Getting More Hours from an Undercarriage

Tracks, rollers, idlers and sprockets carry the whole weight of a crawler machine over abrasive ground, and they wear accordingly. The undercarriage is often said to account for around half of a tracked machine’s maintenance costs over its life, which makes it the place where small daily habits pay back most.

Keep the tension right

A track that is too tight loads every pin, bushing and bearing and wears them quickly. One that is too slack can whip, ride over the sprocket and come off. Check the sag regularly and adjust it in the conditions the machine is actually working in: mud packed into the track has the same effect as over-tightening.

Keep it clean

Clay, rock and frozen material packed around rollers and sprockets stops parts turning freely and adds load. Clearing the undercarriage at the end of a shift takes minutes and saves components.

Operate with wear in mind

• Avoid long stretches of high-speed travel, especially in reverse, which wears bushings faster.
• Alternate the turning direction rather than always turning the same way.
• Work up and down slopes rather than across them where you can.
• Use the narrowest track shoe that gives enough flotation; wide shoes on hard ground bend and crack.

Measure, and replace as a system

Measuring pitch, roller and sprocket wear at regular intervals shows how fast the undercarriage is wearing and when to act. Components wear together, and a new chain on a worn sprocket wears out faster than it should, so plan replacements as matched sets.

Browse our undercarriage parts, or tell us the machine and serial number and we will check fitment.