Help freeing up stuck Kubota mini-excavator track rollers ?

[Sodo]

EDIT: It looks like my machine has a "wrong track" that ruined the track roller housings.

I made a new thread called: Kubota KX41 track and roller not compatible (U15, U17 too)

===== Original thread w the blow-by-blow =================

Has anyone ever lubed these type of Kubota track rollers? (2006 KX41-3V)
How about disassembled?

Two of them squeal loud.
They appear to roll in use, but they don't turn by hand.
The 3rd can be turned by hand, but it feels dry.
I thought a track motor was getting weak but maybe it's just so hard to turn the rollers.

How can you get them apart?
Or is there a way to lube them?
I think they cost about $150 each to replace.
Those bolt heads are 17mm

 

[4570Man]

They really aren’t serviceable and meant to be replaced. You could possibly fill them with grease if they aren’t too far gone and buy some time.

 

[Sodo]

Definitely want to buy some time. I want to dig tomorrow. They aren't worn 'loose', they're so tight they don't even turn.

I can't find anyone on YouTube disassembling them. If anyone knows of a YouTube, please share some hints how I might find it.

 

[Sodo]

Well looky here under the dirt!
Am I the first person in the history of YouTube to discover this circlip?

Well well.
Seek and ye shall find.

I found the bearing but not the YouTube.

And not only that, but they have replaceable seals and a (plugged) grease port. You can remove the plug, screw in a fitting, and grease the roller.

Two 6205s per roller.

I should have looked at them a long time ago. I’m at 1800 hours. I’ll bet these are a 500 hour item. I’m a little embarrassed.

You have to unbolt them to get the grease plugs out.

That plug is really stuck. I may have to just pack them.

 

[mrmikey]

Good on you Sodo. It's great when someone learns of a way to repair the unrepairable at a good saving too I would imagine.

 

[ptsg]

Those are most likely to be filled with oil from factory, hence why the plug is so tight. It probably has Loctite or some sort of thread sealant.

You could certainly replace the bearings, fill everything with grease and run it for a long time. Even try to get the plug out for a grease fitting and grease it every couple hundred hours.

I repaired an idler wheel from a 5 Ton Kubota excavator some time ago and it was oil filled as well. In that case, it was so far gone, I had to completely ditch the original setup, machine new parts and run with grease instead. The shaft was about halfway wore out.

 

[Sodo]

OK I'm asking for a pass here.....
I took all the rollers out at night, in the woods. Brought them into the shop, then got on the computer..... looking for a YouTube.
No YouTubes. WHY?

Went back out to the shop, found a circlip.
Got all excited, like I was gonna discover something.
THEN!........I found a bearing in DISTRESS!
It was still smooth-rolling, but quite dirty.
Like a dad hearing a crying child I had to find a way to lube the bearing.

I was in the shop, and what I needed to be looking at.....was the relationship between the rollers and the track sliders on the downhill side track.

The machine is tipped up sideways, and the relationship between the rollers and the track... is in the mud at the bottom of the carriage on the downhill track.....

Can't take a pic but you can imagine it.... (sorry, horrible weather today....)

The track roller is a wear item that reduces in diameter. When it reaches the end of its service limit the track rubs on the bearing housing.

The squealing was not a stuck bearing, it was the track sliders rubbing on the (immobile) bearing housings. The track sliders wore thru bearing housings into the seal land.

The machine wouldn't go straight (when pushing hard) because one track had more friction than the other.
I thought it was a drive-motor getting weak, but basically it "had no rollers" anymore on the bottom, just ‘sliders’.
So I'm at least happy that my motors are (likely) OK.

Anyway it doesn't look like I can milk any more life out of these rollers.
I won't be digging today, that's for sure.
$150x6=$900

NOTE.... it appears that the roller bearing factory lube outlasted the roller's decreasing outside diameter. Adding a lube interval is not worth the effort on this machine (2006 Kubota KX41-3V, 2ton).

 

[dfkrug]

I think they cost about $150 each to replace.

It is amazing that Kubota has any moving part that is only $150.

Interesting that the roller wheels will wear out before the bearings fail. I wonder if that is pretty universal on extra-small excavators.

 

[Sodo]

Pics of the KX71 (3ton?) are much different. Doesn't look like the tracks can wear into the bearing carriers.

 

[4570Man]

OK I'm asking for a pass here.....
I took all the rollers out at night, in the woods. Brought them into the shop, then got on the computer..... looking for a YouTube.
No YouTubes. WHY?

Went back out to the shop, found a circlip.
Got all excited, like I was gonna discover something.
THEN!........I found a bearing in DISTRESS!
It was still smooth-rolling, but quite dirty.
Like a dad hearing a crying child I had to find a way to lube the bearing.

I was in the shop, and what I needed to be looking at.....was the relationship between the rollers and the track sliders on the downhill side track.

View attachment 1966538
The machine is tipped up sideways, and the relationship between the rollers and the track... is in the mud at the bottom of the carriage on the downhill track.....

Can't take a pic but you can imagine it.... (sorry, horrible weather today....)


View attachment 1966402

The track roller is a wear item that gets smaller with the hours.

The squealing was not a stuck bearing, it was the track sliders rubbing on the (immobile) bearing housings. The track sliders wore thru the seal land.

The machine wouldn't go straight (when pushing hard) because one track had more friction than the other.
I thought it was a drive-motor getting weak, but basically it "had no rollers" anymore on the bottom, just sliders.
So I'm at least happy that my motors are (likely) OK.

Anyway it doesn't look like I can milk any more life out of these rollers.
I won't be digging today, that's for sure.
$150x6=$900

NOTE.... it appears that the roller bearing factory lube outlasted the roller's decreasing outside diameter. Adding a lube interval is not worth the effort on this machine (2006 Kubota KX41-3V, 2ton).

It’s not a plugged grease fitting. The factory rollers are oil filled. You probably could grease fill them and get out of buying new seals.