Why machines run tracks
Tracks spread a machine's weight over a much larger area than tires do. That buys flotation on soft ground, traction where a wheeled machine would spin, and less compaction on soil a farmer intends to grow something in. The trade is cost, road manners and a wear pattern that punishes certain habits.
Machines that commonly run them:
- Tracked agricultural tractors, combines and self-propelled machines working wet or heavy ground
- Dozers, excavators and skid steers on construction sites
- Compact track loaders and utility machines working in tight spaces
- Forestry machines clearing rough ground and stumps
- Specialty equipment such as snow groomers
What wears a track out early
- Counter-rotating turns. Spinning a machine on the spot tears rubber off faster than almost anything else it does.
- Hard surfaces. Concrete and asphalt abrade tracks designed for soil.
- Tension. Too tight accelerates wear and loads the undercarriage; too loose invites derailment.
- Debris. Rock, stubble and scrap working into the undercarriage cuts tracks from the inside.
None of that is exotic, and all of it is worth asking about when you are replacing a set, because the set you just removed is evidence about how the machine is being run.
What to tell the store
- The machine, by make and model.
- The track size and pitch as marked.
- The surface: field, job site, concrete yard, mixed.
- The hours on the set coming off, and where it failed.
Track availability and sizes vary by location, so call before planning a change-out.
Track brands Purcell carries
Purcell's track range comes from four makers: Mitco rubber tracks for construction, landscaping and material handling machines; Camso track systems for agricultural and industrial equipment; OTR tracks for heavy off-road equipment; and Trelleborg track solutions for agricultural and construction machines. Tell the store the machine and the work and it will say which fits and what it can supply.
Replace the set, check the undercarriage
A track runs over sprockets, idlers and rollers, and those wear too. Fitting new tracks onto a worn undercarriage is how a new set gets destroyed early, and it is the most common avoidable expense in running tracked machines.
When you are replacing, have the undercarriage looked at in the same visit: sprocket teeth, roller condition, idler alignment and tension adjusters. If the old tracks wore unevenly from side to side or front to back, the undercarriage is usually where the answer is.
Tracks are not retreaded
This is the one category where retreading does not apply. No Purcell retread plant lists tracks among the casings it retreads or repairs, so a worn set is replaced rather than renewed. Plan for replacement on hours rather than hoping for a second life.
For wheeled equipment on the same site, OTR tires and industrial tires are both retreadable, and agricultural casings are retreaded at six of the seven plants. See retreading.
Availability
Where Purcell carries tracks
51 of 64 locations, in 12 states: Missouri 9, Arizona 7, Utah 7, Colorado 5, Nevada 5, Arkansas 4, Kentucky 4, Idaho 3, Washington 3, Montana 2, New Mexico 1 and Alaska 1.
Thirteen locations do not carry them, more than any other category:
- The seven retread plants.
- The two consumer stores, Idaho Falls, ID and Paducah, KY.
- Three Alaska locations: Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Wasilla commercial store. In Alaska, tracks are carried only at the Wasilla distribution location.
- Osage Beach, MO, which carries eight of the nine categories.