Pushing Snow with D4

[slimfin]

I have a D4 7U that has 11/2 or 2" holes cut into the grousers, but It still pops when the snow is wet. I am afraid this will break something in the final drives. I just rebuilt them this summer and don't whant to do it again. What can I do to relieve this problem. Any help would be very helpful. Thanks

[King of Obsolete]

loosen off the tracks if they are tight. you can run them slighlty loose.

thansk

[Old Magnet]

Along with the snow grousers, they also offered a snow sprocket but don't know that you could find them anymore.

[D4D83J]

I had a 7u made in 1959, it was an old logger with torch cut ice reliefs in the pads. I used it alot in the winter around Grand Junction, Colo and the tracks would pop frequently but I never broke anything, I think the springs took all the abuse.

[D4Jim]

What do you mean by "pop" the tracks when pushing snow? I have not used my D47U much to plow snow and most of our snow tends to be dry so maybe that is why I have never noticed the problem. I do check for ice buildup whenever I plow snow with the old crate. Last winter I plowed some pretty deep drifts up to 5' (spent about 4 hours) but it was colder than a banshee when I was doing it.

[hardtail]

This pop usually occurs when temps are near melting and the snow will pack in so tight that the recoil springs will compress and then slam open as the pressure relieves. Snow pads and relieved or cutaway sprockets were designed to minimze this but it still happens. As KOO says, reduce your track tension and the slapping will help to dislodge some of the snow, also keep an eye on your carrier rollers as they will stop rotating and it doesn't take long to flat spot them. Most is averted with the recoil springs function but as wimpy as one would think snow is it can be quite damaging.

[D4Doug]

Whenever pushing snow is mentioned, I would recommend that an occasional aplication of a little hand powered shoveling of the tracks is in order. We have always carried a small shovel along on our cat. It's always a good idea to clean the tracks when you are finished for the day or the dozer may be frozen down the next time you want to use it. I hope everyone remembers to avoid operating on a side-hill in snow. Crawlers have a nasty habit of riding sideways on their grousers like a bobsled headed to hell. My tracks were torch cut by the local Cat dealer when it was new and they still pop but if it was likely to cause serious damage, I have not linked it to any single problem. We have had to plow over twenty miles in a day many times.

[SJ]

At the dealer we used to weld a short bar (grouser) at right angles to the grouser bars for ice & snow work to prevent side ways sliding. Cat also made a snow & ice grouser with this extra piece as part of the grouser for ice & snowy slippery conditions.With the weather we have here they were needed for winter work & esp. for logging years ago.The ones Cat sold are pictured in the parts books so it,s no biggy to get some bar material & make up your own as we did at the dealer.

[Woody]

Good advise from all that have posted. Wet snow can be particulary problematic. Run loose as KOO has suggested, frequently get off the tractor and clean out from under the carrier roller. Snow sprockets would help, but as OM has said you may not be able to find them. Keeping the area clean underneath the tracks will allow the snow to shed it self better from the pins before the track contacts the top of the front idler. Mite also want to consider a V-plow for the front if your doing this alot, they tend to role the snow away from the track frame better, and you can push more because your taking it in two directions. We have had the tracks pop on our 9U D6 quite a few times pushing snow and never had a problem. Keeping her shoveled out as Doug suggests should do the job.

[OzDozer]

Be aware, that excessively tight tracks, that are constantly popping the recoil spring mechanism (regardless of what material is causing it .. snow or dirt) .. can also result in bent carrier roller shafts .. where the carrier roller is the single support frame variety.
I've found numerous instances of bent carrier roller shafts when doing undercarriage overhauls.