Excavator

We purchased a well worn John Deere 792 from MDI Rock in Dewey AZ. It makes a nice lawn ornament! This JD model weighs 60,000 pounds. It has a 34' reach, can lift about 17,000 lbs, and dig 27' below it's own tracks.

This excavator needed some repairs to be usable. I didn't need to return it to new condition, but several issues needed to be addressed. The track chains were worn to the point that they might slip off the track rollers if we ran the excavator on a hillside. We decided to replace the track chains first. It was quite a job for Barb and I because the chains were so heavy. The chains weighed about 1600 pounds each. Removing and installing the grouser pads (shoes) was no cake walk either!. Each shoe weighs nearly 40 pounds. There were 49 shoes per side each held with 4 bolts. The bolts needed to be torqued to 700 foot pounds. Barb and I spent 2 months of weekends getting the old shoes and chains off in very hot conditions.

I found a great tool call a torque multiplier that I used to remove and install the bolts retaining the track shoes.

The old chains had 49 links and the new chains had 50 links - making them too long for the track adjuster to properly tension the new chains. Removing a link would have required a large press which I didn't have. So I made a spacer which extended the track adjuster about 3". I purchased two additional "triple grouser" pads to attach to the extra links.