It doesn't get below freezing often here. Several times a year it might get down to 25*, not severe like you guys. 3 years ago it stayed in the teens for a week. 2nd time in my life I'd seen our rivers freeze over. When I hear forecasts below freezing, I try to park on wood or rocks. Our "big" freeze caught me by suprise. Got to work on Monday, and I was froze to the ground in the fines on the haul road in the sandstone pit we were stripping. I did my engine and hydralic warmup over each track and when I was ready to travel, I gently lifled each side free from the ground. 3-4 inch thick, 24" wide cakes stuck to the bottoms of my tracks, so I worked the travel back and forth while lifted off the ground until the cakes were small enough to clear the house and roteck.What kind of cold temps does it take to really cause damage to things. I figured better safe than sorry. Besides, the D250 haul trucks took alot longer to unthaw. What do you guys do if you happen to get frozen down? Pickup exhaust, flame throwers? Just rip her loose?
To get back on the track cleaning topic, the u/c was clean from the week before
. I even try to get most of the material behind the final sprockets also. I've heard that this material can push the sprockets and mess up the seals. I've never seen it, but it sounds resonable. I guess it wouldn't if you were frozen in, but might if parked on wood or rock and u/c isn't clean. Mythbusters?