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Where to get new track rubber
- Thread starter Mike8623
- Start date
Pretty sure FallLine makes up custom stuff: http://www.fallline.com/store/Results.cfm?Cat_ID=8&secondary=37
Best? Most economical? I don't know. I bought used belting and punched my own holes. I did the who cat for $100.
Best? Most economical? I don't know. I bought used belting and punched my own holes. I did the who cat for $100.
I also bought used conveyor belting and made my own holes. Don't be afraid of drilling your own holes. Take a section of the old belting, use it as a template to mark the new belting. Then get a hole punch that will fit in a drill press. But the drill in the fastest speed possible. The hole bunch will burn thru the belting so fast you'll have to put out to keep up. You can also use a cordless drill, if you don't have a drill press Makes perfect, clean hole. Word of caution, from experience, make sure you have a shirt on, when the little rubber plugs come flying out they burn the belly fat.
MNoutdoors RIP
Gone But Not Forgotten
I also bought used conveyor belting and made my own holes. Don't be afraid of drilling your own holes. Take a section of the old belting, use it as a template to mark the new belting. Then get a hole punch that will fit in a drill press. But the drill in the fastest speed possible. The hole bunch will burn thru the belting so fast you'll have to put out to keep up. You can also use a cordless drill, if you don't have a drill press Makes perfect, clean hole. Word of caution, from experience, make sure you have a shirt on, when the little rubber plugs come flying out they burn the belly fat.
Just be careful if you use your old track belt as a guide especially if it was made
From conveyor belting that stretched a lot because the pitch will get off if the belt was stretched.
You better off the make a template even out of plywood if your on doing one set
At least the pitch will remain the same
Nobody can do it more economical then your own labor but of thats not something you want to do the I can make them so can Fallline so can Mountain Services so can ETK
Or if you just want belting I can slit you some of that I prefer a overlapped splice
It's strong but some want the hinged splice ether way we do both
JimVT
Bronze Member
http://snowcattracks.com/
i got punched 3 ply from them
i got punched 3 ply from them
I'm confused. Did you call up these guys already?
I'd be surprised if none of the four are able to sell you belts. But if none of them can do it for cheaper than a grand, then I'm afraid you're going to have to spend more or do the work yourself. ??
MNoutdoors RIP
Gone But Not Forgotten
Just my cost on 3 ply 375PIW belt 10" wide 28' long and he wants FLEXCO hinges with no labor. Is just under 400.00 per belt I can't supply for 250 per belt
Not even if he did his own holes.
Not even if he did his own holes.
sorry guys, if my information may have hurt some feelings. I've tried to be encompassing as I could about my situation. It may be worth 2 grand or more for 4 belts, I don't know all I can say is at this point in time it is not to me! It very well may be the going price, but I just have a hard time paying 2 grand or more for 4 belts of pre-punched holes. Again I apologize if I hit a sore spot but surely belting and punching holes can't be that much, maybe it is..........It just seems a lot of money and again I am a novice here so cut me a little slack. If I have to pay 2 grand or more at some point I will.........but I would think there must be a cheaper alternative that is almost as good as new belts at the 2 grand price. Someone help me out here. Boogie has helped me out a lot here and I give him kudos, If I have to give him 2 grand or more I will at some point in time, just not now.........surely there must be an alternative.......or maybe I or someone else needs to go into the belt business.
I used a place here in Maine for used belting. They had a whole lot of stuff that was near new. I want to say I paid 6 dollars a foot for 10 inch wide belting.
so, do the math. Then I had to drill holes. I only needed a little patching for the IMP.. I gave the rest of the roll to the guy that bought it.
Next time I have to do belts.. It's 4k or so for a set on the ASV.
I bought a boring bit to use on the belts. Hope I never have to use it. We got a GIANT template with our Tucker. Hope I never have to use that either!
JP
so, do the math. Then I had to drill holes. I only needed a little patching for the IMP.. I gave the rest of the roll to the guy that bought it.
Next time I have to do belts.. It's 4k or so for a set on the ASV.
I bought a boring bit to use on the belts. Hope I never have to use it. We got a GIANT template with our Tucker. Hope I never have to use that either!
JP
I'm here in Canada and I have a very good supplier of used belting. Give me some rough info about your belts. I take it you need 4 belts 10" wide x 28' long. How many holes and how thick. I'll get you a price. Remember that the Canadian dollar sucks so it may be economical for you to get them from Canada.
MNoutdoors RIP
Gone But Not Forgotten
No hurt feeling here, I just wanted to show I couldn't do it. Wished I could have
I'm sure with used belt and some drilling you can get it done. You could drop to 2 ply but I wouldn't I think for the weight of the machine I would stay 3 ply
They made two different widths in the 4T series one was followed by a "N" and one by a " w" if I recall correctly the narrow one was 62" center to center of sprocket and the other 67 or 69"
I'm sure with used belt and some drilling you can get it done. You could drop to 2 ply but I wouldn't I think for the weight of the machine I would stay 3 ply
They made two different widths in the 4T series one was followed by a "N" and one by a " w" if I recall correctly the narrow one was 62" center to center of sprocket and the other 67 or 69"
No offense taken Mike. I too could not afford to buy new punched belts. I really couldn't even justify buying new belting on my budget (hovering somewhere around nonexistant). That's why I googled places that sold used belting. Turned out, there was one about 90 mi. from me, and they agreed to sell me the belts at a great price. But I found several outlets selling used belting, and they can cut it to width. I see others have chimed in here too.
A utility knife will cut it to length. I made up a jig using a half sheet of used 3/4" plywood and a couple 1x4s held up by sawhorses. A 3/4" forstner bit made fine holes. It's mainly that you need around 900 of 'em. I used to do carpentry, so this all came second nature to me. If you need specific directions, I can perhaps help.
Nobody's going to sell you prepunched used belts, to my knowledge.
Why do they charge 2 grand for new prepunched belts? Because new prepunched belts are really nice and handy. Also because they have them and you need them.
Boggie is a good guy, and I recommend him as a supplier. My belts are used, and they are definitely not as desirable as new ones would be. Considering how much labor is involved in rebuilding tracks, I can easily see why many people spring for new belts. My financial situation sadly did not allow such extravagance, while my labor schedule could stand the hit.
A utility knife will cut it to length. I made up a jig using a half sheet of used 3/4" plywood and a couple 1x4s held up by sawhorses. A 3/4" forstner bit made fine holes. It's mainly that you need around 900 of 'em. I used to do carpentry, so this all came second nature to me. If you need specific directions, I can perhaps help.
Nobody's going to sell you prepunched used belts, to my knowledge.
Why do they charge 2 grand for new prepunched belts? Because new prepunched belts are really nice and handy. Also because they have them and you need them.
Boggie is a good guy, and I recommend him as a supplier. My belts are used, and they are definitely not as desirable as new ones would be. Considering how much labor is involved in rebuilding tracks, I can easily see why many people spring for new belts. My financial situation sadly did not allow such extravagance, while my labor schedule could stand the hit.
I really want to thank all those that have replied and will reply. As you said, Boogie has given me a lot of info and I would pay extra for my belts to him just because he has been so kind to me, a novice. But as I said before 2 grand is a lot of money and twice my budget, I just can't, at this point in time pay that amount.
I have to go to Helena tomorrow all day and will measure my tracks the next day with the dimension for them......I hope someone can point me in a direction that will be helpful. I could do 1,000.00 but less would be nice. If I have to drill holes so be it.
thanks to all that help and again my apologizes to the feelings I may hurt trying to get to my goal.
Today, Belts are the least of my worries, as the new puppy I just got ate half the bottom of my dentures......Belts may however be an issue in 2-3 months, the aspen leaves are already turning yellow.
I have to go to Helena tomorrow all day and will measure my tracks the next day with the dimension for them......I hope someone can point me in a direction that will be helpful. I could do 1,000.00 but less would be nice. If I have to drill holes so be it.
thanks to all that help and again my apologizes to the feelings I may hurt trying to get to my goal.
Today, Belts are the least of my worries, as the new puppy I just got ate half the bottom of my dentures......Belts may however be an issue in 2-3 months, the aspen leaves are already turning yellow.
Mine came from Atlas
Just google "used conveyor belt" and several national companies will pop up. Many will ship. You'll have to shop around for the best delivered price. I'd suggest you purchase the best belt you can afford.
Remember that you may need to purchase new nuts and bolts for assembling the tracks. I spent over $400 just on that. (In my case, it was necessary to destroy the old hardware in order to get my tracks apart.) Do you need to replace any grousers or track guides? Sorry to say, but more money for them too.
I'm not trying to scare you off, just forewarn you of some possible expenses.
Sorry for the chompers. But I wouldn't delay on the belts. Snow will be flying before you know it, and you'll probably have several days in on a re-belting project, even if you have help. Good luck on the project.
Just google "used conveyor belt" and several national companies will pop up. Many will ship. You'll have to shop around for the best delivered price. I'd suggest you purchase the best belt you can afford.
Remember that you may need to purchase new nuts and bolts for assembling the tracks. I spent over $400 just on that. (In my case, it was necessary to destroy the old hardware in order to get my tracks apart.) Do you need to replace any grousers or track guides? Sorry to say, but more money for them too.
I'm not trying to scare you off, just forewarn you of some possible expenses.
Sorry for the chompers. But I wouldn't delay on the belts. Snow will be flying before you know it, and you'll probably have several days in on a re-belting project, even if you have help. Good luck on the project.
Snowcat Pat
Active member
Just make sure the belting you select DOES NOT have a thick top cover, common mistake.
-Pat
-Pat
OK guys I got a chance to measure my belts.
My calipers say the belts are .390 thick which I guess would be 3/8 inch.
The pitch, or distance (center hole to center hole) from one grouser to the next is 5 inches.
Total track width is 32 inches.
The manual shows total track length (for 4 belts) is 98 feet 9 inches, so it looks like to me that is 24 feet 8 inches per belt.
I measured my belts and they are 24 feet 1 inch.
ON the drivers side I have 60 grouser, on the passenger side I have 61.
My tracks look like they have the original lacing and have been patched a few times or so it looks. They may be the original tracks
So what do y'all think.
My calipers say the belts are .390 thick which I guess would be 3/8 inch.
The pitch, or distance (center hole to center hole) from one grouser to the next is 5 inches.
Total track width is 32 inches.
The manual shows total track length (for 4 belts) is 98 feet 9 inches, so it looks like to me that is 24 feet 8 inches per belt.
I measured my belts and they are 24 feet 1 inch.
ON the drivers side I have 60 grouser, on the passenger side I have 61.
My tracks look like they have the original lacing and have been patched a few times or so it looks. They may be the original tracks
So what do y'all think.
As the tracks age, they stretch. One side has probably stretched to the extent that one grouser had to be removed. Research the pitch. It's probably less than 5", I'd guess. Probably need to hunt up or make the missing grouser when you rebuild the tracks.
You'll need 26' minimum then, if you intend to do an overlap splice (the cheapest way). I'd overlap by 4 grousers, so you'll need a bit more.
See how many fabric ply are in the belts, and match that plus thickness. What width of belt strips do you need?
You'll need 26' minimum then, if you intend to do an overlap splice (the cheapest way). I'd overlap by 4 grousers, so you'll need a bit more.
See how many fabric ply are in the belts, and match that plus thickness. What width of belt strips do you need?
clairpierce
Member
My question is what is wrong with the 3 ply with the thicker rubber on one side if your going to replace all the track? thanks Clair
Snowcat Pat
Active member
thick covered belting is too squishy under the cleat bolts so the cleats tend to squirm around more, wearing out the holes in the rubber. Thin covered belt withstands more bolt torque without warping the track.
-Pat
-Pat
A word to the wise. If you plan on really using your cat alot get good belts prepunched. I worked as a mechanic at ski areas for years. We tried everything in the book to save money. In the long run it cost us more money and twice the work. Snow cat belts are a different creature than conveyor belt. Two different worlds. Conveyor belt uses a heavy top cover, it will cause bolts to loosen, guarentee it. It has a high strech factor, on crusher conveyers its a simple tension adjustment. Not so on a cat, the belt streches and your timing changes, believe me i know. It will destroy your sprokets ! The cold weather factor and radious bends come into play as well. Bare in mind, if you only plan on playing 20 - 30 hrs a year it wont be a big deal. But if you really use the cat like i do, 500-1000 hrs a season you will find out the hard way. I am not going to sugar coat it, just being strait up. There is a supplier in CO, think its Mountain Services, pre punched 10 in, 2 ply, about $450. Each. Good luck