Taking a link out

The track adjustment on my 6c is at the end and the right side keeps falling off and the rail rides on the center of the rollers.

The cat doesn't have rock guards but I a friend has some 1/2 guards. Apparently they go about 1/2 the length of the track and being open let's the rocks and trash fall out.

Would this solve my problem or should I remove a link from the track?

If I remove a link could I wind up with the tracks being to tight?

I'm in the middle of a job and would like to finish it.

Removing a link is not as simple as you think. Other than the Master Link, the pins are pressed into the rail and so are the bushings. TONS of Pressure. I can be done in some cases but you have to know what you are doing. You should assess the condition of the pins, bushings, idler, sprocket and rollers. Rock Guards do not fix worn out tracks. When you say the rails ride on the center of the rollers, not sure what you are trying to describe. Close up photos of the Rails, Pins & bushings as seen between the rails, the idler, rollers (bottom and carrier) and sprocket will help others give you an opinion. cts

I won't be able to get a picture for a while but basically the track comes 1/2 way off and one side of the rail rides in the center of the rollers.

I learned from the infamous Mr. D4e, to have track guards made for the center of some machines with long frames; same applied to full track rice harvesters I found out, from my favorite mechanic. I have a nice D4E that would occasionally kick the rails out from under it, and it was an annoyance to say the least. Master mechanic (you know who you are!) built some for my D4E and I never ever had any more issues "de"railing" my tracks I call it. Not too difficult or expensive. Yes, factory ones are nice, but these worked just as well and professionally built. Photos to follow when I find them in my iphone. JM

I have removed quite a few links over the years.

Its certainly not a long term fix but can allow you to get a few hundred hours more life out of your rails if the bushings aren't worn through, or finish up a job before doing a full u/c rebuild.

In the field the simplest way is to remove two shoes, torch off half a link on either side of a pin/bushing, refit one shoe to align bolt holes of the two halves, then weld the two halves together.

This method may sound a bit crude, but you are dealing with a worn out undercarriage already, so really isn't going to matter if your pitch is out by 1/16".

Hi, Glum.

Shady Tree workshop? Bush Mechanics? Do Wotchyer Gottadoo Repairs? Gitterdunn Welding and Maintenance?

Wotteverittakes Mechanicals?

Probably not gonna matter if the two bushes aren't EXACTLY in line with each other either.

Just my 0.02.

Deas, yep I represent those guys from time to time. Let's not even get started on cutting segments out of sprocket rims to avoid removing track frames.

BCguide, besides worn out tracks, issues with idler and sprocket alignment to track frame can often cause track to jump too.

How do you check the sprocket, idler alignment?

It sounds like something I should do.

Use a straight edge or if the tracks are already off, just eyeball them. You can't easily change the sprocket alignment so you can adjust the track frames in or out to get the sprocket centered in them but if the track frames are pointing inwards or outwards, you probably need to do some surgery on the pivot shaft and/or track frame bosses. Same with the idlers. If the slides are worn, that can enable the idlers to displace sideways or to point in a different direction. Again some surgery may be required

Adding to Neil's points, the recoil spring guides can also be worn, causing the spring to point in one direction slightly, which in turn forces the idler to lie slightly sideways.

All quite difficult to see with the track on.

Hi, bcguide.

A little 'exploration' with a tape measure can tell you a fair bit about track alignment. Simply measuring center to center of the track shoes front and rear will likely tell you if you have problems. Placing a straight edge up against the main frame just behind the radiator and measuring from it out the track shoes top and bottom will tell if the idlers are in vertical alignment. Or you can measure to the top of the idler and then to the bottom for another test. Sometimes, there is enough misalignment for it to be visible to the naked eye.

Crawling underneath and measuring the distance between the inner track frame rails front and rear will tell you if the track frames are aligned - or not.

Placing the same straight edge against the main frame and measuring from it out to the front and then the rear of the idler will tell you if you have an idler out of horizontal alignment, assuming that you have already checked your track frames for correct alignment. BTW, the measurement between the sprockets, center to center, and the idlers, center to center, should be the same.

Sometimes, it helps to take these measurements twice, first after travelling forward for a couple of track lengths and again after travelling backwards about the same distance, and noting any variations. Using this trick will help to tell if there is much or any wear in the diagonal brace bearings by laying a straight edge across the lower part of the steering clutch cases and measuring from that into the backs of the bearing caps after travelling in each direction.

If your sprocket teeth are worn to sharp points, it's usually a pretty good indication that your pins and bushes have reached their 'use-by' date. The fact that one track wants to run with a rail running in the center of the rollers may also indicate 'well-worn-but-not-worn-well' pins and bushes.

Hope that at least some of this helps.

Just my 0.02.