16 April 2015 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com
Earth MovErs
Don't Get De-Tracked!
Because the undercarriage on your com-
pact excavator works as a system, wear is
unavoidable. "All of an undercarriage's
moving components — sprockets, idlers,
chain and pads — are wear items," said
Jesus Santos, product specialist, Terex
Construction Americas. "Because these
components are costly to replace and time
consuming to install, you should protect
your investment by taking the time to in-
spect and maintain your compact excava-
tor daily."
Did you know that the undercarriage is
the most costly part of your excavator? It
can make up almost 20 percent of your ma-
chine's purchase price and nearly 50 per-
cent of its maintenance cost. Such valuable
components should never be neglected.
TIp #1: CheCk TraCk
TensIon and sag To
avoId exCessIve wear
One way to avoid premature or excessive
wear of your undercarriage is to make sure
that your compact excavator's track chain
is adjusted for correct tension. The com-
ponents of your compact excavator's un-
dercarriage are designed to wear evenly. If
some components wear more quickly than
others, it can affect the productivity and
wear of all the components.
"Loose tracks can de-track and can in-
crease wear," said Santos, "so be sure to
check the track chain for proper tensioning
Three tips for tracking undercarriage
wear on your compact excavator
■ by aMbEr rEEd
All
photos
provided
by
terex
ConstruCtion
AmeriCAs
