I have had to put tracks back on my mini many times but this was a different story. It seems that the tensioner on this is designed to still apply spring pressure even when the grease cylinder pressure is released. On my Bobcat, the grease cylinder and spring are in "series" instead of "parallel" like this seems to be. I could not get the idler to stay retracted because of it, which obviously made getting the track back on much more difficult. I finally was able to with a combination of chains pulling on the track in just the right places. Any tricks to getting a track back on with this type of system, or is it just the nature of the beast?
There's nothing unusual about the idler arrangement. If it feels like you are pushing against a spring, your track adjuster piston may be seized or the through-bolt in the recoil spring might be broken.
That could be. I don't think it's seized though because it tensioned right up when I applied grease to it.
I'm going with the broken trough bolt as well.
Probably is. Hopefully the tracks stay on so that I don't have to worry about it!
If the recoil bolt is broken, it will throw the track off again soon enough.
I had the same thing once. Broken bolt in the recoil assembly. Its a fun job.
Having just re-tracked one side of my 311 after an idler repair I feel your pain! Did you have another machine to help get it on?
If I remember right it was a komatsu pc400. I replaced the recoil assembly
I'm renting it, so I'll let the owner know he needs to replace the bolt or recoil assembly Columbo, I did not have another machine. I typically use the bucket to lift the track off the ground and then use chains to the thumb to apply tension to the track in the right places to get it back onto the idler. The thumb allows pulling movement without moving the bucket or arm. Of course it had to happen on a rainy day...
Tracks always come off on a rainy day, in 6 inches of mud, 100 yards down a hill from the nearest point you can get the truck. It is some kind of immutable law, I think . . .