You should always perform a thorough check and check your undercarriage before you take on any heavy duty work. Before you start on your project, make it a point to conduct an inspection of your equipment’s undercarriage and tracks. Doing so will help you avoid expensive repairs if something goes wrong in the field.
The undercarriage of tracked heavy machinery, including excavators, dozers, skid steers, and other tracked construction equipment is important to maintain properly. If the undercarriage is not regularly inspected and properly maintained, it can cost you valuable time, money and probably decrease the entire equipment’s lifespan.
It is commonly said that a piece of construction equipment’s undercarriage contributes more than 50% of its lifelong replacement part expenses. Below are four helpful tips to keep your heavy machinery and construction equipment working efficiently so that you can spend save more money.
Tip 1: Regularly clean the undercarriage removing all dirt, debris, mud, and grime.
If the undercarriage isn’t cleaned, it’ll accelerate premature wear on the equipment’s components. This buildup of materials on the undercarriage can start to rub at the bolts, loosen the track components and seize up the rollers.
Tip 2: Look at every part of the undercarriage, even the small stuff.
Operators should closely take a look at the undercarriage in their machines every day. Make sure to check your bolts, nuts, sprockets, bearings, and other small track parts. During the inspection keep your eyes open for even the small parts with damage because some wear out and cause damage to anything attached or surrounding it. Minor pieces with wear may additionally indicate—or quickly result in—larger, more expensive troubles with the equipment.
Tip 3: Examine the track tension of your construction equipment
Take a look at the track tension, preferably whilst the system is in its running conditions to make sure that it’s the right tensile strength. If tracks are tighter than they have to be, it will increase wear, lower strength output and decrease fuel efficiency/gasoline performance. If tracks are too loose, it also leads to issues of premature wear, contributes to equipment instability, and may cause track derailing.
Tip 4: Observe all OEM-advocated inspection and maintenance schedules.
It may seem obvious, but it is crucial to follow the OEM maintenance instructions and get consistent expert inspections. It is vital to get another pair of eyes on the equipment according to the OEM recommendations in order to keep your equipment running efficiently. You may miss a gradual change if you are inspecting it everyday, whereas a fresh pair of eyes can point out things that build up over time.
In conclusion, a proactive approach to undercarriage maintenance goes a long way in keeping heavy machinery performing at its best when you need it most. While inspections keep costs down, eventually parts will wear out and need to be replaced. When that time comes, it is vital to choose high-quality replacement undercarriage parts for construction equipment to get your equipment back in the field as soon as possible.
