Digger track question

[LSB]

I have a question from HID about our digger, a Kubota 1.5 ton rubber tracked mini excavator

Yesterday, it stripped one of the metal guides off the inner lining of one of the tracks.

1. Is it safe to carry on driving it, or will it throw the track.  If it can be used any idea how long before it has to be replaced.

2. Where can we get a replacement track.

3. Is this possible to replace as a DIY job, by one person.

 

We are currently digging a 120m long 750mm deep trench with the water pipes.  The meter is being fitted in about 3 weeks and I'm wondering if I need to postpone them.

 

[Russell griffiths]

If your unsure how to replace the track then I would think you don’t know how to tension them correctly either. 

In which case you are probably running them too slack leading to them jigging about and the damage. 

 

You will need a grease gun and a socket set. 

In the flat panel between the front drive sprocket and the idler wheel is a hole ( probably full of mud ) on this hole is a 19mm nut with a grease  nipple in the centre, this is how you tension the track. 

 

Swing the arm arm of the machine round and push on the ground to lift the track off the ground, take a pic and put it up, I bet the track hangs very slack. 

 

To adjust it up you fit the grease  gun to the nipple and pump in more grease, as you pump you will see the idler wheel move out and the slack in the track lift. 

 

Get some pics and report back. 

Edited July 26, 2023 by Russell griffiths

[LSB]

3 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

If your unsure how to replace the track then I would think you don’t know how to tension them correctly either. 

In which case you are probably running them too slack leading to them jigging about and the damage. 

 

You will need a greese gun and a socket set. 

In the flat panel between the front drive sprocket and the idler wheel is a hole ( probably full of mud ) on this hole is a 19mm nut with a greese nipple in the centre, this is how you tension the track. 

apparently tension is fine 🙂 
Hubby is more worried about if it's safe to use until we source a replacement track as we need it every day at the moment.

He's happy about replacing and tensioning, just wondered if it can be done by one person or if we need to draft in someone else.

Currently, it's a single man build

 

[Russell griffiths]

Tracks for your machine will be £175 each roughly 

changing them is a half hour job. 

Having a spare track is one of those things that you will never need, until the day it snaps and the water board is coming the next day. 

You can get tracks within 48hours delivered if an emergency. 

 

One man job on that size machine. 

Edited July 26, 2023 by Russell griffiths

[nod]

10 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Tracks for your machine will be £175 each roughly 

changing them is a half hour job. 

Having a spare track is one of those things that you will never need, until the day it snaps and the water board is coming the next day. 

You can get tracks within 48hours delivered if an emergency. 

 

One man job on that size machine. 

So true 😂

[ToughButterCup]

42 minutes ago, LSB said:

....

1. Is it safe to carry on driving it, or will it throw the track.  If it can be used any idea how long before it has to be replaced.

...

 

Yes.

No, if used carefully

No idea. One of my tracks survived long enough with a couple of guides missing for me to get someone to change the track for me

(because I'm not the HeMan @Russell griffiths is ..... bear in mind he grew up knowing how to change a track before he could change his trousers)

[Dave Jones]

it will be fine for many years until you are in a tight corner digging the last bucket and then need to track over the open trench. at this point it will come off for sure.

[Russell griffiths]

Did a job for a neighbour last week. 
took the excavator round on the trailer. 
two days later I had to bring the digger back, so being lazy I thought I wouldn’t bother with the trailer, but track it 200m down the grass verge, 20m from my drive I have to nip acros the road to my side. 
Can you guess when the track came off, yep the last 20m right in the middle of the road. 
 

oh how I laughed. 

[ProDave]

1 minute ago, Russell griffiths said:

Can you guess when the track came off, yep the last 20m right in the middle of the road. 

Just after you made a tight turn?

 

I was going to suggest if in doubt, don't make a tight turn just by skidding round, pick up one end of the machine and turn on the tips of the tracks.

[Declan52]

Won't matter how much care you take the track will only pop off when it's buried in the deepest sloppiest muck on your site. It's just an example of how life kicks you square in the nuts sometimes.

[LSB]

how do we find out what the track size is, is it marked on the track somewhere like a car tyre.

 

[Russell griffiths]

Any good track shop will have the dimensions just from your machine make and model. 

Look online they normally have a drop down menu for different makes.