Simple Tips to Extend the Life of Your Rubber Track

Maximize the life of your rubber track by using these tips and keep your tracks working their best for their longest.

Check Track Tension

Proper track tension on your rubber tracks ensures top performance, extends the life of the undercarriage, minimizes downtime, and reduces wear on the track drive components. Tracks must not be too loose or too tight. Soft working conditions mean your tracks should be looser and harder working conditions mean your tracks should be tighter. Operation manuals should have a tension range in which the machine’s track should be.

Keep Tracks Clean

Keeping tracks as clean as possible to reduce friction with debris and reduce wear.

Avoid Sharp Turns on Steep Inclines

Sharp turns on steep inclines can lead to derailing. Derailing not only increases downtime, it can damage the track.

Even Out Your Turns

It’s important to try and reduce slippage and spinning of your rubber tracks. Slippage and spinning accelerate track shoe grouser wear or tread depth and limits productive work. Heavy contact between the sprocket teeth, track links, rollers and between idler tread surfaces accelerates wear. Constantly turning to one side will reduce the life of a rubber or steel tracks.

Limit Time At High Speeds

Limit nonproductive, high-speed travel because high-speed operation accelerates wear on all components.
Track wear is directly proportional to speed. Speed increases stress on the track.

Equal Use in Forward and Revese

Equal use in forward and reverse could cause longer life. With constant use in one direction, the sprocket wears on one side of the tooth more than the other resulting in quicker wear. The same goes for the links in the tracks.