Unless you’re working with a bulldozer that you see in the city, the smaller ones, you’ll have to deal with a wide variety of tracks. Bulldozers rely on the shape of their tracks to keep them on the move, give them the ability to maneuver, or to give them flotation.
And the most important part of these tracks is the traction, the ability to keep moving even they’re loaded with materials. And it takes a lot of force to move a ton of rocks, or several tons, from a stand still. Sometimes the tracks don’t move.
This lack of movement when traction is being applied can be inevitable, despite how good and operator can be. And when it happens it means that track is rubbing on the ground which can lead to heat and wear. This will wear down the track and they can be worn down smooth.
And that’s where bulldozer wear bars come in.
A bulldozer wear bar, or a grouser bar, tend to come in a variety of shapes and compositions. Their primary purpose remains the same, however, and that’s to get the track built back up to where it can get the traction it needs again. It’s a job done by welders, generally.
Portable welding trucks can get to the job site and do the weld right there, either on the machine or when the tracks are removed and laid out. It really depends on the level of necessity that the job requires, and how urgent it is.
Sometimes you have to remove previous grousers to do the job and shape the metal for the best weld. This is called gouging and it’s done with carbon rods and a lot of pressured air, carving grooves in the metal by heating it. After that, it can be cleared with blasts of air to remove the debris. Then the new bar is welded on and the traction for the machine restored.
As an operator you might not need to know the process of welding or gouging, letting other members of the team do it while you run the heavy equipment. But it is never a bad idea to have a little more knowledge on the processes that go into fixing your machine and giving you the traction that you need.
