splitting a track

The master pin usually can be removed without a press. Position the link on the sprocket or idler. You need a BFH and a helper to hold the punch using something that keeps their hands out of the path of the hammer. Some people build a fixture to hold the punch on the link. If the link is not backed up by the sprocket or idler the chain will absorb the impact and the pin will not move.

Yesterday I resorected a portable track pin press that I started building 15 years ago. I need to split another track. It takes a lot of force to move track pins. Last time I used a press from Harbor Freight. I bent it. I had to rebuild the press to finish bushing the chain.

Don't be in such a position while holding punch that when your brother bounces the sledge off the punch it hits you in the mouth and knocks out 2 front teeth! Just sayin...

we have a piece of solid shaft  about 16 inches long or so welded to a 3 foot piece of pipe.  it keeps the holder well clear and the shaft is long enough to allow the pad to remain on the track or the rail sides can move or bounce independently.  also place a heavy piece of pipe so it fits snugly between the rail and the rear end that allows the master pin to go into.   this will buck the area immedietly around the pin so all your striking energy goes into moving the pin and not bouncing things around.  we do 15 and 16 master links this way so a 5 should be like punching rivits 

The ITM chains we put on our FA 10 came with a warning against driving the master pin by hammering.  Any clues as to why?

I made up a rig to use a 20 ton hydraulic jack to drive them.


Edited by Ian Beale - 02 Jan 2016 at 5:47pm

Darrel, Why are you needing to take that track off? Thought you just had a steering clutch problem? Just askin 

Well Mel, it's a long story. That left side wants to give me more trouble and fight me to the bitter end. I don't know if you were following along through this whole ordeal, but to make a long story short, the left side track won't do anything but slide when we try to move this miserable beast forward or back. It went into the shop under its own power. Moved forward and backward just fine when we were bringing the clutch and brake drum bolts around to the top to remove them. Now she's froze up. We first discovered it to be froze up after I took the torch to the brake drum when I couldn't get that side out. We thought we had it rolling over again after I made some more headways on getting that clutch completely out, but we hadn't done much more than rock it a little with a bar. When we tried to do some serious moving of it, it just went to sliding. Figure if I split the track, then I will know if something is lodged in the track that I am overlooking, or if it is something in the final drive. It's just plain odd. Darrel

If and IF you must break track I used a 20# sledge with a 1.5" cold rolled drift around 16" long.  I found a piece of pipe in my crap box the drift would fit thru and finagled a mount to hang on the track shoe positioning the tube in-line to the master pin, then give it hell.  One rail eye required a little heat, not to red state just hot.

to move the track I used a come along and a pair of vice grips clamped to a pad - then come along onto loader bucket - with machine jacked up so track cleared the floor I could move track to work on clutch , work on brakes , and work on final drives - all without splitting the track . 

 [TUBE]http://youtu.be/RN3exiuyQJc[/TUBE]

DIYDave

Re your post above

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