What Is Undercarriage Damage?
The undercarriage of heavy equipment refers to the supporting framework underneath a piece of heavy machinery. There are various types of undercarriages, including rubber track undercarriages and machinery steel undercarriages. An undercarriage will include a range of different parts, like a set of tracks or wheels, which are assembled and attached to the undercarriage to help it move over different kinds of terrain. Other key components include frames, pins, idlers, rollers, sprockets, bushings and links. This component is crucial to a piece of equipment’s functionality.Get more news about
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So, what’s undercarriage damage? This can be any damage or harm that has occurred to the supporting structure underneath a piece of heavy equipment. Considering how essential the undercarriage is to heavy machinery, damage can be a huge cause of concern, accounting for some extensive, costly repairs. There are a number of different factors or conditions that can cause harm to machine undercarriage.
What Causes Undercarriage Damage?
Although a certain level of undercarriage damage is inevitable for most pieces of heavy equipment over time, it’s still important to be aware of the main causes to prevent as much damage as possible.
What does undercarriage damage mean? Here are four of the most common causes of heavy equipment undercarriage damage:
1. Rough Terrain
One of the more obvious causes of undercarriage damage is rough or uneven terrain, as it’s usually easy to tell when your equipment has driven over large holes or dips in the ground. Worksites often feature rough patches, which can have a significant impact on heavy equipment. Bouncing along the ground while driving over a hole or other rugged, uneven surfaces can cause cracks in the undercarriage, which can lead to leaks.
Another harmful aspect of rough terrain can be rocks and other types of construction site debris. Whenever you strike rocks, rubber tire pieces or any other objects or debris while operating the machines, it can cause damage to the undercarriage. Rocks can fly up and cause punctures or knock bolts and other parts loose. That’s why it’s important to always drive with caution on sites with lots of debris or unsteady, uneven terrain.
2. Water and Moisture
Although the undercarriage — like the rest of the machine — is covered with a protective finish for water exposure, the finish won’t always be effective. Considering that the undercarriage usually experiences more scratches while the equipment is at work compared to the rest of the parts, the protective finish will wear off even quicker.
Therefore, when the undercarriage gets exposed to water too often without the chance to dry properly, the moisture will start to interact with the metal and lead to corrosion. Eventually, corrosion leads to the metal weakening and premature wear.
3. Mud Residue
Mud residue can be a huge problem in some areas and cause a lot of harm to the undercarriage. If the mud doesn’t get washed off the machinery and its undercarriage properly, it can hold moisture, which will eventually lead to seal and bushing failure.
Mud and other debris can also build up in treads and lead to excess wear by adding weight to the equipment.
4. Improper Operation
Using heavy equipment beyond its operating capacity can cause stress to its undercarriage. Constant use on sloped surfaces requires a large amount of power that puts strain on track shoes, rollers and segments. Making sharp movements instead of wide turns quickly wears out tracks.
