Taking Care of Your Track Loader’s Undercarriage

Your track loader makes a lot of difficult jobs into easy ones, but only if it’s functioning the way it’s meant to. Maintaining it requires a lot of time and care, and it can be easy to overlook a vital area: the undercarriage. We here at New South Tractor want to help you maximize your equipment’s uptime, so we’ve put together a few tips for taking care of your track loader’s undercarriage below. To learn more, or to see the track loaders we have for sale, contact our store in Newton, North Carolina, today!

Owner’s Manual

Like with any major maintenance process, your very first step should be to consult your track loader’s owner’s manual. While we can provide solid general advice that should apply to most track loaders, your manual was written for your specific make and model, which means it will have more relevant and precise information. 

It should include a schedule for how often the undercarriage and other various components of the machine should be serviced, and you should follow that timeline as closely as possible. The manual will also provide some tips when it comes to actual repairs, recommended products that will work best with your model, and even a maintenance log so you can note what tasks have been done and when. The owner’s manual should be able to help you tackle many small tasks on your own, saving you time and money.

Visual Inspection

When it comes to the actual maintenance, you should start by conducting a thorough visual inspection of the undercarriage. You’re going to want to conduct these inspections regularly, and fairly frequently if you work in particularly harmful conditions where the track loader is rolling through mud, gravel, or other tough terrain. 

Check for any obvious signs of damage, like dents, cracks, tears, or holes. Finding small issues early can help you prevent larger, more expensive issues down the line. If you find something you aren’t able to tackle on your own, contact our service department here at New South Tractor for help.

Cleaning

Cleaning the undercarriage is one of your best defenses against serious issues. The undercarriage collects a lot of debris like caked-on muck, branches, dirt, and rocks, and if it’s not removed regularly, it can begin to hamper your loader’s efficiency. Worse yet, mud and liquids can cause corrosion while rocks and branches can cause more direct physical damage.

We recommend washing the undercarriage with a high pressure hose after a day’s work, though be careful not to scour any parts. Once you finish the wash, make sure to lubricate all moving parts to keep them in good shape.

We hope this helps you take care of your track loader! If you have any questions, need maintenance help, or just want to see the track loaders we have for sale, contact us at New South Tractor. We proudly serve Newton and Asheville, North Carolina—let us serve you today!