JCB 8014 - Track Tensioning

[Rocky Horror]

Has anyone any advice on tensioning the rubber tracks on the 8014? The assembly is as per picture with the 30mm nut. The right hand track has slackened slightly. Should I tighten or loosen the nut, and is there anything else I need to take into consideration? I've already had a go at adjusting, but turning the nut either way doesn't seem to be having any effect on the tension. What is the purpose of the pin on the nut?

 

[Smiffy]

Has anyone any advice on tensioning the rubber tracks on the 8014? The assembly is as per picture with the 30mm nut. The right hand track has slackened slightly. Should I tighten or loosen the nut, and is there anything else I need to take into consideration? I've already had a go at adjusting, but turning the nut either way doesn't seem to be having any effect on the tension. What is the purpose of the pin on the nut?

They take a lot of turns to get much movement in them

From memory there is a lock nut that you crack first then the main nut for adjustment. Have you found both nuts ??

 

[Bri963]

Has anyone any advice on tensioning the rubber tracks on the 8014? The assembly is as per picture with the 30mm nut. The right hand track has slackened slightly. Should I tighten or loosen the nut, and is there anything else I need to take into consideration? I've already had a go at adjusting, but turning the nut either way doesn't seem to be having any effect on the tension. What is the purpose of the pin on the nut?

Don’t tighten or loosen any nuts in there until you’ve looked in the workshop manual. That big spring is what’s called the recoil spring and if you slacken that off you’ve got a potentially dangerous headache.

 

[Smiffy]

Don’t tighten or loosen any nuts in there until you’ve looked in the workshop manual. That big spring is what’s called the recoil spring and if you slacken that off you’ve got a potentially dangerous headache. Normally you tension tracks with grease through a nipple in the side of the track frame. There are exceptions to this but I don’t think a 8014 is one of them. If you’ve slackened anything in that frame you might need to get someone to look at it who knows what they’re doing. Seriously, mate, don’t underestimate the risks messing with track tensioner.

8014 are definitely a nut for tension
If looking through the small side plate I don't think you can get to anything other than the adjustment bolt
The bolt holding the spring in I think is only accessible by pulling the idler assembly out

 

[Rocky Horror]

They take a lot of turns to get much movement in them

From memory there is a lock nut that you crack first then the main nut for adjustment. Have you found both nuts ??

All I can see through the side plate is the 30mm nut with a pin through it, nothing else is visible.

 

[Rocky Horror]

Don’t tighten or loosen any nuts in there until you’ve looked in the workshop manual. That big spring is what’s called the recoil spring and if you slacken that off you’ve got a potentially dangerous headache.

Any ideas where I can find a manual?

 

[Rocky Horror]

8014 are definitely a nut for tension
If looking through the small side plate I don't think you can get to anything other than the adjustment bolt
The bolt holding the spring in I think is only accessible by pulling the idler assembly out

The 8018cts we use at work is tensioned by pumping grease into it, and slackened by removing the grease nipple nut, but the 8014 seems only to be a nut adjustment as you say.

 

[GazCro]

All I can see through the side plate is the 30mm nut with a pin through it, nothing else is visible.

Tension via the nut you see in there. The pin through the nut is there to stop the nut (actually i think its a bolt) unscrewing when the plate is refitted. There a pita method as you only get about a sixth of a turn at a time but it's rarely too bother with.

 

[Furniss]

The plate you took off to access the tensioner has a v shaped back that stops that pin turning when the access plate is on .... and yes just tension via the nut.

 

[Rocky Horror]

The plate you took off to access the tensioner has a v shaped back that stops that pin turning when the access plate is on .... and yes just tension via the nut.

I never actually took a plate off, there isn't one it seems

 

[Smiffy]

All I can see through the side plate is the 30mm nut with a pin through it, nothing else is visible.

That is a slightly older design than the one I drive I think
The one I drive has a lock nut that would be on the threaded bar up inside the track carriage and the big nut is 36 or 40mm.

Turning that nut clockwise should tension the track if it doesn't there may be bigger problems
When the nut is turned is the threaded bar turning and moving back and forth or is it just turning in a fixed place
If you can't see clearly put a cable tie round the threaded bar in line with something and see after a couple of turn if it has moved in relation to the marker point

 

[Rocky Horror]

That is a slightly older design than the one I drive I think
The one I drive has a lock nut that would be on the threaded bar up inside the track carriage and the big nut is 36 or 40mm.

Turning that nut clockwise should tension the track if it doesn't there may be bigger problems
When the nut is turned is the threaded bar turning and moving back and forth or is it just turning in a fixed place
If you can't see clearly put a cable tie round the threaded bar in line with something and see after a couple of turn if it has moved in relation to the marker point

It's a 2005 model. I'll try what you suggest as soon as I get a chance

 

[T whiting]

Get a ratchet on the nut and give it a tighten it'll be obvious which way it's moving after a dozen turns. Bear in mind that the track doesn't want to be drum tight it wants about 50mm of clearance between the bottom roller and the track with the machine jacked up it's normally easier to tension the tracks with the machine jacked up too

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Hopefully this helps. Not the best photo quality unfortunately.

 

[Bri963]

8014 are definitely a nut for tension
If looking through the small side plate I don't think you can get to anything other than the adjustment bolt
The bolt holding the spring in I think is only accessible by pulling the idler assembly out

Amazing. My little K008 is half the size and has grease tensioning.

 

[Smiffy]

Amazing. My little K008 is half the size and has grease tensioning.

The 8014 really is poverty spec hire machine. Not much to go wrong and actually quite nice and smooth to operate
But geared pump
Single speed tracking
Fixed undercarriage
Short blade carriage

As long as you accept the shortcomings they do work well nice big arse on them so stable as long as you are on flat ground
Easy to grade with smooth controls
And very little to go wrong and the cab is enormous

 

[Rocky Horror]

Hopefully this helps. Not the best photo quality unfortunately.View attachment 24307View attachment 24308View attachment 24309View attachment 24310View attachment 24311View attachment 24312

Thanks for this. Just what I need

 

[GazCro]

The 8014 really is poverty spec hire machine. Not much to go wrong and actually quite nice and smooth to operate
But geared pump
Single speed tracking
Fixed undercarriage
Short blade carriage

As long as you accept the shortcomings they do work well nice big arse on them so stable as long as you are on flat ground
Easy to grade with smooth controls
And very little to go wrong and the cab is enormous

To be fair they are a machine of their time and jcb were behind most others in bringing better spec and expanding tracks to their smaller machines.

 

[V8Druid]

looking at your drawing and this is pure speculation, i'd say that item 6 screws in/out of item 4 (or a threaded plate, not shown, in the carrier frame, pushing the machined step on the end of 6) into 4 increasing the loading on the spring (5) .. I assume plate 1 is fitted to the rear of the idler carrier with 4no. bolts (2) and washers (3) ..... the castellated nut with securing split pin on the end of 4 keeps everything attached to plate 1 ...... presumably item 6 needs to have something to bear against in order to preload spring 5 with the plate at the end of item 4, which i'd assume is shaped thus to prevent it turning and slides in some sort of guide.
as said pin 9 is presumably secured by something attached to the cover plate to stop it free rotating
But .... WTF does 6's bolt head bear against, if 6 isn't threaded into a plate in the track frame??

 

[Rocky Horror]

The 8014 really is poverty spec hire machine. Not much to go wrong and actually quite nice and smooth to operate
But geared pump
Single speed tracking
Fixed undercarriage
Short blade carriage

As long as you accept the shortcomings they do work well nice big arse on them so stable as long as you are on flat ground
Easy to grade with smooth controls
And very little to go wrong and the cab is enormous

I agree, it's very basic but does have some grunt for a little machine. At the end of the day it's saving my back from breaking and that's fine by me As for flat ground, not much of that about in my neck of the woods