A high level of wear is often unavoidable on drives on construction machinery. The machine is well maintained, carefully maintained and has no accident damage. Nevertheless, rollers, support rollers, drive wheels, steel chains or sometimes the entire undercarriage have to be replaced.
FIX WHAT'S BROKEN?
Only one or two castors are defective in your case? And you're wondering if you should only replace the casters or, in the worst case, the entire drive? Is it worth the effort here or should you sell the machine? These questions come up because: Replacing a drive doesn't come cheap. The larger the machine and the requirements, the more expensive it becomes. It is important that you thoroughly inspect the machine. Are individual elements of the rollers loose or wobbling? Are the drive wheels worn out or can you still “drive them down”? Hire a professional and assess each element of the drive. For minor damage (such as a broken castor) we recommend checking the machine and replacing only the broken parts. For machines that have already worked several 1000 hours of operation, it is worth taking a closer look at the drive.
WEAR PARTS THAT ARE FREQUENTLY CHANGED
Track rollers and support rollers are among the elements that are frequently changed. Especially with mini excavators that "drive" a lot and thus put heavy strain on the "rolling parts". This is normal wear and tear and will result in the drive parts needing to be replaced. Here we recommend: replace what is broken, make provisions if necessary and order 1 to 2 supporting/runner rollers.
Drive wheels are also part of the undercarriage parts that must or should be changed frequently. The "toothed wheel" grips the rubber or steel chain and thus drives the entire chain / machine. This implementation of force requires a high level of wear and tear. Many construction machine operators underestimate the wear and tear of the drive wheels and thus unnecessarily wear other drive parts. A concrete example: The number of "teeth" on a drive wheel (colloquially sprockets) are exactly matched to the pitch of the chain. The wear of the teeth reduces the radius of the "grip" and the "teeth" slip from time to time into the next chain pitch. This repeated process means that the "teeth" do not "grab" the chain, but just before it, just after it or, in the worst case, exactly on the pitch. Above-average wear or destruction of the chains is inevitable. Here we recommend: Please check the drive wheels every time you change the rubber tracks, if necessary replace sprockets.
IMPORTANT WEAR PARTS FOR LARGE MACHINES
For larger machines with an operating weight of more than 8-9t, the drives are usually made of steel. I.e. rubber tracks are replaced with rubber pads or steel tracks. Here it is important to check the parts mentioned above and also to check the chain strands. The chain strands or steel chains carry the rubber pads / steel plates. The same principle applies here as for the drive wheels and the rubber tracks. There is high wear on the chains if the sprockets are not checked. Over time, it is common for chain strands to be renewed as well. Here we recommend: check the complete drive. Since the rubber pads/steel plates are being dismantled, it is worth checking thoroughly that the entire drive is still intact. If this is the case, we recommend only changing the chain strands.
CHANGE COMPLETE DRIVE
Replacing or buying a complete running gear makes sense if individual elements of the idler roller, drive wheels, chain strands or floor plates are too stressed. A thorough inspection of the defective parts must be carried out here. The cost/benefit factor must also be considered, as drives are an investment. Here we recommend: contact us - we will be happy to help you.
We will be happy to advise you on which parts you should replace. We offer you all drive parts from original, OEM to cheaper alternatives. Hopefully you've realized that drive parts are essential. Even more important are maintenance and care and replacing individual parts to prevent expensive downtime.
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