Here
are some suggestions and tips to extend the life of your rubber tracks and get
more return on your investment.
Avoid cutting across a slope; instead, drive up and down a slope. Constant operation on a slope or side hill can cause accelerated wear to the guide lugs, idlers, and rollers. It is best to climb straight up or down then turn when the track loader is on level ground.
Replace worn out partsAlways replace your sprockets when you install new rubber tracks. New undercarriage parts will significantly increase the life of your rubber tracks. Worn sprockets accelerate track wear and cause slippage which leads to de-tracking and subsequent damage to the tracks.
Avoid Demolition and Concrete WorkIf you take on a demolition job rent a solid tire machine or add the cost of a set of tracks into your job proposal. Demolition work typically tears into a rubber track exposing the metal pieces to the weather if not ripping the track into pieces. Rubber track machines were not intended for demolition work or working on the concrete and asphalt surfaces. Skidding on the concrete wears down the tread of the track as well as puts severe pressure on the track as it digs in for traction while being forced to slide across the hard surface.
Watch your width
Inching close to
curbs and foundations for grading is very dangerous. This picture provides a
perfect example of the damage that can be done. If you rub the outside edge of
the track against a curb, foundation, tree, or any surface similar to that will
tear the outside of the track. The outside edge of the track is rubber as the
metal links that go across the track do not reach to the edge. As a result the
rubber tends to fold over the link and rip all the way down the length of the
track. This exposes the steel links and usually tears the steel cords that are
close to the edge. This is not a warranty situation so you are effectively
ruining your track by grading too close to an edge. Solution... get a wider
bucket!
Replace all of your rollers, not one.
This isn't a salesman's attempt to sell more rollers. If you have three worn down rollers and the fourth breaks consider replacing all of the rollers and keeping the three for emergency replacement. If you put one new roller then it is bearing much more weight as the others are likely not touching the ground evenly. This will result in the new roller taking on more than it is designed to handle and will wear out prematurely.
Replace worn and broken bucket teeth.
There have been several good articles lately in the contractor and construction magazines pointing out that bucket teeth are a simple solution to increased performance. New teeth help dig into dirt piles and reduce the stress on the undercarriage, you are digging into the pile as opposed to trying to force the bucket in by accelerating and increasing torque on the sprockets and tracks. Replace the $7 bucket tooth and save gas and more importantly reduce the stress on the undercarriage which will increase the lifespan of the tracks and sprockets. Additional advice… if the tooth breaks off or wears completely down, replace it immediately. Again, $7 bucket tooth replacement beats replacing the $25 adapter plus welding costs.