Rubber track came off mini-excavator KX41-3V

[Sodo]

Kubota KX41-3v mini-excavator (3800 lb)

Can these rubber tracks come off in any "normal" situations such as driving over a large rock? Does this mean it was it not tight enough?

I was in soft dirt, was trying to mash a large rock into the soft fill of the bank, and drive over it. Couldn't move around as I wanted as I was between two trees. Which turned out to be a bad place to have a track come off, as I could not rotate to use the boom to lift that side. Had to use two cable hoists to tip it up. It was quite easy, as it's only 3800 lb machine. It was dark, so will continue in this morning.

The grooves where the track slides are worn 3/16" deep. Should these be built back up?


Does anyone know how many tubes of grease i will need to re-install this one track?

 

[Sodo]

Re: Rubber track came off mini-excavator

We used foot long pieces of 1 1/2 pipe to help line things up on a bobcat loader. Might help you too. I think a couple of tubes would be enough. Let us know how it works out. Ed

Thanks Ed, reason I asked is I only have one tube, have to drive to town if it requires more.

 

[gghb]

Re: Rubber track came off mini-excavator

morning in my years as an operator I've had alot of trouble with rubber tracks. in a comercial setting tracks usually are replaced at about about 1900 hours becase the band s break and the track streathes. look it over closely for a streatch mark kinda looks like a narrow spot about a foot long in the length of track never heard of any repair only replacement if track is still good you just have to fight it back try to get it on the sprocket first than bar it over to where you can get it started on idler than lift that side of machine with bucket and creep track ahead until it snaps on BE CARFULL when it snaps on it can throw your bar a long way

ghb

 

[David Devuono]

Man would my band sawmill ever like to eat a couple of those trees. I have not had any issue yet with my tracks though to be honest the machine has not seen anything but snow since I bought it. That looks like a steep side hill. Wondering if you could have dragged it past the trees? I would have to high tail it back to camp and wait for day light, wolves howling is unnerving.

 

[Sodo]

Yep making an ATV trail on a sidehill. It's great fun. Still don't know why the track came off, maybe it wasn't tight enough and a rock got in there. Will pay more attn to track tension.

Anyway got the track back on and working again.

Here's where you release the grease that holds track tension. And where you pump in to tighten the track.



Removed the plug (which is a check valve with a zirk on it) and levered the front idler back. Not much grease came out.



Track ready for tightening. The idler adjustment is bottomed out (all the grease is expended) On this little machine it took only about 2 inches of grease tube to pump it up tight. Which is lucky because I only had half a tube.



Here's all the eqpt needed for the track rescue project.

 

[RDrancher]

It's hard to tell why the track came off from the photos, but you did say you were shuffling around between the trees. You may have caught a root or rock just right when the track was "unloaded", putting side tension on it and then it walked off. Glad to see you got it back on!

 

[David Devuono]

I had my track come off the drive gear last time I used it in the woods. It was the older of the two tracks on my machine. I had to go back 3/4 of a mile in the soft snow to get tools. Need to find a spot for a tool box on the KX-41. I need a 17MM socket, pry bar and grease gun with the machine. I got a line on a new track for under 200 bucks so will pick it up Friday and if it pops off again I will replace it. Interesting that mine gave me some warning that it was coming off with strange popping from the track that I could feel in my seat. I only had to get enough slack to pry it back over the drive gear. These things put a damper on a productive day. I am learning how to make sharp turns using the boom to lift the track and turn table along with one track to change directions.