Grouser Wear
Measurement Technique
Grouser wear is the only measurable
wear position on the shoe for which limits
and percent worn charts are provided.
Plate thickness can be measured and
compared with new dimension to deter-
mine wear. Track shoes may be measured
by the depth gauge or by the ultrasonic
wear indicator.
Grouser height wear is measured with the
broad based depth gauge, setting the base
across two adjacent grousers and using the
gauge to measure down to the plate. The
position of the depth gauge should be 1/3
of the way in from the outer edge of the
shoe in cases of uneven outer to inner
grouser wear. When measuring single
grousers, two shoes must be spanned and
the track should be straight between these
two sections. The depth gauge should be
perpendicular to the plate for most
accurate reading. Measurements should be
made to the closest 0.01" or 0.25 mm.
The ultrasonic wear indicator measures the
distance from the tip of the grouser to the
bottom of the plate. This measurement
should be taken 1/3 of the way in from the
outer edge of the shoe and the probe can
be placed either on the top or bottom. On
double grouser and triple grouser shoes,
do not measure the rear grouser bar due to
interference with the shoe trailing edge.
On regrousered shoes, if the weld does not
completely penetrate, the instrument may
read only the thickness
of the grouser bar. In this case, a depth
gauge will be required to determine per-
cent worn.
Wear Limits
Wear limits for all shoes are based on
three criteria, in the following order:
1. Remaining beam or bending resistance
strength for the “standard” width shoe.
2. Remaining grouser base available for
regrousering purposes.
3. Remaining traction-penetration ability
of the shoe to prevent production losses.
Therefore, depending on the nature of the
shoe and its expected use, both high and
low impact wear limits have been estab-
lished. As the degree of impact increases:
1. A shoe is more subject to bending.
Wide shoes may require regrousering
before the high impact wear limit is
reached to help avoid bending.
2. The shoe grouser base is generally less
evenly worn, thus reducing its regrouser-
ability.
3. The shoe will need more penetration to
grip the hard surface and therefore may
require regrousering before the wear
limit is reached.
The service point is represented by 100 per-
cent worn.
Wear Charts
Wear charts are available for all single and
multiple grouser shoes. Both high and low
impact percent worn charts are provided for
all shoes used on tractors and loaders. For
excavator usage where high impact is
expected in conjunction with a “wide” shoe
only the high impact chart is provided.
Shoe percent worn rates reflect an approxi-
mate uniform rate of wear to the service
and destruction limits. Only a minor allow-
ance has been built into the charts for faster
rate of wear after the grouser case depth is
worn away, since the rate does not change
appreciably.
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General Information
SHOES