Company News
Summer High-Temperature Operation: Key Undercarriage Maintenance Tips for Crawler Machinery
2026-07-06
As summer arrives, global construction, mining and agricultural crawler equipment enters the busiest working season. Continuous high-temperature exposure, heavy loads and frequent muddy, dusty working conditions jointly accelerate the aging and wear of undercarriage parts. Excessive heat easily damages track seals, causes oil leakage of pins and bushings, and shortens the service life of Rollers, idlers and track chains. Standardized daily maintenance can effectively avoid unexpected machine downtime and cut long-term replacement costs. We have sorted out practical summer undercarriage maintenance guidelines for all equipment owners and repair shops.
1. Daily Cleaning to Reduce Heat Abrasion
Mud, sand and gravel stuck in track links will form abrasive layers after being baked by high temperature, which greatly speed up metal friction and seal aging.
- Clean track chains, rollers and idlers thoroughly after daily operation to remove accumulated mud and stones.
- Do not flush hot undercarriage components with cold water immediately after shutdown; sharp temperature difference will crack seals and deform metal parts.
- Keep the track frame and roller surface unobstructed to ensure natural heat dissipation during operation.
2. Strict Lubrication Inspection to Prevent Dry Friction
High temperature will thin lubricating grease and accelerate oil evaporation, leading to Dry friction between pins, bushings and roller bearings.
- Check grease filling points of track rollers, top rollers and idlers every morning before startup, replenish high-temperature resistant lithium grease in time.
- Visually inspect track joints for oil leakage; rust or discoloration around pin ends indicates failed sealing and internal oil loss, which needs urgent overhaul.
- Avoid low-grade lubricants with poor heat resistance, which will lose viscosity quickly under continuous high loads.
3. Adjust Track Tension to Control Overheating
Over-tight tracks generate extra friction during walking, producing massive heat that hardens and cracks polyurethane track seals prematurely.
- Adjust track sag according to summer working ground: looser tension for muddy farmland, moderately tight for rocky mining sites.
- Check track tension every 3 working days; too loose tracks will cause derailment and impact damage to sprockets, while over-tight tracks trigger overheating and rapid chain elongation.
- Tighten all track shoe bolts and roller fixing screws regularly to prevent loose parts from causing abnormal friction and heat accumulation.
4. Avoid Harmful Operating Habits Under High Temperature
Improper operation amplifies thermal load on the whole undercarriage system:
- Minimize sharp in-place turns and counter-rotation, which create strong lateral friction and local high temperature on track links and roller flanges.
- Arrange intermittent rest for machines during noon peak heat to avoid non-stop heavy-duty operation for over 4 hours continuously.
- Reduce high-speed long-distance travel on hard rocky ground to lower continuous friction heat of track chains.
5. Timely Overhaul & Replace Worn Components
Summer peak workload magnifies minor undercarriage defects into major breakdowns:
- Check sprocket teeth for uneven wear, cracks or missing sections; worn sprockets will accelerate chain stretching and seal failure.
- Replace seized rollers without rotation timely; stationary rollers grind track links constantly and generate extreme friction heat.
- For track chains with multiple leaking joints, arrange full overhaul via professional hydraulic track press line to replace damaged pins, bushings and seals before busy tasks.