Keeping Your Undercarriage on Track

Everyone who owns equipment, from a machine as large as a backhoe to the simplicity of a weed whacker, knows there is one concept that is synonymous with equipment ownership time and time again — preventive maintenance. Maintaining your equipment is essential to completing projects on time, keeping customers happy and machines performing and saving you money.

When new equipment arrives on the market, some operators can push their new machines to the limit while forgetting some of the basic steps that help the machine run in tip-top shape. That can lead to higher-than-necessary operating costs and eventually disappointment in the new equipment.

Compact track loaders have been around the market for a few years now, but only recently have become one of the most popular new machines available. They are still relatively new and feature components that not everyone is familiar with, particularly in comparison to skid steers. This is especially true when it comes to the issue of preventive maintenance on the loader’s undercarriage.

Good compact track loader preventative maintenance should center around three key areas of undercarriage upkeep: 1) recognizing factors that affect undercarriage wear; 2) learning the operating techniques that minimize wear and give the best results; and 3) understanding regular undercarriage maintenance procedures you need to follow.

The best place to start, of course, is the manufacturer’s operation and maintenance manual. The following tips can be applied to all compact loaders, but manufacturers may make different recommendations based on specific machine design and performance features.

Factors that Affect Undercarriage Wear

There are five factors that affect wear on a rubber track undercarriage: application, material, terrain, operating
technique and maintenance. Understanding how each of these factors influence wear rates will help owners control how fast an undercarriage wears.

These factors are not new. They have been recognized by leading manufacturers of steel track undercarriages for many years. In principle, they have the same effects on rubber track undercarriages.

Working any piece of equipment to its fullest potential in any application where torque and horsepower are maximized means that operators should expect more wear to the entire machine. When you run your equipment hard and fast, you should simply plan on higher wear rates no matter what the brand. Keep in mind that this usually means faster component wear.

The materials you work in can have as much or even more impact on the service life of undercarriage components than the applications. In general, the more abrasive the material, the faster components wear. Rocky, jagged material or construction debris will cause the most wear to an undercarriage, while working on soft, loamy soil and sand will generally cause the least wear. You should always remember working in materials that are highly abrasive will cause more wear.

“Operators should perform a walk-around inspection of the machine at the beginning of their shift and during breaks, as part of their standard operating procedures,” says Buck Storlie, product support manager at ASV. “Be on the look out for debris caught inside or within the undercarriage of your machine. Check to make sure the track is tensioned properly by monitoring the amount of track sag between the front idler wheel and the drive sprocket. Too much sag means it’s loose, not enough sag means it’s too tight. Each manufacturer has a set procedure for checking and adjusting track tension. Taking these steps will help prevent early track failure.

“Also, keep a watchful eye for cuts or nicks in the rubber tracks. If the steel is exposed through cuts or nicks, water will cause corrosion and eventually this style of track fails, which is something operators can’t prevent. Always remember, if a track gets a cut that results in no longer being able to maintain proper track tension, you’ll need to replace it.”

Depending on the machine, track replacement can run anywhere from $1,400 to $3,000 each.

Operating Techniques

How you operate your compact loader can be one of the most influential factors that affects undercarriage wear and operating costs. As mentioned earlier, aggressive operation may help get the job done faster, but it can also increase the rate of wear and overall operating costs.

For operators making the transition from a skid steer loader to a compact track loader, it’s important to remember that some adjustments in operating technique will improve results and keep operating costs to a minimum.

For example, you can make a quick change in travel direction by counter-rotating, but doing so on abrasive material like rock might cause unnecessary wear to tracks and undercarriage components. Turning without counter-rotating may take a few seconds longer, but doing so can potentially extend the service life of undercarriage components.

Whenever possible, use more gradual turns while slowly moving forward or backward. Sharp turns on abrasive material like jagged rock could cause premature wear to the track and roller wheels. Gradual turns will minimize cuts and tears and help maximize undercarriage component life.

The contour of your working environment and the way you maneuver the machine on the terrain can also affect the undercarriage of your compact track loader. For example, working across slopes can cause faster wear to tracks. You can reduce unnecessary track wear by operating the machine up and down the slope, rather than across, whenever possible.

Undercarriage Maintenance

Following some simple preventive maintenance procedures lets you maximize service life and value of the undercarriage components on your machine. Tracks that are too loose or too tight can reduce the service life of the track and lower machine performance.

“Once new tracks have settled and have been readjusted, they normally don’t need constant readjustment,” says Storlie. “However, operators should periodically check the track tension. Tracks that are ran out of the recommended tension specifications cause accelerated wear of undercarriage components.”

Since wear to an undercarriage can be caused by debris lodged between components, the cleanliness of the machine’s undercarriage is critical. You can reduce wear by keeping the undercarriage clean and free of debris through regular cleaning. How often you need to clean the undercarriage depends on the material you are working in, but a daily cleaning is normally sufficient.

Cohesive and abrasive materials like mud, clay and gravel should be cleaned out as often as possible, even several times a day.

“A pressure washer works well if available. If not, use a small shovel or similar tool to dislodge and remove materials from the undercarriage. If you’re working in scrap or debris, remove any loose strands of material such as wire that can sometimes become tangled in your undercarriage,” says Storlie.

When you clean the undercarriage, weather and temperature can be a factor in how easy or difficult the job becomes. Removing materials like mud at the end of the day is much easier than trying to remove it the next morning after it has dried. In cold climates, or whenever freezing temperatures are expected, it’s a good idea to run the machine forward and backward before shutting it down. That helps reduce moisture build-up and can prevent freeze-ups the next morning.

On machines that have undercarriages with suspensions like the ASV Posi-Tracks and Cat multi terrain loaders, make sure torsion axles are lubricated according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Keeping torsion axles lubricated is a simple step that will help keep them in good operating condition, which is an important part of the machine’s suspension system. Regular lubrication also helps maximize their service life.

When maintaining your machine, you may come across components that look worn. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are ready for replacement. A good dealership can provide guidelines about component wear and help determine how much life is left on components like sprockets, roller wheels, tracks and the many other parts that keep your machine moving. A good rule of thumb is to check with dealer personnel on undercarriage parts before the parts are replaced. Always make sure you get full service life out of each component because replacement of parts too early can lead to higher than necessary operating costs.

The long and the short of it is that if you take good care of the undercarriage on your compact track loader it will take good care of you, providing years of reliable, productive performance.

John Merritt is a writer and senior counselor at Carmichael Lynch Spong in Minneapolis, Minn.