Turning rail pins on 450 C

[ebarnett]

I have read some of the posts on driving out the master rail pin but I am curious if anyone has attempted to turn ALL of the rail pins to fix a stretched track? We thought we would attempt it over the winter. This dozer is only used on the farm very rarely and I don't know if new rails are a reasonable investment. The track is now stretched to the limit and will occasionally jump the sprocket so we need to fix it one way or the other.
Has anyone made their own hydraulic pin press?
Any advise is appreciated.

[Paul Buhler]

Hi:The short answer is to have pin and bushing work (turning or replacing) done by a professional with a track press - a lot of force is needed and safety is a big issue with a jury-rigged attempt. Take a look at the search below for some discussions on the topic. Try the sites search feature to get more ideas as well.
There is usually considerable wear internally between the pin and bushing, so turning the bushings probably won't take out the snake or shorten the tracks much; turning the bushings puts more material in the gullet of the sprocket and will take up a little slack, but for what it costs, consider looking for better used tracks or having a pin and bushing job done. Just my thoughts based on my having the tracks re-pinned and bushed on my 420 recently.
Good luck with your machine. Paul

http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... =pin+press

[Lavoy]

IT is not only turning the pins, the bushings need to be turned as well. As Paul said, it is track press work. Also remember that turning the pins and bushings will probabaly only get you back to 80% of new as far as pitch, and will do absolutely nothing as far as snake.
Lavoy

[JWB Contracting]

If new rails are not an option, you could cut a link out of each rail.

We have done this on our yard machines when the rest of the undercarriage was tired, so we didn't risk wrecking any good usable components.

We were able to use the machine (a 450C loader) until the rails were paper thin. I don't believe we ever thru a rail. We fixed it up with a set of rails with dozer pads that were going in the scrap bin at work. The growser pads were more than 50% worn so it does steer okay on hard ground. We have 3 different 450C loaders for yard use, 1 with a hoe, 1 with a jib extension in the bucket and this one just with a bucket.

This is a get you by kind of repair. Others may tell you it is a waste of time, but if you keep your rails fairly tight and are a good operator you will get a few more hours out of the rails.

I am thinking a new set of rails is over $2K, sprockets $250 each and idlers around $550, rollers $150. So a new set of undercarriage without pads, bolts and labour will be over $5K. This would be for the cheaper stuff and not Berco etc.

I wouldn't hesitate to remove a link again if the need arose. Some guys like their machines to be mint and have the time and money to keep and make them this way. I have a few that are going to get this treatment (350C dozer with 3 point hitch) but others use their crawlers to get a job done (such as yard machines). I don't see anything wrong with getting the maximum use of a machine, as long as you are aware of the drawbacks of doing so.