Worn out Grouser Over Tire Tracks

[tech.35058]

I recently purchased a set of used Grouser brand "over the tire ", "(bar type?)" tracks. Finally got them on, had to remove a link on each side to get the tension in spec. Being a newbie, I did not realize how worn they actually were, but they are mine now, anyway. bushings should be 1.25" new, mine are more like 1". 1/2 inch bolts are worn probably less than 1/4 way through, but noticable. one pad has one pair of bolt holes broken out already. I think these are the type"E or F" tracks, I can purchase new bolts & bushngs from Grouser for $2.88 each, plus tax & shipping. or, I can buy new carrage bolts " between grade 5 & grade 8 " with self lock nuts from a local supply house for roughly $0.70 each. These are threaded into what should be the grip area, so I am looking for more appropriate bolts. I can knock out the bushings from round stock pretty simply. Kind of rediculouse to make my own for just a few, but a whole set comes to $833 plus tax & shipping , so now I am crringing at the cost, & thinking of trading my spare time for money. question A.. Should the bushings be hardened,( I think I can do this) ? should the bolts be grade 8, case hardened, or preferably softer, so they will wear before the more expensive links wear? Question B The pads also have obvious wear areas in the link openings that I would consider biulding up, consider re-inforcing the link bolt holes, etc. Also a couple of these are already cracked. ( made sure these were the ones removed in tensioning adjustment ) I would like to make these better, since when I replace the bolts & bushings, I will need these to have the length needed to fit my machine. My welding skill level could be generously described as "beginner". which flux core wire? pre heating /post heating the work peice ? Ljnks ... Some what worn on the outside, but bushing holes are oval .... I would like recondition these as best I can also. I understand that of I were paying some one to do this, lthe labor rate would have to be pretty low to make this a dollars & cents choice over the manufactured parts, but I would also like to improve my welding skills too. Thanks in advance for advice & comments ... CE Moderators, should this post be in the "home made" forum?

 

[walio123]

I'm not sure what kind of material these tracks are made of. Bulldozer tracks are made of wear-resistant manganese steel that does not tolerate welds well. I know a pretty good welter who 2 years ago repaired a good 6 broken CAT 9 D paddles.Those paddles still wor I do not have his phone, but I often go to his company. I will ask him how and what to do with this type of steel -if he decides to tell me I will share.

 

[walio123]

I'm not sure what kind of material these tracks are made of. Bulldozer tracks are made of wear-resistant manganese steel that does not tolerate welds well. I know a pretty good welter who 2 years ago repaired a good 6 broken CAT 9 D paddles.Those paddles still wor I do not have his phone, but I often go to his company. I will ask him how and what to do with this type of steel -if he decides to tell me I will share.

See what I found in my old textbook on metal science. "Welding electrodes high wear resistant manganese steels They are used for welding steels with a Mn content of 10-14% known as Hatfield, welding bumpers of mills, tractor tracks, teeth, baskets and the like. Shock resistant, which adheres and increases hardness and abrasion resistance and abrasion wear. The parent metal is not heated, just the opposite - it keeps cold and if necessary, breaks are done during welding. If intermediate buffer layers are used with "transient" electrodes." ///OK 86.08 - Manufacturer ESAB Sweden//// ///OMGN - Manufacturer of USSR Shadrinski Elektroden factory/// Look for analogs on these electrodes. There may be something much more qualitative, this information is about 30 years ago.

 

[walio123]

See what I found in my old textbook on metal science. "Welding electrodes high wear resistant manganese steels They are used for welding steels with a Mn content of 10-14% known as Hatfield, welding bumpers of mills, tractor tracks, teeth, baskets and the like. Shock resistant, which adheres and increases hardness and abrasion resistance and abrasion wear. The parent metal is not heated, just the opposite - it keeps cold and if necessary, breaks are done during welding. If intermediate buffer layers are used with "transient" electrodes." ///OK 86.08 - Manufacturer ESAB Sweden//// ///OMGN - Manufacturer of USSR Shadrinski Elektroden factory/// Look for analogs on these electrodes. There may be something much more qualitative, this information is about 30 years ago.

If the base metal is manganese, choose 2850-FCO or 205 electrode, as they are designed for welding any type of manganese steel. If the base metal is low alloy or carbon steel or stainless steel, choose 285-SPL or 2865-FCO , as these manganese alloys may be used on a wide variety of base metals. Precautions when welding manganese: The heat from welding can cause manganese to become embrittled, and because the effects from welding are cumulative, this can lead to further problems, especially if the part is to be rebuilt over and over again. Never let the part get over 500ºF (260ºC) for an extended period of time. Postalloy 2865-FCO wire or 207 electrode are an excellent heat insulator and ideal for use as a cushion or buffer layer on manganese steel parts that must be rebuilt on a repetitive basis. It will act as a heat insulator to the manganese base metal, helping it stay below 500ºF (260ºC) during the welding operation. -That's what the welder told me. He is a very literate person and I have not heard of a poor weld made by him.

 

[tech.35058]

If the base metal is manganese, choose 2850-FCO or 205 electrode, as they are designed for welding any type of manganese steel. If the base metal is low alloy or carbon steel or stainless steel, choose 285-SPL or 2865-FCO , as these manganese alloys may be used on a wide variety of base metals. Precautions when welding manganese: The heat from welding can cause manganese to become embrittled, and because the effects from welding are cumulative, this can lead to further problems, especially if the part is to be rebuilt over and over again. Never let the part get over 500ºF (260ºC) for an extended period of time. Postalloy 2865-FCO wire or 207 electrode are an excellent heat insulator and ideal for use as a cushion or buffer layer on manganese steel parts that must be rebuilt on a repetitive basis. It will act as a heat insulator to the manganese base metal, helping it stay below 500ºF (260ºC) during the welding operation. -That's what the welder told me. He is a very literate person and I have not heard of a poor weld made by him.

Thanks for the information. Maybe I can get Gouser to brag about what their tracks/links are made of.

 

[farmshop]

Thanks for the information. Maybe I can get Gouser to brag about what their tracks/links are made of.

Depending on how many hours you put on I wouldn't mess with the bushings. You could make new ones but the factory ones are pretty hard. You will want shouldered bolts as the threaded portion will wear down fast.

 

[tech.35058]

Feeling guilty about not getting maintenance handled on my machine,
I finally looked again at replacing the bolts & bushings in my tracks.
I could not get the "dealer locator"on Gousers web site to work
( posibly due to incredibly slow internet out here), and their "800"
number also failed to work for me, so I used the "contact" form on the
website.
in a very few moments, my phone rang, some one from Gouser called me.
He looked up several businessess for me that had been dealers, ordered
track parts in the past. Also mentioned that the #7512 link between the
track pads was designed to be assembled with the stamped part number
(7512) to the inside of the track, with the raised casting number to the
out side, but the instructions distributed with new tracks had a
typo-error, got this part backwards. They were including a correction
notice with the booklets to new purchasers. I did not check every one,
but at least the one I could still make out the numbers on was backwards.
There are ( or in my case, might have been) flanges or something that
increased the life of the track if correctly assembled, shortened track
life if backwards.
Other tips too, that if both the inner bolt holes were used used, it
over stressed the tracks, & damaged them using the inner bolt hole on
one side is ok, though.
Tracks are designed to "run loose", 1 to 3 inches sag. I think I am out
of spec on the track bolts in places, and one track may be too tight,
the other too loose. ( I cant imagine how that happened.)
My experience, track sag changes depending on the direction of travel.
They also sent me a guide about welding to build up tracks. I will
upload.
they also declined to sell me the track bolts & bushings directly,
not wanting to infringe on the territory of their authorized dealers.
I did locate the track & bushing set on Ebay. they were $10 each, with
a discount if you bought more than one. I have 19 pads per side, but if
I take up all that wear, I will probably have to put the spare pads back
in, so ... that's 160 x $10= $1600 just for the bolts,lock nuts & bushings.
According to the parts pdf, they are just grade 5 carriage bolts.
( which I can buy by the pound locally.) The bushings would take a
little more doing, but I can see getting a chop saw & some hot rolled
round bar stock. I can see setting up a jig or something on my drill
press. The bushing is the intended sacrificial wear point. Obviously, I
am spending my time, instead of money.
The "Stoody" electrodes to build up the tracks are also not the
discount priced items, not to mention the investment of time. If I cant
afford the dealers bolts, I cant afford to pay a professional welder by
the hour to build up my tracks. any way, here are the welding build up
instructions. Enjoy.
Another thread mentions simply welding a a bar on top of each track bar.
That would avoid the breakage due to embrittlement issue some what.
And, that is what the guys in the "big tractor shop" did back when I was an employee.
( they had an OEM bar to add on, I think. obviously, I was not a welder).
Think happy thoughts ... CE

 

[brdgbldr]

Feeling guilty about not getting maintenance handled on my machine,
I finally looked again at replacing the bolts & bushings in my tracks.
I could not get the "dealer locator"on Gousers web site to work
( posibly due to incredibly slow internet out here), and their "800"
number also failed to work for me, so I used the "contact" form on the
website.
in a very few moments, my phone rang, some one from Gouser called me.
He looked up several businessess for me that had been dealers, ordered
track parts in the past. Also mentioned that the #7512 link between the
track pads was designed to be assembled with the stamped part number
(7512) to the inside of the track, with the raised casting number to the
out side, but the instructions distributed with new tracks had a
typo-error, got this part backwards. They were including a correction
notice with the booklets to new purchasers. I did not check every one,
but at least the one I could still make out the numbers on was backwards.
There are ( or in my case, might have been) flanges or something that
increased the life of the track if correctly assembled, shortened track
life if backwards.
Other tips too, that if both the inner bolt holes were used used, it
over stressed the tracks, & damaged them using the inner bolt hole on
one side is ok, though.
Tracks are designed to "run loose", 1 to 3 inches sag. I think I am out
of spec on the track bolts in places, and one track may be too tight,
the other too loose. ( I cant imagine how that happened.)
My experience, track sag changes depending on the direction of travel.
They also sent me a guide about welding to build up tracks. I will
upload.
they also declined to sell me the track bolts & bushings directly,
not wanting to infringe on the territory of their authorized dealers.
I did locate the track & bushing set on Ebay. they were $10 each, with
a discount if you bought more than one. I have 19 pads per side, but if
I take up all that wear, I will probably have to put the spare pads back
in, so ... that's 160 x $10= $1600 just for the bolts,lock nuts & bushings.
According to the parts pdf, they are just grade 5 carriage bolts.
( which I can buy by the pound locally.) The bushings would take a
little more doing, but I can see getting a chop saw & some hot rolled
round bar stock. I can see setting up a jig or something on my drill
press. The bushing is the intended sacrificial wear point. Obviously, I
am spending my time, instead of money.
The "Stoody" electrodes to build up the tracks are also not the
discount priced items, not to mention the investment of time. If I cant
afford the dealers bolts, I cant afford to pay a professional welder by
the hour to build up my tracks. any way, here are the welding build up
instructions. Enjoy.
Another thread mentions simply welding a a bar on top of each track bar.
That would avoid the breakage due to embrittlement issue some what.
And, that is what the guys in the "big tractor shop" did back when I was an employee.
( they had an OEM bar to add on, I think. obviously, I was not a welder).
Think happy thoughts ... CE

This is where I used to buy Grouser parts:

Track-Parts | Grouser Track Parts

AG-Industrial offers Grouser track parts for purchase online at the lowest prices. Track pads, links, hardware, and inserts for C-series, D-series, E-Series, and F-series tracks.

www.track-parts.com