Rubber Track care
Do’s & Don’ts for Maximising the Life of Your Rubber Tracks
All our rubber tracks are designed to withstand the roughest (normal) wear and tear that an operator can put on them.
They are not designed to be abused or ignored. To get the longest, most productive life possible from your tracks, here are some simple guidelines to follow.
Do’s
Do use care and common sense when operating a tracked vehicle. Fast wear on rubber tracks usually occurs for a reason. Make sure the reason is not lack of care by the operator.
Do minimise the rubber track exposure to contaminants such as oils, salt, chemicals and abrasive fluids. Clean rubber tracks immediately if they come into contact with contaminating liquids or corrosive chemicals.
Do keep the rubber tracks out of the sunlight as much as possible. Sunlight will cause deterioration to the rubber compound. Also be careful of the ambient temperature you are working in. Normal rubber track temperature range is between -25 o C and +55 o C. In times of extreme conditions slow your travel and turn speeds to reduce wear.
Do prevent foreign objects becoming lodged in the undercarriage.
Do avoid fast, sharp turns.
Do clean undercarriages frequently and prevent build-up of sand, mud or gravel.
Do maintain the correct tension on your rubber tracks always. Incorrect tension will result in damage and possible track “throwing” when travelling. Over-tensioning will damage your rubber tracks very quickly.
Do check the undercarriage components regularly. Excessive wear on sprockets, idlers and rollers will cause unnecessary wear on your rubber tracks, and affect performance and reliability. When purchasing new rubber tracks, first ensure that the undercarriage components are in a fit state and will support your new rubber track. Placing new rubber tracks on worn undercarriage components is throwing money away.
Do use the correct rubber track width as specified by the manufacturer. Using wider rubber tracks than necessary or than what the machine was designed for will cause added stress on drive components and the rubber track itself.
Do alternate the direction of turns from one side to the other. Try to avoid continually turning in one direction only.
Do limit any unnecessary high speed travel.
Do limit reverse travel.
Do reduce slippage and spinning.
Do travel with both rubber tracks on level surfaces.
Don’ts
Do Not traverse hills. When mounting hills travel directly up or down. Traversing (driving at an angle) will put unnecessary sideways stress on the rubber tracks.
Do Not drive with the sidewalls of the rubber tracks up against curbs, walls or hard objects.
Do Not travel in areas that will cause early wear or excessive damage to your rubber tracks. Minimise use in rocky areas, sharp gravel areas, concrete surfaces, demolition areas, crop stubble fields, metal debris and any other sharp debris zone..
Do Not work on a crown or crest. This will place all the weight of the machine and load on the inside rubber track links, inside roller, idler tread surface and sprockets.
Do Not work in depressions. This will place all the weight of the machine and load on the outside rubber track links, outside roller and idler.
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