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10 Easy Steps To Install Rubber Tracks On Your Mini Excavator

With a wrench and a little elbow grease – almost anybody can install a set of rubber tracks by themselves. Remember to use proper safety precautions when doing any sort of maintenance or adjustments to your machine. This job requires two people to perform safely, so make sure the fridge is stocked with a few cold ones to bait a friend to help you! Make sure that both you and your friend are wearing proper safety gear: high-visibility vests, safety glasses and steel-toed boots. Also, ensure your work area is free of obstacles, debris or people close-by. 

Step 1:

Remove grease fitting with a wrench.  Step down on the bottom side of the track to collapse the idler, releasing the track tension. This is a good time to inspect the grease fitting to determine whether or not it needs to be replaced.

Step 2:

Push down on the front blade of your machine until the front of the rubber track tips upward. Rotate the house of the machine and put the boom down to lift the other end of the track upward.  The track should now be suspended.

Step 3:

As a safety precaution have your partner place heavy duty jack stands (that can support the weight of the machine) beneath the undercarriage.  This is to safeguard against any problems that may potentially occur with the hydraulic system of the machine.

Step 4:

See if you can, at this point, manually remove one end of the track from the sprocket teeth. If not, have your partner enter the cab to start the machine and slowly move it forward as you use a pry bar to ‘walk’ the track off of the sprocket teeth. Check again at this step that there are no people nearby or potential hazards in the way of the machine.

Step 5:

Pull the track away from the machine. Have your helper use a forklift to lift the track off of the machine and put it aside somewhere out of the way. Wondering what to do with old rubber tracks? Click here.

This is also a very good time to inspect your machine undercarriage for damage and wear. Inspect the bottom and top rollers, sprocket teeth and idlers. Clean away any excess dirt and debris caught in your undercarriage.

5 reasons to replace that worn undercarriage!

Step 6:

Move your new rubber track into place beside the machine. With the assistance of your helper, hook the track onto the sprocket teeth at the back of the machine.

Step 7:

As your helper pushes the track forward, use the pry bar to align the front of the track into proper position on the front idler.

Step 8:

Let the tracks run a few revolutions to ensure proper track movement and to verify that there is nothing binding or ill-fitting that requires adjustment.

Step 9:

Lift the boom to lower the back side of the track to the floor gently. Lift the blade to lower the front of the track back down to the ground.

Step 10:

Get back to work!