ASV undercarriage

[DBLR]

Has anyone replaced all their bearings on an RC-100 undercarriage? No more than 100 hours ago I lost a 14 inch idler bearing(s). Replaced and ran for 12 hours then lost the other on the same side. Both times I replaced it with the assembly from the dealer but would like to try to replace just the bearings and seals this time to save a buck. I will most likely try to replace all the 10 inch idler wheel bearings as well while I've got the track off.

 

[Tags]

I did some bearings and seals on my Cat 287B (I think they share the same undercarriage) a couple of years ago and after doing it I feel that if I had to do it again I would just buy the entire axle and tube assembly. It took ALOT of time to remove the seals alone, they are about an inch thick and are a double seal, plus where they had worn out the axle got a groove in it and had to be replaced also. If you have the time and the patience it is doable but not without a ton of elbow grease and some really good sized screwdrivers to pry with. They do sell a seal puller, but I imagine that it is big bucks since it had a Cat part number, and I felt the money was more well spent on parts than a puller I'd never use again. Whatever you do I wish you the best of luck....

 

[Bison]

If they are the same as an ASV 4810,its not to bad on the trackrollers,i used a press to push the shaft out to one side.brg and seal come right out.

The front and rear idler need the seals removed first ,a PITA,there is a collar and snapring under it holding the brg in.

I put sealed brg on the outsides,inner seal removed.I filled the axle tubes with grease.

all together it is a lot of work tho.

 

[tuckinlugz]

They are expensive from the dealer but you will find that you can spends hours of time trying to machine them and will only save about 50 bucks in the end. Problem is, when you figure out they are damaged they are too far gone. $900 get you a new assembly with wheels. If the bearings go out it will chew the rollers to pieces!

 

[bz1]

I'm just about to dig into the undercarriage of my 4500. I have a couple of seals leaking on two of the track rollers. I think mine are pretty much the same as those on the 4810. I'm hoping they aren't too bad to replace.

 

[Bison]

I woul pump the things full of grease.
Thats what i did on my 4810,been leak free for 200 hrs.
These seals are pretty pricy.
If you have bad bearings as well,press the shaft out one way,and use a piece of pipe to press the other side out,then use a sealed brg with one seal removed(the inner) and 1 open bearing next to it and fill the tube with grease,put some grease on the inside of the old seal an press it back home.

On the rearmost axle and the front one there is a snapring between the seal and the brg,nee to pry the seal out first(PITA) but can be done with hammer and screwdriver and a bit of patience.

 

[bz1]

Thanks Bison, that all sounds like good advice and thank you so much for replying. It's great to hear from someone who's done this already. Did you replace the 3/8 pipe plug in each axle unit with a zerk fitting or did you just stuff them full of grease and seal them up? Are the seals on your 4810 made from rubber or are they metal face seals. I heard that at one point ASV had less than adequate seals on these units and then at some point switched to metal face seals like CAT uses in their equipment. Do you know which is the older machine, the 4810 or the 4500/4520? My machine was built in 2001. If they weren't made at the same time they might have different seals in your unit versus mine. I still think the sealed bearing and grease are good ideas and I will plan to do similar. I think your suggestion will save me lots of bucks. On the front and rear axles once you get the seal out on one side can you remove the snap ring and press the other side out? If you don't mind, please watch this post as I might have more questions for you as I get into this. Thanks.

 

[Bison]

My 4810 is a 2001,i got a 2002 parts machine as well, both have the same seals.they are steel faced under the rubber coating.yours and mine have prob the same seals.maybe the same undercarriage as well.
It would've been better if they had used a full mechanical seal,but...

I filled the axles i took apart with grease trough one end before pushing the brgs an seal on.
On the axles with good brgs but leaking seals(smooth rolling,no play no noise)i filled them trough the fill plug with the gun(i left what ever oil was still in there in)(you prob nee to let the air out when filling)I put an whole cartridge in there.

I think a grease zerk will quikly wear of or get busted if you leave it in.

on the front and rear axle you have to peel both seals out anyway to get both side bearings out.

The fill plugs can be tight,use a allen socket in there and rap them good an hard with a hammer a couple times before twisting them loose.I stripped the hex out on a few before i figured on how to get them out easy.

 

[bz1]

Bison, check out this link: ASV HD4500 Repair Parts ASVParts.com
This site has the exploded parts diagrams for all ASV machines. You can download the exploded views or the whole parts manual. The link brings you straight to the 4500 parts lists but you can click on the other machines on the left and get to other machines like the 4810.
If you look at the parts for the axles you can see that mine are quite different from the 4810 and they are different part numbers. It shows mine as being made up of at least 4 separate pieces with two separate parts labeled as "seals". Overall yours look much simpler with one or two bearings and a seal on each end. Mine have a stackup of 7 to 8 parts depending upon the number of bearings. I wonder why the difference? I don't have mine apart yet so I'm not sure what they actually look like. It appears that my front and rear axles have two bearings in them just like the 4810. If you compare the other major parts you can see that going by part numbers none of them are the same between the two machines. Since your machine and mine are the same year I wonder which one was actually put on the market first. I would be curious to know which one represents the latest "improved" design.

 

[Bison]

I checked it out on your link(I had a 4810 manual down loaded from them a while ago already),
yes it appears the 4500 axle seals are different and there are more pieces in the axles than on the 4810.

Actually the track rollers on the bogies on the 4810 have only 2 bearing per axle an no snap rings.Only both front and rear axles have 4 brgs and snap rings( actually a trust ring,and a flat coil that fits in a groove in the axle tube).
The seals consist out of a inner ring turning in a outer ring but assembled as one piece and are the same on all axles.

A lot of other parts appear the same,but diff numbers for the same parts gives them a reason to charge different prices,don't they?
All i know is that most parts are pricy regardless and can't be had anywhere else

Now which of the two is the latest i haven't a clue?