Track Shoe Supports for Forestry
Applications
Design Features — Forestry applications
for Hydraulic Excavators generally involve
high impact and severe underfoot condi-
tions. Full length track shoe supports
mounted to the track roller frame are rec-
ommended to limit the torsional loads
experienced by the link assembly.
As the machine rides over objects such as
rocks or stumps, the track shoe deflects
and the track chain begins to twist. With
track shoe supports, the shoes contact the
support and prevent further twisting of the
chain. These supports limit the loads going
into the link assembly and significantly
reduce the occurrence of link cracking and
track pin walking.
The contact between the shoe support and
the leading edge of the track shoes results in
accelerated wear on the leading edge of the
shoes. However, the gains made in link
assembly life more than offset the detrimen-
tal effects of leading edge wear on the shoes.
Installation Guidelines — To provide
proper performance of the track shoe
supports, recommended installation dimen-
sions are shown below. The dimension
shown in the illustration for the clearance
between the support and the track shoe is
the dimension to the shoe plate surface. (It
is not
the distance to the leading edge of
the shoe.)
If the supports are located too far from the
shoe surface, they will not provide the
proper protection for the link assembly. If
the supports are too close to the shoes,
high shoe wear and high friction (i.e.
drawbar reduction) will occur.
Maintenance — When link assemblies
are replaced, it is essential to inspect the
track shoe supports and to rebuild them to
the original dimensions if required.
Operating new link assemblies with signif-
icantly worn or damaged shoe supports
will result in reduced link assembly life.
Clearance dimensions should be checked
after the new link assemblies are installed.
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COMPONENTS
Excavators