If you are operating a tracked excavator, loader or bulldozer with worn out grouser bars then you are likely undermining productivity, performance and yield.
As grouser bars wear, they start to round off and lose their grip, resulting in fuel burn and lost productivity. The grouser bar can also bend and buckle, or they can bend and buckle the plate they are attached to.
However, you can easily return your machine to its original yield by re-shoeing its track plates with new grouser bars, according to Cutting Edges Product Support Specialist, Jeff Swan.
When to replace your grouser bars:
“When you are re-shoeing your track plates you would look at the different profiles and also the wear and decide what size would bring your shoe back to the size of a new shoe.”
“People tend to look at replacing grouser bars when they have about 25mm of wear remaining, however it does depend on other factors like the machine and operating conditions,” Jeff said, adding that he makes specific recommendations around grouser bar replacement based on the machine.
“If the plates are bent or buckled, replacing the grouser bars is not a viable option.”
How to choose the right grouser bars:
Grouser bars must be tailored for the track shoe, including the surface area you have on the worn track, while their grouser bar hardness should be matched with the operating conditions.
“You must consider the base material composition and size before welding a new grouser bar in place,” Jeff said.
“The shoulder you have on the grouser should be the same size as the track plate. You can’t put a 52mm grouser on a 16mm base or it will end up snapping.”
When to replace your grouser bars:
Jeff says replacing your grouser bars is quite a time-consuming welding operation so recommends only replacing grouser bars during quite periods.
To make it easier he suggests having grouser bars cut to a finished size with a plasma cutter by the manufacturer to reduce freight, installation time and wastage.
“Grouser bars are around 10ft, which is difficult to freight and install. However, we have a plasma cutter in the Sydney Factory meaning our grouser bars arrive ready-to-install. No cutting or grinding required.”
“However sometimes the cost of a machine being offline can make simply replacing the track plates more appealing as it’s a much faster process. Then you can re-shoe all those track plates when it’s quiet,” Jeff said.
Other uses for grouser bars:
Although primarily designed to re-shoe track plates, grouser bars are also used for many other applications due to their hard-wearing properties and versatility.
“Customers often come to us and say, ‘we have this problem’ and we assess that and offer a tailored solution. Grouser bars can be a good base material for a variety of those solutions, and they can be cheaper than the alternatives,” Jeff said. Examples of other uses for grouser bars include:
- Rebuild and protect excavator and loader bucket lips and side walls.
- Frame wear plates to direct abrasive material flow.
- Repair worn lips and base plates.
- Rebuild or repair scraper flights.
- Repair the wings on bulldozers.
- Repair worn grizzly bars.
Bruxite Grouser Bars:
Bruxite Grouser Bars are available in seven different profiles and are made of thru-hardened Bruxite 500 steel.
With a unique combination of hardness and durability, Bruxite Grouser Bars excel in highly abrasive applications and are easy to weld and install, making them a preferred choice for those wanting to drive productivity and profitability from their wear parts.