Undercarriage Operation Tips
Field Fact: 50% of the cost of owning and operating a machine
are related to its undercarriage
C.N. Wood has developed guidelines to help you get the most out of your undercarriage with the lowest cost possible. Critical to controlling costs is proper machine operation. Following these tips will help you avoid unnecessary undercarriage wear.
Slow speeds
Use the slowest operating speed that will get the job done in a timely
fashion. Wear rate increases with speed. When working in high impact
conditions, it is critical to use the lowest gears whenever possible.
Minimize reverse travel
Reverse travel causes much more wear to bushings and sprockets than
forward travel. Avoid reverse travel in high gear or when climbing uphill.
Avoid spinning the tracks
It is ineffective and causes unnecessary wear on the
undercarriage by inflicting a grinding action on the grousers.
Avoid favoring one side
Favoring one side causes uneven undercarriage wear. If it is
impossible to use symmetrical operating patterns, swap left and
right rollers periodically.
Avoid impact
Impact produces shock loads that affect undercarriage components by
causing cracking, bending, breaking and misaligning. Use lowest gears if
the job requires high impact conditions.
Minimize counter-rotation
Counter-rotation produces heavy side loading, because one track travels
forward while the other travels in reverse. Counter-rotation can be
used effectively to minimize preferred-side operations.
Avoid sharp turning
Sharp turning, especially in high gears, produces side loading. It's
better to make wide, large radius turns.
Park machine properly
Parking on a flat, dry sur face is the best way to park. Parking on a slope
could cause roller seals to become permanently deformed, especially in
extremely hot or cold temperatures.
Minimize direction changes
Switching between forward and reverse causes root and radial wear.
