Digger problem

[Justme]

Does anyone have a Schaeff HR16 or similar (but not a golf).

I managed to through a track yesterday (rushing).

Should be a simple job to take out the grease nipple / bolt & push the idler back in. But the hole that the nipple is i is so small & the bolt so close to the side if the box its in that you can get a spanner on it & the angle stops a socket getting on it. I am guessing that there is a "special" tool to do the job. Poss some thing like a supper slim crows foot spanner on a socket extension.

Any ideas?

 

[Justme]

Well sorted that problem. The thing that the bolt / nipple mounts in had twisted. Bit of leverage & it was in the centre of the hole so could be got with a socket.

I have even managed after mucho struggling to get the wheel to retract about 2 " but it looks like it wont go much further but I still cant get the BEEP track back on.


Is it best to start at the top or the bottom?

 

[scarecrow]

it should go a lot further the 2 in. the grease probably has dried out and is quite solid you just have to keep on pushing it try and push as straight as you can
it's always easier to get the track back on the idler than the drive wheel if you can get the slack around to the idler you might be able to pull it on with a chain or push it on with the teeth of the bucket while lifting the machine with the back of the bucket if you know what I mean the second digger could be handed

 

[Justme]

Got it back on in the end. The idler went in about 4" in the end.

I tried a ratchet strap, driving the wheel into a tree stump, hitting it with a sledge but protected with a wooden block, bucket will not touch the track at any point so could not use that. In the end I kept putting bits of steel in the track so that the idler was pulled in by the track moving & the rubbers stretch / pressure.

To put it back on I lined up the track on the bottom rollers one by one, lowering the digger to hold it on each time, then the track would pull on to the idler with a lever & rotating the track.

Lost a complete day doing it. Also had to get a new grease gun end as mine let the grease out & dint tighten the tracks. Made sure I tightened up the other track as well to the 35mm ish droop. Plus did all the other grease points. Would have done the engine service as well but it started to pee down.

 

[scarecrow]

nice little machines when I Google it I realized it was a rubber track. so you would need to be careful banging it with the bucked I tossed one off a 13 ton during the winter took about 20 minutes to put back on also needed to get a new grease gun as the cheap ones don't be able for the pressure
good to hear you're a digging again

 

[metalspanner]

If you ever spin a track again justme, remove the grease tensioner, get a stout lump of timber and with this in the bucket line it up with idler wheel and use this arrangement to push the idler back.
DONT ALLOW anyone to stand in line with the open port on the tensioner as they normally get splattered in grease, but you should (environment protection) have something to catch the grease in.

 

[Justme]

Doh, I should have thought of that lol.

Not much grease came out. I lost more using my old gun end trying to get it in. The new end seemed to tighten up the more pressure you put on it but still came off easy.