CAT 305C CR - Track Out on right side

Hi folks!

CAT 305C CR - 2008, serial: HWJ03046

3 weeks ago, my left side rubber track was loose a bit and it went out. I unscrewed the grease fitting to loose it even more and put it back.

Now, today it's the right side track that went out as it was also a bit loose. It went out at the final drive level, not at the front of the excavator. I've unscrewed the grease fitting again but virtually no grease came out and the cylinder (I guess it's a cylinder) doesn't retract so the track isn't loose enough for me to put it back. I've tried to "compress" the big front roller by pushing with log and the excavator's bucket, no luck, no grease is coming out.

Is there something else I can try? The excavator is stuck in the wood :-/

Thanks!

By saying it went out do you mean the track came off the machine?

Yes, it's still attached to it - the track is still perfectly on the front roller, just offset 2-3" on the final drive.

Back off the bolt on track tensioner, that lets grease out. If you removed just the fitting where you pump grease in, look for another bolt or release nut on the track tensioner. If it's an older machine, the tensioner may freeze up a bit. They say the bolt is under pressure, so remove slowly to release pressure and remove. Then do your bucket log thing pushing the tensioner arm back. Once loose, use the bucket and arm on the side of the machine the track is on and lift the track off the ground.
May help to have another person with pry bar, so you can use to bars. Put it back on the sprocket first of course, then do the front. If the track was loose, you likely just got a rock or stick in there.

@PeterG Many thanks for your reply. I am not sure where the nut on the track tensioner is. When the track went out on the out on the left side 2 weeks ago, I just unscrewed the grease fitting to let the grease out and the track was very loose after.

Thanks!

I've operated my 304C CR in mud a lot.. the grease fitting for track tensioning has an open end on it and crap can get in easily and plug it up, consequently it won't release the grease.. if the 305 is the same as mine (I believe it is) there is a forked bracket with a single retaining bolt that prevents you from removing the fitting completely when it's installed in the machine..
what I had to do with mine was unscrew the fitting as much as I could until it was coming up hard on the forked retainer..that allowed the grease to escape around the threads..then I was able to retract the idler with the assistance of a 6X6 length and pressure from the bucket.. once it was retracted enough to get the track off the front idler I used the bucket to pull the idler assembly forward and out of the frame.. once it was out, I was able to completely remove the bolt from the retaining fork and then replace the grease fitting.. if I remember correctly a new fitting was about 80 bucks.. needless to say I left the retainer fork off when I reinstalled the idler.. that way the fitting can be replaced when the idler is installed in the machine..
another issue is that the chrome tube part of the shock tensioner has real crappy chrome.. consequently if the chrome is peeling on the exposed part of the tube (very common according to the finning rep) it will tend to hang up as your trying to push it into the housing.. mine was like that but it didn't seem to damage the seals when I compressed it as once it was reassembled and the track tensioner extended again it held pressure no problem..

Bernie

@jbernielh Thanks! Have you been able to remove the retainer bolt that prevents the grease fitting to be removed completed? That bolt is located in an almost impossible place to access.

you cannot remove that bolt without removing the idler assembly from the frame..
if you loosen it as much as you can (if you can actually get it loose at all) and then unscrew the grease fitting until it binds on the retaining fork the grease should come out around the threads of the fitting..

I have to wonder if your track is so loose that it has come off the drive sprocket you should be able to put a loadstrap around the track and pull it off the idler end with the bucket.. then you can remove the assembly, remove the retainer and replace the plugged fitting

if your tracks are old and worn and have stretched as mine have you will find the adjusters are pretty much at the limit of their travel and the tracks can still be loose.. maybe that's why your tracks are coming off, that or you just don't have them tensioned enough to start with..

if I was you, I would just take the track off, pull the idler assembly out, remove the retainer and then unscrew the grease fitting.. once you have the fitting out put a grease gun on it and see if it take grease..

Bernie

@jbernielh The track is quite tensioned right now because it's over the sprocket. See the attached pic.

I'll try first to replace it with a load strap. If it doesn't work, I'll try to unscrew the bolt that holds the grease fitting so I can unscrew it entirely. Maybe that will help getting some more grease out.

I still don't understand why I haven't had this issue on the other side. The grease came out very easily through the threads of the fitting.

As always, thanks!

I finally got it back on. I used a chain to pry the track a lot and the grease finally came out and the track was loose enough to put it back on.

It was *very hard* to pump grease back in.

What would be the cause for the grease being very hard to get out and get back in?

Thanks!

as I said in my first post.. this fitting is not like a normal grease zerk... it does not have a little ball in the end to stop crap from getting into it, and they will plug very easily..
also, as I mentioned if you decide to change the fitting you will have to remove the entire front idler roller assembly (not that hard to do really)

Bernie