping or lose traction and spin the tracks the grousers will wear much more quickly. Aggressive steering and spin turns will also wear the grousers more quickly. A series of track inspections should be used to identify projected life of the pads, links, bushings, sprockets, rollers etc and components should be replaced to get the best bang for the buck weighing up the cost of the iron, labor and downtime. As you've gotten another 2200 hrs out of the pads it wouldn't have been cost effective to throw them out at 3600 hrs.
Welcome to HEF D6RXW GPS! :drinkup
I don't want to hi jack a thread and appologize in advance is this is against an forum rules but there is a thread on undercarriage going on at this link: http://www.constructioncentric.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1190773546 It is a work in progress.
Is there anything special you should do to the tracks if you are letting the dozer sit for the winter, I have washed out all the mud and dirt. Bandit44
What to do with tracks in winter. Hi, Bandit44. Firstly, welcome to the forum. Now, what to do about tracks in winter. That's easy. Move 'em to a climate where you don't have to park up for the winter. Like here on the Gold Coast, Queensland, DownUnder, Australia. LOL. You already know more about 'dozers than you give yourself credit for. You said in another post that you have been running a JD550, an 'H', I think you said, and that it was a good machine. If you have learned enough to appreciate whether or not a machine 'feels' good, you have developed a pretty fair feel for machines in general and that machine in particular. This will stand you in good stead in your future learning. The best way to learn to run any machine is to get on it and have a go - - - - carefully but not overly so. Always remember that most machines are more stable fore and aft than sideways and that most operators will press the 'chicken switch' before the machine will roll. Dozers in particular will usually slide before they'll roll, especially wide gauge and LGP machines. Be prepared to experiment, again carefully. This is how you learn the boundaries of your machine's abilities. I work at keeping the blade/cutting edge where I want it and doing what I want it to do rather than worrying about what the machine is doing. This may seem strange but, when you get used to doing it that way, it works. Sure, you have to stay within the range of movement of the machine but it's surprising what you can with a machine when you really try. I'd bet that some design engineers could/would have learned a thing or two about the machines they designed from the people who operate them.
Thanks Deas Plant for the advice, I think running a dozer is a lot like welding, anybody can weld but not everybody is a welder. The same with running a dozer. Anybody can drive a dozer but that doesn't make them a dozer operator. Bandit44
On 'driving' ANYTHING. Hi, Bandit44. U shoore slarbbed ah bibfull thar. An' it applies to pretty much any equipment. Or, as we say DownUnder, there's drivers and there's 'drovers'. There's them that is and them as 'wannabe'. If I ain't in the 'is' class now, I think I may have wasted a fair bit of my life trying to kid myself that I am.