tracks, different styles

ericlb

Well-known Member
just looking at some auction ads today ive been around crawlers and tracked excavators most of my life, but i noticed a few different units this time 1 is a 450 Deere the other is a komatsu, whats different about these 2 are their track pads, im used to the common pad with 4 bolts, 1 pad sort of overlaps the next ect, on these units which are common looking construction dozers the pads are 2 bolt individual pads with gaps in between them,end on there sort of a triangle profile you can see the track chain a little, not sure from the ads how big the gaps are , but what propose do these pads serve? why are they made like they are?
 
Definitely swamp pads, the extra width provides more flotation, and its likely that with the extra width its likely an LGP model, I have wondered myself with those pads, is it a weight reduction, less steel ? I demonstrated a D65PX Komatsu LGP and a CAT D6H LGP both new from the dealer in '94 with 36" pads for the company I worked for, made the Komatsu literature with photos working a big ole wet stockpile of topsoil in Howell NJ, flotation is incredible given the weight of these tractors, material was soft and was like riding on a waterbed, D8K I had would not climb the pile just drive straight in, where I could negotiate any part of the pile with either of the above. LGP undercarriage replacements are obviously much more expensive, given the extra width on the pads etc.
 
thanks guys we don't get into swamp country out here so i hadn't seen those, i know what you mean on the lgp's, the company has a d6-n, lgp its a high track and it does have a lot more flotation than the one it replaced, our d8-R is a high track too but its not a lgp, if it gets on soft ground its easy to spin the tracks down into the ground if you have a full blade of material, those few inches do make a difference , even if the 6 is about 2/3rds of the d8's weight, this 8 is right at 100,000lbs, the 6 is around 58, or 60, i havent hauled that one in awhile so i don't remember its exact weight
 
Apex shoes are fitted for both flotation & traction in muddy conditons.They can make a machine perform very well in the worst of conditions.They are useless in most firm ground applications,although they are often fitted on dozers doing batter work.
One think I always liked is the softer sound they make as you work.
 
If the ones you are talking about, when you look at the track from beside the machine, have a triangle shape to them, the only place I have seen them used is grading steep slopes on highway projects.
 

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