Caterpillar Skidsteer Track Replacement & Maintenance

Legacy Habitat Management recently undertook some major overhauling of the running gear on their workhorse Caterpillar Skidsteer 277B. Since owning this machine it has put in many hours hard labour resulting the need to replace the much worn rubber tracks. We decided to undertake this work ourselves and ordered the necessary tracks from Finning (UK) Ltd.

We also had to purchase the appropriate track tensioning tool from Finning as this was missing from our machine.

First process was to jack up the Cat 277B Skidsteer so that each track was clear of the ground by at least 3 inches. The lifting was done with 2 trolley jacks allowing the machine to come to rest on 4 x 2 tonne axle stands, one at each corner of the floor pan.

Tension was released from the track by undoing the bolts on the tensioning wheel. The track tensioning tool was then used to crank the drive sprocket unit forward to give more slack to the rubber track. All bolts holding these units in place had to be soaked in penetrating oil prior before they could be shifted and some had to be grinded off, to be replaced later.

The drive sprocket was then removed to allow for complete removal of the track. Some careful, but forceful ‘crowbaring ‘ was still required to remove the track fully, pulling the track over the front idler set first.

If undertaking these works yourself, be prepared to have a can of worms opened for you at this point. We discovered worn bogie/idler wheel bearings, bogie hubs, which were supposed to be full of hub oil, completely dry and empty, and perished wheel rubber. All of these issues needed addressing before replacing the tracks, we’re hoping not to have these tracks off again for some time, if ever. Make sure you have the means to remove a 5/16” grub screw from the hubs for oiling, a normal allen key may not be suitable, we snapped a few in the process, they are very tight.

After completion of oiling all the hubs and replacing necessary parts it was time to wrestle with the new tracks. Lifting gear is required to move them in to place. Bogie wheel rubbers and the insides of the tracks were coated in washing up liquid to ease the installation of the new tracks. Tracks where lined up alongside running gear and levered into place using crowbars as ‘tyre levers’, locating the track over the front idler wheels first.

After levering the rest of the track in to place, no mean feat, the drive sprocket was reassembled and unit cranked back in to place using the tensioning tool. A number of bolts that had to be ground off for removal were replaced, tracks could then be re-tensioned, we were then good to go............ not quite, next on the list, a leaky water-pump, but that’s another story......

We're "Tweeting"

Follow wildlifefencing.co.uk on Twitter for news of product updates and activities.
Click the above link and follow username: wildlifefencing.

Low Impact Newt Fencing

Legacy Habitat Management has recently carried out newt fencing works on part of the gas pipeline project for West Burton Power Station. Due to the sensitive nature of ground conditions and top- soil structure in some places, newt fencing had to be installed with as little ground disturbance as possible.

Newt fencing installation methods usually require cutting a trench much wider than the fencing material itself, inserting the fencing and then backfilling the remainder of the trench. This creates unnecessary soil disturbance due to the extra width of the excavated trench.

Legacy Habitat Management has developed an installation system that only requires making a very narrow slot through the top soil in which the newt fence is tightly fitted. This reduces ground disturbance and produces very little spoil, also reducing the need for time consuming back filling. Back filling, can often be the cause of weak points in a newt fence.

Minimal ground disturbance along the fence line can been seen in the above photo of a freshly installed newt fence.

Water Vole Fencing

Legacy Habitat Management recently installed 800m of it's water vole fencing system around two ditches for EDF at West Burton Power Station.
The first ditch had to be cleared of its water vole population to allow extension of the ash tip and a newly profiled receptor ditch was fenced and protected with rabbit fencing.
Rigorous standards were required by the client both for the water vole fencing and the H&S systems and proceedures.

wildlifefencing.co.uk stocks "Wildlife Fencing Design Guide"

The Wildlife Fencing Design Guide (C646) is an indispensable guide for anyone working in the wildlife fencing sector.
Produced in conjunction with the Highways Agency it provides specifications and construction details for all types of fencing used to control wildlife.
The guide covers topics such as Roadside Fencing, Developing a Wildlife Fencing Strategy, Fencing Fundamentals, Fence Construction, and Wildlife Fencing Specifications for Badger Fencing, Amphibian Fencing/Reptile Fencing, Rabbit Fencing, Otter Fencing, plus more.

To purchase your copy or view further details, visit www.wildlifefencing.co.uk

Welcome to Legacy Habitat Blog

Legacy Habitat Blog has been created to keep you updated on news and recent activities relating to Legacy Habitat Management Ltd.
Legacy Habitat Management are one of the UK's leading contractors for wildlife fencing (Great Crested Newt Fencing, Amphibian Fencing, Badger Fencing, Otter Fencing, Water Vole Fencing, Rabbit Fencing, Stock Fencing), Protected Species, Mitigation Works, Invasive Species Control and Conservation Management.
Please visit our website for further details: www.legacy-habitat.co.uk
We also supply wildlife fencing materials, including our very succesful newt fencing systems, via our e-commerce website: www.wildlifefencing.co.uk