Why Are Regular Undercarriage Inspections Crucial for Your Machines?

October 22, 2024

Regular undercarriage inspections are an often-overlooked, yet vital aspect of maintaining your heavy machinery. The undercarriage is one of the most crucial components of your machine, affecting its overall performance, cost of ownership, and longevity. Maintaining the undercarriage can save time and money by preventing expensive repairs and downtime. Given its hidden nature below the machine, it’s easy for operators and maintenance crews to overlook this critical area. However, neglecting the undercarriage can lead to larger issues, significantly impacting the machine’s efficiency and your bottom line.

Choosing a trusted dealer for these inspections ensures you receive accurate maintenance information and quality service. They generally offer undercarriage inspections as part of their aftermarket services, giving you peace of mind. A well-inspected machine is less likely to suffer from unexpected breakdowns, ensuring continuous operation and reducing downtime. Therefore, it’s essential to plan and schedule regular inspections through your dealer to keep your machinery in optimal condition.

1. Planning Dealer Inspections

When it comes to inspecting the undercarriage, your equipment dealer is an excellent resource. Most dealers offer these services as part of their aftermarket support programs. Tim Hansen of CASE Construction Equipment emphasizes that their dealers globally provide undercarriage inspections to help customers manage their equipment and minimize costs-per-hour. A trusted dealer not only provides the inspection but also offers essential maintenance advice. Knowing your dealer’s capabilities and the frequency required for maintenance, ideally one to two times a year, can help you stick to a maintenance schedule tailored to your needs.

Joe Olivas, a customer service advisor at RDO Equipment Co., suggests that depending on your machine’s age and operational environment, you might need more frequent inspections. Environments with dense, sandy, or wet soil conditions can accelerate wear and tear, necessitating more frequent checks to ensure everything is in working order. Ensuring your machine is consistently inspected as per requirements will keep it operational and save you from expensive repairs in the long run.

2. Keeping Up with Inspections

It’s generally recommended to schedule an undercarriage inspection at least once annually. However, machines operating in harsher environments might require more regular inspections. Go for services from trusted dealers to get a comprehensive check-up and accurate maintenance feedback. This will enable you to monitor your machine’s health effectively and identify any potential problems early on. The frequency of inspections will depend on several factors, including the type of work and age of the machine. Older or more heavily used machinery will require more frequent inspections to maintain optimal functionality.

Routine inspections frequently need to include daily walk-around checks performed by the machine operator. These pre-operation inspections help identify any visible issues before they escalate into more significant problems. By integrating such practices into daily routines, operators can become more familiar with their equipment, increasing efficiency and safety on the job site. Olivas recommends operators perform these checks to ensure there are no easily identifiable problems with the undercarriage before starting their workday.

3. Steps to Examine

  1. Identify the Jobsite Conditions and Their Impact on Wear

    The first step in any thorough undercarriage inspection is to assess the conditions of the job site. Different environments can significantly affect wear and tear. For example, machines operating in sandy, wet, or dense soil may need more frequent inspections. Understanding the type of soil and how it impacts your machine can help prioritize specific inspection points.

  2. Clear Away Any Debris or Buildup

    Removing debris and buildup around the undercarriage is crucial for an accurate inspection. Dirt, mud, and other materials can obstruct the visual checks needed to identify wear and tear. Clearing away these obstructions ensures that you won’t overlook critical issues.

  3. Gauge Wear and Tear

    Measuring wear is a fundamental part of the inspection process. Determining the extent of wear involves measuring various components of the undercarriage, like the tracks and frames, and comparing them against predefined limits.

  4. Check Track/Chain Tension

    Proper track or chain tension is crucial for optimal machine performance. Over-tensioning or under-tensioning can lead to premature wear and mechanical failures. Ensure that track tension falls within manufacturer specifications to lengthen component life.

  5. Inspect the Frame and Areas for Wear

    The frame and areas prone to wear should be scrutinized carefully. Pay close attention to any signs of stress or damage that could compromise the machine’s structural integrity. Identifying these issues early can save on significant repair costs down the road.

  6. Look for Any Oil Leaks

    Oil leaks can be a sign of more severe mechanical issues. Examine seals and hoses for any signs of leakage as part of your undercarriage inspection routine. Addressing leaks promptly can help prevent further damage to the machine’s components.

  7. Listen for Abnormal Noises

    Odd sounds can be indicators of underlying problems. During the inspection, listen for any unusual noises that might suggest a mechanical issue. Addressing these abnormal sounds early can prevent more severe damage.

  8. Record Measurements and Determine Immediate Maintenance Needs

    Documenting the inspection results is necessary for future reference and immediate action. Records should include measurements and any anomalies found during the inspection. From this, you can plan when the next maintenance step should be and what parts may need sooner replacement.

4. Pieces of the Whole

Chains are the “wheels” of your tracked machine, and their health is pivotal in keeping the entire machine functional. Hansen from CASE explains that chains endure a significant amount of stress from operations. The chain’s good condition ensures that other components are not unnecessarily stressed. Timely undercarriage inspections help identify wear patterns and potential points of failure, making it easier to plan part replacements and other maintenance needs. Daily checks by operators can identify visible issues with chains, enhancing the machine’s operational reliability.

Olivas emphasizes that as chains wear out, other machine parts start to bear more stress, leading to accelerated wear and tear on those components. Thus, maintaining chains in good condition prevents the rest of the undercarriage and the machine from suffering undue strain. Regular undercarriage inspections naturally lend themselves to more frequent checks on the chains, ensuring any problems are caught early, and costly downtimes are avoided.

5. Caring for the Undercarriage

One effective way to prolong the life of your undercarriage is through regular cleaning. Typically, cleaning is only needed when there is significant buildup on the undercarriage components. The job site environment often determines how often this cleaning is necessary. Muddy or sandy environments, for example, will require more regular cleaning to remove buildup that can act like sandpaper on the machine’s components.

Daily cleaning is especially vital when moving between different job sites with varying soil types. Operators should remove mud, loam, or sand between the shoes and chains daily to prevent premature wear caused by dried soil acting like an abrasive. Maintaining this cleaning routine ensures the undercarriage components last longer and function better, extending the overall life of the machinery. Your dealer can provide specific guidelines on cleaning and maintaining your machine based on its specific conditions and uses.

6. It Pays to Inspect

Undercarriage inspections are beneficial not only for machine owners but also for contractors who rely on accurate condition assessments for their project estimates. Regular inspections provide a detailed understanding of the machine’s current state, enabling contractors to adjust project budgets for equipment wear more accurately. Conducting inspections at both the beginning and end of a project can help contractors track the wear the machine underwent during a job, allowing them to account for this in project costs.

Working closely with your dealer for undercarriage inspections can also be advantageous for new machine operators. Dealers often provide hands-on guidance during inspections, helping new operators learn how to measure shoe width and roller diameter accurately. This training helps operators become more comfortable and knowledgeable about their machines, enhancing overall performance and job site safety.

7. Undercarriage Inspections are Machine Care

In summary, regular undercarriage inspections are a pivotal aspect of overall machine care. Even though the undercarriage parts are less visible and often forgotten, their health is critical to the machine’s optimal performance. By planning regular inspections with a trusted dealer, you help maintain communication lines open for up-to-date information on part conditions and necessary maintenance activities. Technological advancements and parts updates make it crucial to rely on a skilled dealer for the most current advice.

These inspections help catch minor issues before they grow into significant problems, enabling more efficient and cost-effective maintenance. By keeping the undercarriage in good condition, you ensure that the rest of the machine can operate effectively without undue stress. Consequently, both machine longevity and operational efficiency are enhanced. Therefore, it’s wise not to overlook the importance of these inspections. Contact your trusted dealer today to schedule an undercarriage inspection and ensure your machinery remains in the best possible condition.

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