The rubber tracks on your Cat Compact Track Loader are designed to be durable. These steel-embedded rubber tracks give you unparalleled traction control as well as high floatation, low ground pressure, machine stability and smooth ride.
A few simple steps will minimize wear and tear on your compact track loader’s tracks and protect your investment over the long term.
Several factors regularly contribute to wear and tear on compact track loader tracks.
The amount of torque and horsepower required to do a job directly affects the life of the rubber track and other undercarriage components. In general, tough applications such as excavation and dozing use maximize power to run the rubber tracks and will decrease their lifespan.
The material being worked in also can affect the service life of rubber track. The more abrasive the material, such as jagged rocks or heavy construction debris, the faster track and other components wear down.
Aggressive operation may save you time on the job site, but it will speed up the need to replace track and other parts. Work smarter by staying at the minimum ground speed needed to do a job and following the operating instructions when you need to work on a sloped terrain.
Cat Compact Track Loaders were created to work hard in aggressive conditions. But it’s important to balance your operating techniques to increase the life of your machine and its components. Here are a few suggestions.
Skid steer loader operators often use counter-rotating as an easy way to turn and change directions. This doesn’t work well with a compact track loader because its rubber track doesn’t lose traction and skid like skid steer tires do. Counter-rotating a compact track loader could add extra wear on the tracks and undercarriage components. Instead, it’s better to make a gradual, 3-point turn while slowly moving in forward or reverse.
When you move your Cat Compact Track Loader across slope, never exceed a slope that is greater than 3 to 1, or 18.4 degrees. Working across such slopes can contribute to more wear on undercarriage components.
Avoid unnecessary side-loading wear by operating up and down a slope, rather than across, whenever possible. Keep the heaviest end of the compact track loader uphill. Also avoid making direct 90-degree turns a slope, which can wear down track guides and can wedge material between the track and roller wheels.
If you need to move the machine over a transition, do so with the machine 90 degrees to the transition so one of the machine’s tracks fully supported by the ground.
Always maintain the full length of track on the ground to provide optimum traction when back dragging with your Cat Compact Track Loader. It’s best use the loader arms with the FLOAT function when back dragging.
Rubber track maintenance is crucial, including occasional checks of the track to make sure its within the recommended tension and doing daily cleaning of the undercarriage to mud, debris and other abrasive materials.
When it’s time for new rubber track for your Cat Compact Track Loader, Yancey has you covered, no matter the job ahead.
General duty: https://parts.cat.com/en/yanceybros/general-rubber-track#orderBy=0
Heavy duty: https://parts.cat.com/en/yanceybros/premium-rubber-track#orderBy=0
With more than a century of experience, Yancey’s team makes it easy for Georgia customers get the parts and service they need for their Cat equipment. Contact us today.
