Steel Track question

[tom]

I noticed a popping noise on my right front track while going in reverse..no noise while moving forward. I cannot see any indications of the track hanging up anywhere. Any one experienced a similar situation. It sounds like it is coming from the very front of the pontoon. I just finished greasing all the track bearings.

 

[300 H and H]

When in reverse the track is pulling against the front of the pontoon. Oposite of when you are going forward and pulling the load against the rear of the pontoon. You may have to have some one stand at the front of that pontoon and watch what is happening. Could it be the drive sprockets are jumping teeth? A person walking along side could tell easily I think...

Regards, Kirk

 

[tom]

makes sense.. I will give that a try as well as measure track adjustment length on both sides to make sure it is aligned correctly..thanks

 

[sno-drifter]

Assuming you have adjustable rails, check for misalignment at the joints where the nose meets the rail. Make sure the overlaps are on the same plain. The Holes on either side of the pontoon at the middle are there for track adjustment. Make sure that the distances on each side are the same from nose to hole. Do all eight ends.

You could have a broken off half of one of the drive teeth on the sprocket. As previously suggested, have someone near the offending location and stop the machine when the popping happens and look for something missing or bent.

 

[tom]

Thanks I will that..One other question..what truck wheels work with these hubs? i intend to remove the pontoons and completely go through the tracks,pontoons as well as take the cat to a tucker mechanic I know..oil pan is leaking ..hoping I can get to it without pulling engine and tranny. Also looking at repaint. Seems like it would be easier to move around on wheels. A full summers project..

 

[DAVENET]

The spare donut wheels (full size 15-16", but skinny) from the early Chrysler Caravans are a dime a dozen at any junk yard. High pressure + low contact patch = easy moving. I think I paid $20 for four and gave the guy a $20 tip just for the hassle of the search (he only wanted to get me 'fresh' ones that were still full of air). None of them were rusted since they are hidden in the trunk.

Measure your hole pattern to get the right ones (4.5" or 5"). You almost certainly have the 4.5" which will require early rims.

David

 

[sno-drifter]

As Dave said Dodge car and early pick ups. Distance center to center of adjacent holes is 2 5/8 and opposite holes is 4 1/4. These are five hole wheels. Not sure about 1964, but this size fits 1960 and earlier Tuckers.

 

[Track Addict]

I am thinking the adjuster joint is raised on one side so in forward it rolls to the lower side but in reverse it is like a speed bump.

I wet sticky snow I get some build up on the rails that can cause that noise. Also sprocket teeth could be broken and only on the reverse side??

 

[tom]

You may be right. After greasing all the rollers yesterday I spent a lot of time looking over the tracks and I noticed that inside track is sitting deeper in the sprocket than the outside one. How do you adjust the level of the adjuster joint. All the sprocket teeth look like all the other three so I dont think that is the issue. However the adjuster stop looks like it is closer to the end of the rail than any of the others Could the roller flange be getting hung up?

 

[sno-drifter]

Also look at the rail part of the pontoon which is on the outside of the rollers. This is a rail on the opposite side from the rails that the rollers ride on. It keeps the rollers captured when you drive over a hollow place and on top keeps the rollers from moving away from the drive sprocket. The ends of these "mini" rails get bent sometimes and need to be straightened out.

 

[Track Addict]

This is the pic of my rear adjuster joint. I took a link out last year to close the adjusters back up. My front pontoons still have one extra link and the adjuster is maxed out. It creates a good sized gap at that point and if the rails are not level that could be part of it.

My tracks have also been adjusted by bending the links so trying to get everything perfect and even is a chore!!