Track Guiding Guards For Construction Equipment
When it comes to maintaining your heavy-duty machinery, it’s all too easy to forget about the little things. Track guiding guards are often at the bottom of most operators’ lists, but they serve a critical yet overlooked function: keeping your machine’s tracks aligned and on the track frame. Without these guards, the likelihood of your tracks slipping or becoming misaligned increases, and both of those problems can lead to downtime or hefty repair bills. Let’s go over how track guiding guards work, how to maintain and inspect them, and some aftermarket options if you need to replace them.
What are Track Guiding Guards?
Track guiding guards are an essential attachment to have installed on your machine, regardless of the terrain you’ll be working on. Essentially, track guards are components that have been designed to mount on your machine’s track frame to keep the steel or rubber tracks themselves aligned and prevent them from falling off. Additionally, they help prevent wear and tear on the machine’s rollers by keeping the tracks from moving side to side over them while in operation. They play a critical role in an efficient, well-maintained machine and punch far above their weight when it comes to their effectiveness in reducing downtime and wear.
Track Guiding Guard Part Numbers for Crawler Equipment
Below is a sample group of the track guiding guards that we have in stock in our warehouses throughout the country. These parts are an excellent aftermarket replacement to keep your dozers, excavators, and other heavy track-type construction equipment moving forward.
- # 1175553
- # 1195473
- # 1207169
- # 1271203
- # 1271204
- # 1332504
- # 1332554
- # 1571606
- # 1893861
- # 1928303
- # 1P0963
- # 2068961
- # 2198469
- # 4I5071
- # 4I6514
- # 7Y2581
The Importance of Keeping Tracks Aligned
The importance of clean, maintained, and functioning track guards cannot be overstated. Most manufacturers and heavy equipment experts recommend a minimum of two track guards for smooth, level terrain to keep your machines’ tracks in place. For jobs on uneven terrain and when operating through dirt, mud holes, or steep grades, more than two guards may be required to keep your tracks aligned and doing their jobs. Not only are these guards critical for machine performance, but they are also essential for defending against long-term track wear and preventing long-term alignment issues.
Defends Against Overall Track Wear
Properly installed and functioning track guards ensure that your machines’ tracks run straight and stay aligned all day long, dramatically reducing wear on the tracks, rollers, flanges, and chains. Some manufacturers estimate that this can result in as many as 1,500 extra hours of use on these components, showing that track guards reduce costs of both downtime and part replacements.
Maintain Proper Track Alignment
Another critical purpose of track guards is ensuring proper track alignment throughout the workday. Having consistently aligned tracks improves traction and dramatically reduces the likelihood of the tracks slipping off the frame.
Recognizing Wear Patterns for Track Guiding Guards
Track guiding guards show evidence of wear and tear well before they give out, so learning how to recognize the signs of wear before they become problems is critical to preventing long-term damage. Look for visible signs of damage, like broken or missing components. Additionally, repetitive issues such as your machine’s tracks consistently falling off the rollers may be another indication that your track guards need to be repaired or replaced. Consistent maintenance and inspection are vital to spotting these issues early.
Visible Damage
If you spot signs of visible damage on your machine’s track guards, you must address the problem as soon as possible. Broken or missing parts can cause all kinds of mechanical complications, and these things have a nasty way of getting worse the longer they go on.
Tracks Falling Off Idlers or Rollers
If your tracks are consistently or repeatedly falling off your machine’s track frame, idlers, or rollers, that may be a sign that there is a problem with your track guards. Additionally, it may be necessary to make slack adjustments with the track adjusters, examine the track chain for issues, and double-check that the rollers are in good shape.
Maintaining Your Equipment’s Undercarriage
Most of the common problems the average heavy-duty equipment owner will encounter with their machine can be prevented or stopped early with a regular maintenance schedule. Replacing worn or broken undercarriage parts as often as necessary will minimize your machine’s downtime and save you heaps in the long run.
Daily Inspection Can Extend the Life of Your Machine
Countless undercarriage components get put under a great deal of strain throughout a workday, and while these components are designed to hold up under pressure, everything breaks eventually. Inspecting your machine daily can do wonders for its lifespan and quality of use. There are several simple checks you can do at the end of every workday to your machine running in top shape:
- Check the roller flanges to ensure there are no cracks or missing sides that would allow the tracks to slip off.
- Give your sprockets a once-over to confirm that the teeth are all intact and the sprocket itself is appropriately mounted.
- Count and verify that all the track pins and bolts are seated and snug tight, including the center pin.
- Examine the track itself. Look for wear and tear on the track links and shoes, measure the track gauge, and ensure it’s appropriate for the terrain you’re working on. Finally, lubricate your track and its components for efficient operation.
- Inspect the cylinders and their seals for signs of leaks or other wear.
If you run through a daily checklist like the one above, you’re all but guaranteed to catch wear problems early, which gives you time to get them addressed before they get worse.
Contact DMC Wear Parts For Ordering
With over 20 years of experience, we understand the needs of operators and can help you get the best track chain and track parts for your project. Let us put our knowledge to work for you with parts for progress!
Quick & Free Quotes
(605) 840-8082
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Track Guiding Guard Replacement Options
Now that we’ve shown how critical track guiding guards are for your heavy-duty equipment, we want you to know that you have options when it comes to repairing or replacing them. At DMC Wear Parts, we have a wide selection of aftermarket parts for all the top brands, including CAT, John Deere, and dozens of others.
CAT Parts
DMC Wear Parts offers several aftermarket replacement parts that are compatible with your track-type CAT heavy equipment.
John Deere Parts
Our extensive parts inventory includes track and undercarriage parts that fit John Deere dozers, excavators, and more.
Aftermarket Parts vs. OEM Parts
Is it better to get OEM parts for my machine, or should I go for the aftermarket options?
To answer that, we must highlight the differences between the two choices. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) parts come straight from the original manufacturers, so their main advantage is a guaranteed fit and quality comparable to the machine you purchased. On the other hand, aftermarket parts have many advantages that OEM parts can’t match up to. The biggest one is a lower cost. OEM parts are built and sold by companies that sell various other parts, machines, and services, so these companies naturally have a much higher overhead than a dedicated aftermarket parts supplier.
Aftermarket options have another edge in the case of modifications. OEM parts are made to the same design standard across the board, while aftermarket parts can be designed to accommodate various needs to suit the individuals purchasing them. From parts designed for easy installation and cleaning to ones intended for high-impact wear resistance and maximum torque output, the options are endless with aftermarket replacement parts.
Aftermarket Wear Parts Offer Better Value
Overall, aftermarket parts offer more bang for your buck. They can be sold at a lower price than their OEM competitors because aftermarket sellers have lower overhead costs. Most aftermarket part designs are built for durability and years of use, increasing the time between necessary repairs.
Contact an Aftermarket Wear Parts Specialist Today
If you’re in need of track guiding guards or any other component for your dozer, loader, tractor, excavator, crawler, or other track-operated machines, the expert parts suppliers at DMC Wear Parts have you covered. We offer replacement and upgrade parts for dozens of top manufacturers, and our parts specialists are pros at helping you find exactly what you need!
All manufacturer names, logos, symbols, etc. are used for reference purposes only and does not imply that any part listed is a direct product of these manufacturers.
