Workdays are long for most loggers. The last thing you want to think about after 10 or 12 hours on the job is machine maintenance, but what it comes down to is that maintenance is essential — helping increase the wear life of components and significantly extending undercarriage life.

Basic undercarriage maintenance includes the following:

Check track sag daily. Track chain that is too tight increases the load on undercarriage components. This can shorten component life by 50 to 70 percent. A tight track magnifies the load, which results in more wear on the track bushings, sprocket teeth contact areas and the track-link-to-idler roller contact areas.

Increased wear also occurs at the track-link-to-idler contact point and track-link-to-roller contact points. More load means more wear on the entire undercarriage system.

Bonuses of maintaining proper track sag include using less horsepower and less fuel to do the job, which translates to immediate cost savings.

Consult your machine's operator manual for proper track-sag adjustment particulars.

Select the narrowest shoe possible. Shoe width is important due to severe ground conditions in many forestry applications. Wide shoes increase the load on track-chain pins and bushings, as well as idlers, rollers and sprockets. The wider the track shoe and the harder the under-track work surface, the faster track shoes, pins, bushings, rollers, and idlers will wear.

Using the narrowest shoe possible for the flotation required will improve the life of your undercarriage components.

A couple of the best shoes are as follows:

• Open-center (center-punched) track shoes allow some soil, debris, and material to work out from between mating undercarriage components through the shoe. Open-center shoes are best for snowy conditions.
• Closed-center shoes should be used in almost all other applications.

The primary cause for track shoe loosening and split master link separation is improperly torqued hardware. See your operator's manual for proper torque procedures and specifications.

Clean out the undercarriage at the end of the day. This is particularly important around carrier rollers. If the material packs or freezes, it will prevent the roller from turning and being lubricated, shortening wear life. It's easy to understand how this simple bit of maintenance alone will save downtime and wear and tear. Work in both directions. When you work on a side-slope or travel uphill and downhill, you increase the load and stress on one side of the machine. To balance wear, try to spend an equal amount of time working in both directions. Limit reverse operation. On a conventional undercarriage, only 25 percent of the track chain is under load when traveling forward compared to 75 percent when traveling in reverse. Reverse operation can cause up to three times more wear, so it makes sense to minimize the amount of time you operate in reverse. Alignment checks. Track frame and front idler misalignment will accelerate wear on all components. You can check for alignment by observing the wear patterns on the bottom rollers, carrier rollers and front idlers. You also can stand at the front and rear of the machine and do a visual inspection. See your machine manuals for specific adjustment procedures. An undercarriage works as a system. When a machine is in motion, there will be normal, unavoidable wear. With good undercarriage maintenance and operating techniques, the rate of wear can be reduced.   Back to Stories from the Woods