Offset on steel tracks

[doobin]

Interested in thoughts on this.

I need to put steels on the 86c. However, due to the side mounted angle dozer ram blades I cannot have anythign extra over the standard 450s on the inside side. Make sense?

So if I bought 600 steel pads and cut one side down I'd have a split of 225/300 inner/outer, for a total of 525 total width.

If I go with 800 pads and do the same, this gives me 225/400 inner/outer, for a total of 625 total width.

The elephant in the room here is the extra wear on components. I have to switch to steels, and given the amount of sinkage I've experienced with rubber tracks I feel I also have to up the width a touch, although I appreciate that steels will be a bit less sinky than rubbers anyway.

What do the learned collective think? Could wear be evened out by switching the tracks from side to side periodically? As with the E27, it'll probably go back onto rubbers for summer work, so I'm realistic in that I'll have to accept some accelerated wear on the steels like this.

 

[Smiffy]

Interested in thoughts on this.

I need to put steels on the 86c. However, due to the side mounted angle dozer ram blades I cannot have anythign extra over the standard 450s on the inside side. Make sense?

So if I bought 600 steel pads and cut one side down I'd have a split of 225/300 inner/outer, for a total of 525 total width.

If I go with 800 pads and do the same, this gives me 225/400 inner/outer, for a total of 625 total width.

The elephant in the room here is the extra wear on components. I have to switch to steels, and given the amount of sinkage I've experienced with rubber tracks I feel I also have to up the width a touch, although I appreciate that steels will be a bit less sinky than rubbers anyway.

What do the learned collective think? Could wear be evened out by switching the tracks from side to side periodically? As with the E27, it'll probably go back onto rubbers for summer work, so I'm realistic in that I'll have to accept some accelerated wear on the steels like this.

Surely just swapping side to side won't work. My logic would be having to unbolt all the pads turn the chains round. Yes they would be running the wrong way but I think with your work it wouldn't matter so much.

 

[doobin]

Surely just swapping side to side won't work. My logic would be having to unbolt all the pads turn the chains round. Yes they would be running the wrong way but I think with your work it wouldn't matter so much.

you are correct! man maths lol

 

[DaveDCB]

Take the rams off? Swap them out for a fabricated bar which will allow wider tracks on?
Or get track pads drilled off centre? So you retain the full 600..

 

[JD450A]

If you need the width the extra wear will be negligible. Track wear from widespreads occurs when people use wide tracks on hard ground or uneven boulder filled bog where your point loading.

As for swapping the tracks. Direction won't really matter on a digger unless your using it as a bulldozer .

 

[Canal Navvy]

Could you add extra holes in the pads and just offset them on the chains ?
I've seen larger machines that have had the outside cut down to make transport easier and I don't remember them having wonky wear.

 

[DaveDCB]

Wouldn’t worry too much about offset… this fella 1000/400mm offset

 

[Storrsy]

I never got round to putting steels on my Case but I actually had decided I would of stuck to 450mm. The added width to the machine 6" would have been the difference between being able to get in on some jobs- plus the blade would have to be widened to appease the OCD in me- but mainly working in amongst rocks and stumps the narrower ones less susceptible to damage/side point loading and easier to manipulate amongst tricky ground.
The 600mm would have been great on the bogs but quite honestly not enough of that kind of work and actually found I could get it around in some pretty desperate places on the 450mms anyway.

 

[doobin]

Take the rams off? Swap them out for a fabricated bar which will allow wider tracks on?
Or get track pads drilled off centre? So you retain the full 600..

The bar idea did occur to me earlier this morning as I warmed it up.

Drilling is not easy as they are hardened.

Maybe I should start with 450s and be prepared to mod and buy a set of 600 pads later

 

[DaveDCB]

Im pretty sure the likes of MST would supply them drilled to whatever offset you’d want? Or @CPS ?

 

[V8Druid]

The bar idea did occur to me earlier this morning as I warmed it up.

Drilling is not easy as they are hardened.

Maybe I should start with 450s and be prepared to mod and buy a set of 600 pads later

TCT broach and re-use one set (offset new to correspond with/compliment one existing set of holes if poss. ??)

 

[doobin]

TCT broach and re-use one set (offset new to correspond with/compliment one existing set of holes if poss. ??)

You mean a carbide mag drill bit?

If that would do it then a jig on the mill would make it easy so long as tool life is reasonable.

 

[V8Druid]

You mean a carbide mag drill bit?

If that would do it then a jig on the mill would make it easy so long as tool life is reasonable.

sounds like a plan .... plenty of cutting compound and don't go mental with the cutting or feed speed .... and be sure it is well clamped down - chatter and / or vibration will kill the TCT cutters

 

[Quattromike]

Get a decent plasma cutter on the job, alot quicker

 

[Thomas7740]

Do you need the angled blade? Could you stick a standard blade on then have no restrictions?

 

[doobin]

Do you need the angled blade? Could you stick a standard blade on then have no restrictions?

Lot of aggro.

 

[Thomas7740]

Lot of aggro.

I'd rather that than start to f*ck about cutting pads or drilling lots of holes. Can you not get ready made offset pads to suit?

 

[Bri963]

Interested in thoughts on this.

I need to put steels on the 86c. However, due to the side mounted angle dozer ram blades I cannot have anythign extra over the standard 450s on the inside side. Make sense?

So if I bought 600 steel pads and cut one side down I'd have a split of 225/300 inner/outer, for a total of 525 total width.

If I go with 800 pads and do the same, this gives me 225/400 inner/outer, for a total of 625 total width.

The elephant in the room here is the extra wear on components. I have to switch to steels, and given the amount of sinkage I've experienced with rubber tracks I feel I also have to up the width a touch, although I appreciate that steels will be a bit less sinky than rubbers anyway.

What do the learned collective think? Could wear be evened out by switching the tracks from side to side periodically? As with the E27, it'll probably go back onto rubbers for summer work, so I'm realistic in that I'll have to accept some accelerated wear on the steels like this.

If you go down this route you’ll have to accept that the pins and bushes will wear prematurely. Swapping the complete tracks side to side won’t make any difference and if you do that you will see even more accelerated wear on the bushes as you’re pushing with the chains running the wrong way. Unbolting the shoes and swapping the chains side to side so they’re running the right way might gain you a bit of life but I doubt it’ll be much.

I don’t know if this is just for a specific job and then back to narrow shoes, but if it’s prolonged runnng, the Uneven loading on the shoes will twist the chains, accelerate internal wear between the pins and bushes and I’d expect some interesting wear on the rollers, which will all need to be factored into your pricing. If effectively you’re providing a bespoke solution, you’re justified in upping your price to compensate.

i’m assuming with all the above that you’re planning to be doing a lot of pushing .

 

[V8Druid]

Get a decent plasma cutter on the job, alot quicker

had considered that as an alternative, but'd really want to be set up in a profile

 

[doobin]

I don’t know if this is just for a specific job and then back to narrow shoes, but if it’s prolonged runnng, the Uneven loading on the shoes will twist the chains, accelerate internal wear between the pins and bushes and I’d expect some interesting wear on the rollers, which will all need to be factored into your pricing. If effectively you’re providing a bespoke solution, you’re justified in upping your price to compensate.

This is the bit I was worried about. But Rory said it would be fine!

I'm at £750 plus vat a day. Not doing a lot of pushing, the angle dozer is just what came with it. I think I'll make a couple of stay bars to replace the rams and then fit 600 pads with just enough cut off the inside to give clearance on those. That should be fairly balanced.