Costs related to the undercarriage represent a substantial fraction of the overall operating expenses for tracked vehicles, representing as much as 50% of total maintenance costs over the working life of a machine.
This is because the undercarriage is subject to heavy loading and external agents during use that wear out the components over time. A low performance undercarriage not only reduces the efficiency of the vehicle, but also risks causing damage to other components, greatly compromising productivity and increasing expense.
Like all other essential components, an undercarriage requires the right amount of care and good practice to extend its useful life, slowing down wear and substantially reducing maintenance costs.
There are numerous definitions of this phenomenon. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) defines wear as a mechanical loss of material that occurs as a consequence of contact between two surfaces. Generally and by way of example we can talk of:
Undercarriage wear is mainly caused by the first two in the list, and can be worsened by three other main factors, which fortunately we are able to manage and control. These are:
In this article we analyse the first factor, the bad habits of operators when using tracked machines, regarding speed in particular, even though also loading plays an equally significant role in these habits.
Over the long term the undercarriage components of vehicles with steel or rubber tracks wear down. However, there are ways to limit this inevitable process, including an appropriate daily management of the machine and undercarriage. Improving operating techniques makes it possible to eliminate the bad habits that cause faults, additional expense, and lower productivity. Below are the 7 most common errors in the use of tracked machinery to correct for more extended undercarriage performance by slowing down the wear process, which nevertheless remains inevitable.
1. High speeds in forward and reverse drive
It is sometimes advantageous to operate at high speed but this habit accelerates wear on the undercarriage and its individual components, like the links, bushings, rollers, and the drive sprocket and idler wheels. In general, working under full load while maintaining low speed is preferable to working under half load at a higher speed. Even if it might not seem obvious, the first approach gets the job done quicker, saves fuel, and avoids premature undercarriage wear. Driving in reverse can also be hazardous at both high and low speeds. Reverse driving accelerates wear specifically on the bushings and drive sprocket wheels, and so it is advisable only to reverse when really necessary, for short distances, and never accelerating excessively.
2. Unnecessary movements
Some operators tend to use tracked vehicles outside of the work area, for example during the lunch break. This speeds up undercarriage wear at the expense of productivity, while also wasting fuel. For movements unconnected with work operations, it is good practice to use other, more appropriate forms of transport.
3. Sharp steering
4. Always turning towards the same side
Vehicle wear is inevitable sooner or later, but paying attention to how you turn the machine can even it out. If you always turn in the same direction the undercarriage components on one side will wear out before those on the other side: turning more frequently towards the left, for example, will cause the right hand side to wear out first. Whenever possible the machine should be positioned so that it can turn in different directions from time to time.
5. Incorrect use of the front blade
To move a bulldozer effectively under full load it is important to pay attention to the position of the front blade while moving. If it remains too steeply angled towards the ground it will continue the digging action even when this is no longer necessary. Wrong blade positioning makes it difficult for the machine to advance, consuming a lot of energy for limited effect while generating excessive loading with the risk of damaging also the blade. At the same time the undercarriage is subject to slippage, which generates wear without any corresponding increase in productivity, ruining the component parts over time. The most effective method is to dig only until the front blade is fully loaded, and then raise it relative to the ground so that the machine can proceed more easily.
6. Wrong ripper angle
7. Advancing in the direction of the drive sprocket wheel
In the next edition we will discuss the other two factors in detail, loading, and the presence of external abrasive substances, which even more directly impact undercarriage wear and tear.
Improper use of a portable hydraulic press during track maintenance is one of the most frequent caus...
As noted in the previous article, over the life of a tracked vehicle undercarriage maintenance costs...
Among the risks faced by construction site workers, those relating to mechanical vibrations are ofte...