The key to getting the most out of your construction equipment is effective preventive maintenance. At Michigan CAT, we’ve seen first-hand how properly caring for heavy duty equipment serves to improve productivity, safety and longevity. While performing basic maintenance such as checking and refilling fluid levels and replacing filters, belts, tires and batteries at regular intervals is essential, too often the undercarriage escapes attention.
Heavy equipment undercarriages are built to a perform in the toughest work environments. Over time, your tracks will, however, begin to show signs of wear and tear compounded by the build-up of dirt — if it’s not cleared out, it’ll slow your equipment down and eventually result in damage. To emphasize the importance of servicing this critical component, we wanted to share the following video about how best to inspect and maintain your undercarriage.
Video Transcript
Hey, I’m Dave with today’s Quick Tip and I’m here to help you make the most of your investment.
Make inspecting your undercarriage a part of your daily routine.
Look for cracks and damage to the tracks.
Remove excess amounts of dirt and large debris from your undercarriage.
Concrete, rocks and even hardened mud or dirt can increase the fraction your track experiences which will cause wear and may even cause the track to fall off.
Manually extract large items and the occasional power washing will help keep your undercarriage in good shape.
You should also look for loose hardware and oil leaks.
Know the grease points on your specific model.
It is important to grease them daily to lubricate the bushings on your undercarriage frames.
Proper greasing also helps push dirt out.
Tracks should not be too loose or too tight.
Refer to your operation and maintenance manual on the proper tension test procedures for your machine’s specific undercarriage.
Different styles of undercarriage have different tensioning procedures.
The proper track tension will extend the life of your undercarriage.
So remember, for healthy machine undercarriages apply these three simple rules: keep it clean, keep it greased, and keep it tensioned.
Consult your operation and maintenance manuals for more information.
That’s been today’s Quick Tip. Thanks for watching.
Expert Advice for Undercarriage Care
These tips about how to inspect undercarriage components can help lower long-term operating costs and maintain the value of your equipment. It also eliminates costly downtime and loss of productivity when a piece of equipment is in the shop due to an unexpected breakdown. You need to make sure the frame, suspension, brakes, fuel system and additional hydraulic lines are all in optimal condition.
When it comes to the tracks, concentrate on the three points: Cleanliness, greasing and tension. Sticking to a daily inspection schedule — especially when working in challenging under-foot conditions — will ensure mud, dirt and debris don’t become lodged in the tracks.
Don’t leave productivity to chance by ignoring the condition of your undercarriage. You should always inspect the undercarriage while performing walk-around inspections and regular maintenance. By discovering a crack, leak or wear marks when they first appear, you can avoid situations resulting in more expensive and time-consuming repairs.
Comprehensive Undercarriage Services
As the authorized Cat® dealer for the region, Michigan CAT provides everything from multi-point undercarriage inspections and preventive maintenance to repairs and rebuilds. Our highly trained team is capable of servicing Cat, and other Allied manufactured heavy equipment and will work with you to develop a checklist designed to help protect your undercarriages. From a massive inventory of parts to a complete range of equipment services, we’re fully equipped to care for your equipment.
Contact us to schedule maintenance services, including a careful inspection of your undercarriage.