I see the random sets of used rails for sale online, at auction sites, craigslist, etc. Mainly for dozers but excavators, loaders, etc. are also out there. I'm assuming most of the the rails with pads are from machines that were scrapped out and the rails by themselves are from replacing the rails and keeping the pads on that machine. Some rails look like they've been sitting in the grass/brush for a while and I've seen one set of rails/pads with a small tree growing through the middle of them. Was curious if the sets of rails with pads can be a useful purchase for adding another few years of life in a ranch machine for a 1/3 the cost of new set of rails? Or like everything else, do the rails act like things that sit outside for years and tend to become useless without regular movement to keep the free turning bits free turning. Edit: For my question about adding a few more years of life to a ranch machine, assume the used rails and pads measure out to 80% life left.
I've never seen a used set of tracks that were less than 80% worn. One company I worked for was always trying the used stuff. Boil the last ounce of steel off the track chains. Most of the rollers were shakers, sprocket teeth were sharp as razors, front idlers bounce around inside the track frames and then a flat bed truck would show up with another set of junk tracks.
Some decent tracks may have come off a scrapped machine or maybe a machine that used 2 different sets of tracks ie/ a wide pad machine working on hard ground. I've seen sets of decent tracks but they are few and far between.
Yup, the vast majority of used rails, rollers, etc. that I've seen is not a good deal, even for lightly used ranch machines. I agree with Dave that probably any decent undercarriage bits probably came from a scrapped machine. It's interesting to walk around a Ritchie Bros yard in the parts section and see a dozer blade, a ripper/winch, the ROPS, a fuel tank, and tracks/rollers that look like they all come from the same machine. Makes you wonder what blew up- the engine, tranny, or drives... My question is more about whether or not a decent set of used rails become useless when laying down in the rain/snow/sun for 5 years or more not being moved (ie- the pins/bushings being pivoted). I know dozers, etc. can set up for a number of years and the tracks are somewhat unaffected. But if the rails are laying down sideways, I have no idea if it allows for water intrusion and such to corrode the pins/bushings. Especially when the rails have been laying directly in the dirt instead of being slightly elevated on a pallet or such.
A few years most will be ok as far as not being bound by rust. Beyond a few years is a gamble.
The customers that think scrap rails are good rails are the same customers that run machines perpetually one track already in the scrap pile.
The tracks wear in use. The steel is generally polished to the point that it will take years for rust to decompose the surface enough to compromise structural integrity. Dozer chains that are sealed usually don't show many issues with the links completely seizing up. SALT tracks are usually compromised before they were removed, meaning there are already dry links. Excavator chain may be different but I've never seen anyone swap a used set. All the components of the undercarriage can be measured. The true value then is as a percentage of life left in the components. While pitch cannot be measured accurately with the chains not installed on something and pulled tight, the bushing diameters are a good enough measure of wear to determine an approximate amount of life left. An 80% worn bushing means the chain only has 20% of the original value. Put another way, if the original cost of the chain was $3,500 and the chain is worn 80%, then the value of the used chain is no more than $750.