HI all. Hope this isn't too off-topic...
I recently bought a Hamix micro mini-digger second-hand. It's quite old. I have stretched and split one of the rubber tracks with too much use over stones and now this track jams as it stretches. Result = a useless machine :-\
I know nothing about diggers; Is it possible to obtain new (second-hand) tracks, - and are they easy to fit?
Appreciate any help... - or a pointy finger telling me where to try next!
Thanks... Howie.
I don't suppose putting it in a kettle and boiling it for a few hours would work?
Hamix? or Hanix?
|Hamix? or Hanix?
I've emailed them with my question - but had no reply.
Any ideas?
Ta. H.
Yes, and not very, and they are not cheap. I've ripped the tracks off machines several times. Sometimes you can use the machine itself to get em on. Otherwise there is some way to pull one of the axles back and then slip em over, but lifting the machines is not trivial. Most people use the bucket itself to lift one end and then the other off the ground.
Things get harder when the track is off and its canted over so far in a ditch in wet clay that the hyrdalulic oil is no longer is feeding the pumps and all traction is gone... ;-)
|Howie wrote: | |> HI all. |> Hope this isn't too off-topic... |> |> I recently bought a Hamix micro mini-digger second-hand. It's |> quite old. |> I have stretched and split one of the rubber tracks with too much |> use over stones and now this track jams as it stretches. Result = |> a useless machine :-\ |> |> I know nothing about diggers; Is it possible to obtain new |> (second-hand) tracks, - and are they easy to fit? | |Yes, and not very, and they are not cheap. I've ripped the tracks off |machines several times. Sometimes you can use the machine itself to get |em on. Otherwise there is some way to pull one of the axles back and |then slip em over, but lifting the machines is not trivial. Most people |use the bucket itself to lift one end and then the other off the ground. | |Things get harder when the track is off and its canted over so far in a |ditch in wet clay that the hyrdalulic oil is no longer is feeding the |pumps and all traction is gone... ;-) |
Well, I appreciate the advice. FWIW, I've done some searches, but I'm still not sure what I'm looking for! The problem is that I really don't know what type or size of track I'm looking for and I have no idea what model of Hanix this is.
I've put a couple of pictures here, - if anyone can help I would be very grateful.
[snip]
Is there any way of re-tensioning the tracks (ie move the wheels apart) in order to compensate for the stretch?
sPoNiX
You just need a big enough kettle. Pop them in boiling water for a couple of hours... Well, if it works for tape belts.
I've not had a rubber tracked machine, I thought their failure mode was splitting along their length.
If your machine is at all similar to the steel tracked machines I have had then tension is set by a spring and piston on the front idler roller mount (this is the smooth one, the drive sprocket has the teeth that engage the chain).
Tension adjustment is by removing a dust cap and pumping grease through a nipple to move the piston, releasing is normally by unscrewing the nipple. If the track has derailed then first release all tension and retract the front roller fully, having raised that side of the machine. Then mount the track on the sprocket and bottom rollers followed by levering it over the front idler.
Again experience on steel tracks is that over tensioning is bad as it over stresses the components and makes the tracks and rollers stone crushers with commensurate wear on parts.
Usual case for losing a track is slewing whilst in reverse.
AJH
|On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:35:59 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (sPoNiX) wrote: | |>
|>Is there any way of re-tensioning the tracks (ie move the wheels |>apart) in order to compensate for the stretch? |>
| |I've not had a rubber tracked machine, I thought their failure mode |was splitting along their length. | |If your machine is at all similar to the steel tracked machines I have |had then tension is set by a spring and piston on the front idler |roller mount (this is the smooth one, the drive sprocket has the teeth |that engage the chain). | |Tension adjustment is by removing a dust cap and pumping grease |through a nipple to move the piston, releasing is normally by |unscrewing the nipple. If the track has derailed then first release |all tension and retract the front roller fully, having raised that |side of the machine. Then mount the track on the sprocket and bottom |rollers followed by levering it over the front idler. | |Again experience on steel tracks is that over tensioning is bad as it |over stresses the components and makes the tracks and rollers stone |crushers with commensurate wear on parts. | |Usual case for losing a track is slewing whilst in reverse. | |AJH
Hi, On this one, the tensioning seems to be by screw-bar and two large nuts. No nipples behind the inspection cover. The 'piston' seems to be adjusted by tightning the nuts to move the bar. Having said all that, this adjustment is at it's greatest now.
:-/
Hanix have replied, but they don't do tracks for that machine anymore. they did put me on to a company called CES who have tracks at £160 EACH (plus VAT and delivery).
That's the old way, I didn'y realise yours was such a tiddler!.
Wore out then
Seems very reasonable to me, my last set of chains were over GBP1k each, not including the labour of changing the track plates.
You could try a search on Inmalo also.
AJH
Yes.
In all teh diggers I have hired there is a screw adjustment to force the main axles apart.
|>Hanix have replied, but they don't do tracks for that machine |>anymore. they did put me on to a company called CES who have |>tracks at £160 EACH (plus VAT and delivery). | |Seems very reasonable to me, my last set of chains were over GBP1k |each, not including the labour of changing the track plates. | |You could try a search on Inmalo also. | |AJH Thanks for that, I will do. At least it looks like I will be able to continue the job without _too_ much extra expense!
Thanks again for all help. H.
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