Mud:

[Bandit44]

I am in the process of digging out a pond. Will running the dozer in this clay type mud harm the tracks. This stuff really get packed in there. I have no trouble with traction just don't want to harm the tracks just to fix this pond.

Bandit44

[Turbo21835]

Just firing the machine up in the morning is going to wear it out. Is there wear excessive from this project. Probably not. Just make sure you don't pack the mud in there so tight that it stops your rollers from moving. This shouldn't be much of a problem if you clean the tracks out at the end of the day. Assuming since it says your from Mississippi, things shouldn't freeze there. You dont have to clean the tracks like its going on a lowboy, but get the majority of the material out.

[Wulf]

Bandit, in those conditions you probably need to slacken the track tension to avoid overtightening the links when the roots of the sprocket teeth get packed.... and clean it off thoroughly at the end of the day

[Squizzy246B]

Apparently they have some serious mud in Mississippi:

http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/...ead.php?t=1307

[Bandit44]

Thanks for the advice, yep this stuff is real nasty. I bet you brick a house using this stuff as mortor. I clean it off at the end of the day because if it ever dries I don't think if would come off.

Bandit44

[Dirtman2007]

We are working on a pond also. We have to haul off about 200 loads of pure liquid mud

Working in the pond, the mud is at the top of the tracks most of the time.
this means everything gets packed full. I don't clean the tracks off because they will look like the picture below in 2 mins of working. Never had any problem with it wearing anything, It almost lubricates the tracks, they don't squeak as bad!

[Bandit44]

Thanks Dirtman2007, Sure wish I had a way to haul off this mud. I am just trying to push it through a hole I had cut in the levee. I am running out of room real fast on places to push it. I think you are right this blue mud is kinda like grease, but it sure doesn't smell like grease.

Bandit44

[Dirtman2007]

I think you are right this blue mud is kinda like grease, but it sure doesn't smell like grease.Bandit44

It smells like money to me

[N.CarolinaDozer]

We haven't had mud in a while, due to the drought! But I clean my tracks out regularly, to keep any mud getting hard. I let it pack in before and get hard, and it took hours to get it out. It took a crow bar, hammer, and a lot of muscle. Felt like I was chipping concrete out! Oh by the way, I got a surprise last wednesday! A brand new D6T enclosed cab, just in time for the cold weather! I love it, and it seems to have a lot more power than the old D6R i've been running.

[Tn Bulldog]

When my old man was alive & we were working in ANY KIND OF MUD he had us cleaning tracks out @ end of the day no matter what time of year it was BUT ESP THE WINTER in fear of the mud frezzing up in the tracks



my old man man was strong on cleaning out tracks in the winter time . i hated cleaning out tracks in the winter (esp wide LGP Tracks on a muddy clearing job ) while cleaning out muddy tracks id cuss enough to make a ship of sailors blush



This West TN Clay is murder in the winter

1 Thing bout that blue/ grey stinking mud it may stink to high heaven but it still makes me a $ & pays the bills



later yall


Bulldog

[pushkid84]

we work in the mud here every winter. were in the mud right now! if your worried about wear and tear you better not put the blade down cause you'll wear out the cutting edge. just make sure that you clean out your tracks often and have someone check to make sure your rollers are still moving freely at lunch an at the end of shift. but mud wont hurt the undercarriage to much the material to worry about is sand especially wet sand it will kill an under carriage super fast! good luck

[Tn Bulldog]

. the material to worry about is sand especially wet sand it will kill an under carriage super fast! good luck

That anit no joke we was a subcontractor on a job back in 1993 down in Memphis the main contractor had 4 D9H Push Cat's pushing TS14B Terex Scrapers the job was right next to the Ms river in Downtown Memphis for a series of Apartment complexs called Harbor town

Anyway the ground was a sandy loam type ground insted of the traditional West TN Red Clay


@ least once a month thet had 1 of the D9H Push Cat's in the undercariage shop due to the sand eating away the undercarriage i was told the cost of undercarriage on 1 D9H Was aproximate to what we spent on 3 machines for under carriage




when we finished up down there i remember my granddad spending close to $40k to $50 k on under cariage for the dozer , loader , & trackhoe we had down there working & we down there close to 2 or 3 months





I Lost count of how many millons of cubic yards of soil cement was put down to help stablize the ground down there but my old man always said when the new madrid fault line throws another earthqauke Harbor town would be the 1st thing to fall in the river .




later yall


Bulldog