pressure washing dozer tracks

[watglen]

Hi guys,

I am in the market for a new pressure washer. I want something that will make washing the mud out of dozer tracks quick and easy.

I am thinking some kind of heavy pressure washer, but i am looking for other ideas.

Ken

 

[CM1995]

I really want a pressure washer with a burner on it, the steam cuts old grease like a hot knife through butter. Depending on your budget, I would highly recommend one.

 

[SeaMac]

I would have to second CM's post, you can't go wrong with a Hot Water Pressure Washer. They will cut through the dirt and grease like butter.

 

[buckfever]

I'll thierd^^^ but if your looking to quickly clean an u/c thats packed with mud a pressure washer IMO is going to let you down. Most likely you will end up using a shovel to remove the now very wet and sticky mud. Most washers iv'e tried don't seem to have enough flow to really cut threw and wash away heavy mud. But if your looking to just get that stubbern dirt that you cann't get with a shovel so you can work on something a pressure washer is the only way to got.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . I would second the comments about hot water or steam cleaning for grease but when it comes to cleaning dozer and excavator tracks I find you need pressure but also some volume.

For this it is hard to go past a two inch twin impeller "fire-fighter" with about a seven horsepower Honda or the likes.

Cheers.

 

[SeaMac]

I have to agree with buckfever on this one, sometimes the crud IS thicker than a pressure washer can handle. The best track cleaning shovel I have ever used is a Nupla Sewer Cleaning Spade, very compact and narrow enough to fit into the tight spaces of an undercarriage.

but if your looking to quickly clean an u/c thats packed with mud a pressure washer IMO is going to let you down. Most likely you will end up using a shovel to remove the now very wet and sticky mud.

 

[TEC]

If you go with a pressure washer make sure it has a high GPM rating, cant remember what brand our old one is, but i know it flows a lot of water. What your looking for you won't find down at the home center. I'll also tell you to go with the hot water option.

Tom

 

[buckfever]

Now if you have the opertunity get you self a pipe wrench and pull your machine infront of a firehydrant. That will be all the flow and pressure you need. Don't ask me how I know.:cool2

 

[guest]

I use a 2 inch pacer transfer pump with honda 5hp,puts out up to 200 gpm . I have about 40 foot of fire hose with adj. nozzle just blast mud out, of course I get wet also but pressure washer would never get it.

 

[SeaMac]

Hey buckfever,

I have a real hydrant wrench I could sell you. Don't ask me how I got it though.

Now if you have the opertunity get you self a pipe wrench and pull your machine infront of a firehydrant. That will be all the flow and pressure you need. Don't ask me how I know.:cool2

 

[wosama931b]

Well some time thoes hydrants can have a lot of pressure, static pressure of 80-90, and other times you may only get 40 or less, i have put out fires with just a hydrant and no hookup to the pumper, but unless the fire Capt. is your best buddy, i dont think you should mess with a hydrant. It just takes a few washings to
get the job done, and pull out a scraper, and get wet.

 

[Nige]

If your track chains are getting packed with soft mud maybe you need some shoes with trapezoidal or "trap" holes in them. That way when the sprocket squeezes the mud into the chain it squeezes it straight out through the hole.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Nige. In our application the main problem on conventional (not hi-track) machines is mud building up and stopping the two top carrier rollers rotating. It's usualy okay while there is a bit of water around but once it dries up a bit it doesn't take long to wear some flats.

Cheers.

 

[Nige]

Okay - missed the point of the OP then. 100% agree that as soon as a carrier roller stops turning the problems start.

IMO on non-highdrive machines or excavators equipped with carrier rollers giving the operator a track spade and making sure the feckers use them is a good start. It always makes me laugh watching our operators trying to clean out the tracks on a Hitachi EX3600 with a track spade ........!! Often we take pity on them and send the water truck over and hit it with the fire-fighting monitor.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Nige. This is going way O/T but are there any downsides to using the pads with the relief hole?

Seems to me they would be good when working deep clay slots. It used to always bug me when the side of the slot collapsed onto the track. I reckon a nine would lose about fifty HP untill it cleared itself . . . I always preferred the angle blade (set straight) to allow a bit more room for slumps.

Cheers.

 

[Nige]

Absolutely. Pads with trap holes tend to crack more easily when they are worn down. Usually we reckon to get 3 lives out of normal shoes, an original and 2 re-grouserings before the base of the shoe becomes too thin and they start to bend and/or crack. With trap shoes I would say only about 50-60% of them are good to go again after a 2nd life.

I'd really only consider using use trap shoes in really sloppy material or snow TBH.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Tanks Nige, just as I thought. No free lunches in this game hey?

Cheers.

 

[willie59]

I agree with others here, you should shovel out all the dirt you can before using a pressure washer. We rent machines, and around these parts we have clay, undercarriage packed with that stuff laughs at a pressure washer, hot or no. I have access to 1 1/2" water line and use a fire hose, way faster than a pressure washer on undercarriage. If you have access to a pond or water source, a 2" contractors pump feeding a fire hose with a brass fire nozzle will give way faster results washing undercarriage than a pressure washer. Of course, you get as wet as the undercarriage.

 

[2stickbill]

Do not use pressure washer on the end of the pins.My ex boss let his undocumented workers wash a D6 with one and the blew out the stoppers that plug the pins.Drained the oil out.

 

[TEC]

[QUOTE=2stickbillDo not use pressure washer on the end of the pins.My ex boss let his undocumented workers wash a D6 with one and the blew out the stoppers that plug the pins.Drained the oil out.

Without really trying to be rude, this has to be one of the.....you guys can finish it whatever way you want. Were they missing their certification documents to be qualified to use the pressure washer or to clean tracks on a dozer.

And yes over aggressive use of a pressure washer around seals, o-rings, vents, fill ports can cause problems documented or not.

Tom