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Track pad bolts
- Thread starter gwhammy
- Start date
I figured out how to get them out without cutting. They either come loose or break. I
made myself an ACME adapter kit to hook a one inch drive socket on the hydraulic auger on my skid steer.
Started with a 1 1/8 deep well impact socket from harbor freight as that's all I had to fit them. Got one loose instantly and went to the second and blew the side out of the socket. Went and bought a 1 inch drive short 27 mm which fits them good and took several loose only breaking one.
It's absolutely no strain they either come loose or break. I got the master links loose and on both sides and going to get them in the shop so I have a hard flat spot to work on them. I do have to do some grinding on the socket to get it to set flat, it hits the radius of the cleat on some of them.
made myself an ACME adapter kit to hook a one inch drive socket on the hydraulic auger on my skid steer.
Started with a 1 1/8 deep well impact socket from harbor freight as that's all I had to fit them. Got one loose instantly and went to the second and blew the side out of the socket. Went and bought a 1 inch drive short 27 mm which fits them good and took several loose only breaking one.
It's absolutely no strain they either come loose or break. I got the master links loose and on both sides and going to get them in the shop so I have a hard flat spot to work on them. I do have to do some grinding on the socket to get it to set flat, it hits the radius of the cleat on some of them.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
That seems like an awful lot of time consuming work.
OzDozer
Senior Member
You have to weigh up the cost of new bolts and nuts against the value of your time and effort getting them out. New track bolts and nuts were really cheap years ago, it's not the case today - although it does appear that many Western fastener manufacturers are getting their bolts and nuts from China and India, so that keeps their cost down.
If you're thinking or re-using track bolts and nuts, you need to measure the shanks for thinning or necking. Bolts that have been slammed in with big air impact guns originally may have been over-torqued and stretched.
I use the simple test of placing the bolt shank in a pair of caliper jaws and holding the bolt and vernier up to a light source/strong daylight.
If you can see daylight anywhere along the shank, the shank is stretched and not worth re-using, as it will fracture upon applying full torque.
If you're thinking or re-using track bolts and nuts, you need to measure the shanks for thinning or necking. Bolts that have been slammed in with big air impact guns originally may have been over-torqued and stretched.
I use the simple test of placing the bolt shank in a pair of caliper jaws and holding the bolt and vernier up to a light source/strong daylight.
If you can see daylight anywhere along the shank, the shank is stretched and not worth re-using, as it will fracture upon applying full torque.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
Aftermarket bolts and nuts are reasonably priced. Trying to save the old bolts to save money is like the owner of a Ferrari complaining about the cost of new tires. Track hardware is a minor expense with a track loader.
I'm just looking for the easiest way to get them out. Took maybe a half hour to make the adapter out of stuff I had laying around. We spent that much time getting one bolt out with the torch and impact. Sure is easy just pushing a button to get them loose plus you have the weight of the machine pushing down on the socket. I may reuse them just have to see when I get them out. The heads on the bolts are in real good shape, I realize what you are saying about stretch. I've reused bolts with no problem before. I did a little happy dance when this worked, I can have a bolt loose or broke in a few seconds.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
Track bolts are not the same as other bolts. They are like head bolts, just get new ones. They are tightened to specific values that are close to the maximum they can hold before deformity. It would not be unlikely that many of them could have been stretched just a little too much. What shape the heads are in has no bearing on what shape the rest of the bolt is in. If you were using a torch, why did you need an impact? Just torch the nuts off, done. That is the easiest way to remove them. Have you priced out aftermarket bolts and nuts from ITR, ITM, Trek or others or just trying to save money? They might not be as expensive as you think.
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No it's a lot easier just pushing a toggle and they come loose. I can set this on a bolt and have it loose or broke in a few seconds. When I get them in the shop on the solid flat surface it will go fast. I just thought a dirt cheap torque amplifier would intrigue a few people. I haven't priced new bolts but will, just wanted to get the pads off the junk rails. And I will reuse the bolts if they look good!! I'm a one man band 64 year old owner operator that's been at it since I was 18 years old in the excavating business. To say I'm hard headed is an understatement.
ianjoub
Senior Member
The Michelins for my Ferrari cost less than the Toyos for my wife's work truck.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
What's your wife's work truck?
ianjoub
Senior Member
Welder Dave
Senior Member
The Ferrari must have a smaller common size of tire. I'm sure there are more expensive performance tires available. The comparison is still the same. Track bolts aren't a big expense in the overall scheme of things, especially on a crawler machine.
OzDozer
Senior Member
The hidden cost of re-using old track bolts is the labour involved in cleaning them up and examining them for damage.
If you don't value your time a lot, or if you're on a tight budget it might work out for you, but 95% of people simply install new bolts, a known level of quality, and no installation hassles.
It's not uncommon for high tensile fine threads to gall or "pick up" upon re-use, so you then have to pull them out again.
If you don't value your time a lot, or if you're on a tight budget it might work out for you, but 95% of people simply install new bolts, a known level of quality, and no installation hassles.
It's not uncommon for high tensile fine threads to gall or "pick up" upon re-use, so you then have to pull them out again.
Old Growth
Well-Known Member
OMG! You cant reuse those! Their magic holding power has already been sent to the iron heavens!
Its not like he is half assing the brakes on a semi truck.
Its a pad on an OLD track loader. If a couple of them fall off, its not going to crash into a bus load of nuns or run over a car load of children.
The pad is just going to get loose or fall off.
THUD, the pad hits the ground. Thats all the excitement that happens. Worst that can happen (my luck) one will fall off in the mud and you will spend an hour with bar poking the mud till ya hear a clank and find it, lol!
People make worse decisions every day. Dont loose any sleep over your fastener shenanigans, lol!
Old Growth
Well-Known Member
Yeah, me too. I thought that was great!!
The only logical answer here is "Less Tightwadness"
My older beat up 973 I use in the brush came out of a rock quarry. The pads are shot, maybe a half inch of cleat but it's great when it's dry. Rails aren't great either and it has probably half dozen pads loose. They were loose when I got it. If the rails were better than 50 percent I would have probably done some work on them. Had it six years and haven't lost a pad yet.
crane operator
Senior Member
Never. Every green little paper screams as it leaves my wallet.The only logical answer here is "Less Tightwadness"
Thats from the smell lol