Usage:
The 5P9729 and the more recent 8T7780 Track Repair Groups consist of a portable hydraulic press and other parts for repair of individual track link assemblies in the field. Regardless of the design or material used, continued use will cause wear in the tools and/or parts. Dealer and customer personnel should examine the press and its tooling for abnormal wear and/or damage every time they are used. This could prevent a failure and possible personal injury.
Two parts that need special attention are the press connecting rods and the piston rod caps. The following discussion pertains to the rods and caps in both track repair groups.
Press Connecting Rods
The two most common types of damage to the press connecting rods are bending and/or thread damage.
Damaged threads can prevent the rod nuts from properly securing the bolster on the ends of each rod. See Illustration 1. Badly damaged threads require replacement of the rod. If the damage is not too severe, clean or remachine the threads with a die.
Illustration 1. Damaged threads on a press connecting rod which should be repaired with a thread chaser to assure that the bolster is held properly.
The 5P8747 Rods in the 5P9729 Track Repair Group have 1 3/4"-12 threads. The 8T7779 Rods in the 8T7780 Track Repair Group have 2"-8 threads.
It is easy to protect the rod threads by installing a plastic or rubber sleeve over the threads.
Illustration 2 shows an example of a bent rod. Use a square or any straight edge to determine how much the rod is bent. DO NOT use a rod that is bent more than the amount shown.
Illustration 2. Determination of the amount of bend in a connecting press rod.
Piston Rod Caps
The 5P8748 Cap, for example, is part of the 5P9729 Track Repair Group and is installed on the end of the hydraulic press piston rod. This cap is used for installing track pins and adjusting the pin protrusion on nonpositive pin retention track. Misuse of this cap or other caps can cause rapid wear and damage. See Illustration 3.
Illustration 3. Example of a damaged piston rod cap.
If the cap is not fully tightened on the piston rod, the rod threads can be sheared off when a load is applied to the press. Or, if a high load is applied to a part with a diameter much smaller than the cap face, the center of the cap will be damaged as shown. Continued use of a damaged cap could cause it to crack.
Other Parts That Need Regular Inspection
Other parts that perform a critical function in track press operations should be regularly inspected and replaced if damaged as shown. One example is the 8T3209 Cap. This is a high use item because it is used to press track pins and to support the loader and extruder assemblies when servicing the positive pin retention tracks.