Benefits of ‘Wet’ Pin and Bushing Turns

Carter Machinery has a preventative maintenance program to fight that degradation process of pin and bushings, extending your machine’s life and saving you money both now and in the future.

The Problem

The steel components of a track-type machine’s undercarriage are constantly wearing down, slowly threatening your projects and bottom line.

Over time, pins and bushings can wear down. The degrading of the pins and bushings can change the pitch of the track, increasing the distance between pins and stretching the chain, making it loose.

The Solution

An effective way of increasing the longevity of your track-type loaders, dozers and excavators is through pin and bushing turning. Because pins and bushings tend to wear primarily on one side, “turning” them allows for more even wearing.

Pin and bushing turns can be conducted in a “wet” (sealed and lubricated) or “dry” (sealed) manner. A sealed and lubricated approach (wet) is usually a better investment in your equipment due to its improved protective offerings.

Why Wet Turns are Better

In a wet pin and bushing turn, the undercarriage’s links are pressed down and the bushing seals are replaced. The track is then pressed back together and the pins are filled with new oil. This process pulls a vacuum on the pin oil hole, filling it with new lubricating oil.

Glen Baker, Hydraulic Shop Manager at Carter, said “the wet turning process helps ensure the job gets the most effective and long-lasting result.”

“The vacuum process determines if the seals are properly seated and if the new oil will seal within the pin and bushing properly,” he explained. “This ensures the pins remain well lubricated with oil after the turn is performed, giving extended wear life to the track link assemblies, compared to a dry turn.”

In a dry turn, the old seals are reused, with the bushings turned before the links are pressed back together. Dry turns are common when the seals have already failed or the owner simply does not want to make the investment in the additional parts to replace the seals and fill them with new oil.

Although both processes can restore the track pitch and prolong the life of the link assembly, the dry turn does not ensure proper lubrication of the pins going forward.

Are you ready to make an investment in your track equipment that will keep you working longer and with less downtime? Contact Carter Machinery’s product support experts today for more information on pin and bushing turning on your machine’s undercarriage.