Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/891178
22 AGGREGATES MANAGER / November 2016 22 AGGREGATES MANAGER / November 2017 EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT But, ignore undercarriage manage- ment at your peril, because the costs quickly escalate. Good design helps mitigate maintenance One way to reduce undercarriage wear is to invest in a premium undercarriage, which is designed to reduce wear, spe- cifi cally external wear on the bushing. A rotating bushing undercarriage can extend life by a factor of two or more in abrasive soils by eliminating sliding and scuffi ng between the dry bushing outer surface and sprocket tooth. The rotating bushing stays fi xed in place on the sprocket tooth, and all sliding takes place on an oil-fi lled surface between the bushing inner surface and the track pin. Because a pin and bushing turn is not required, this eliminates a large maintenance expense and costly machine downtime. Oval shaped undercarriages are designed with fewer components than a high drive, which can lower replacement cost. With more track wrap at sprocket, the load on each bushing is reduced, because twice the number of bushings transfers the load from the sprocket to the track. Track links and rollers are sized so the entire undercarriage system wears equally. Also, self-adjusting front idlers reduce maintenance cost, since shimming is not required. Some dozers offer other design features to help minimize maintenance. Castings at high stress areas of the dozer assembly are stronger and distribute stresses better than fabricated brackets, therefore weld repairs are infrequent. Well-routed and supported hydraulic hoses and wire harnesses help minimize maintenance by reducing movement and rubbing that can lead to leakage and breakage. Finally, ground-level, ease-of-access for routine maintenance, without the need to remove adjacent components, is important. Other design features that can reduce maintenance include air Daily cleaning is important to a dozer's overall health. Dusty air can plug air filters, and contaminated DEF fluid can plug the injector.