wtf is teh advantage to the stinking thiokol j grouser

these things are a pia to take a part I cant use the hot wrench with out screwing up the backing plates, and you cant fit a 6 point socket in to use air tools to take them apart so far the only way I can figure it out is to use a grinder I bolt head at a time this is going to take all weekend for 1 track. any reason they used this style grouser or was some one smoking dope saying I want to see some one try to take this apart some day.

We took a short extension and turned/ground it down a bit so that we could use an 1/2 inch impact and a short socket on my friends Thiokol. it held up for lots of bolts.

I can empathize with your frustration!! After 6 years I can find humor in my experience. I had purchased an '86 LMC 1200 with the 45" tracks. While on the trailer, I attempted to check the grouser attachments and tighten them myself. It was painfull and I shared the same feelings you are. My favorite "beverage" was an oasis, but my quest to complete the project ASAP was not in the cards. I was able to tighten the loose bolts and replace those that were not possible. The major issue was getting those that were not accessable (because of the trailer) tightened. Being a novice I did not have the benefit of hydraulic assistance. I was able to use hand tools and patience, "not my strong suit" to complete most of the process on the trailer. Once on the snow it was easier with two people. (one to secure the grouser bolt and the other to turn the ratchett on the under side.) I also questioned why a belt patch was used. (1')

Since that time I have witnessed the same frustration on the 1500 models. I cannot imagine the frustration on removing the grousers, replacing the belting, and re attaching the grousers (one by one ) and retain your dignity!! I guess the real reason for the high cost of new tracks is "LABOR" not the cost of "PARTS".

Looking back I can find a bit of humor. If I was in your situation I would have to weigh sanity, cost, and cost of your favorite beverage! Sanity is not why we have snocats. Favorite beverages are not a valid cost. That leaves the price you pay for your new toy. Be careful what you get and what it needs to fit your needs. (kinda like a free lunch) For some of us 15K is a small price to pay for sanity. (and not having to "beg")

I am trying to be funny and understand your frustration. I have come to believe that there is a time to "just throw money at it" and move on! In my house the boss controls the money. If I beg "properly" she covers my whining!

Welcome to our world and good luck!

if I could get a 6 point socket on the nuts my impact would break or remove the nuts but with the 12 point offset box wrench it just rounds off the nuts at this point 3 hours later I'm 1 /4 way down on 1 belt I still have the guides and other belt

Been discussed many times. Heat the nut with smokewrench to cherry red, clamp NEW (you will need several) vice grip on nut, impact wrench out the bolt. Takes two people wearing welding gloves so you both can push towards the bolt/nut. Tracks off machine and on edge in a big circle. Put away the beverage until the end of the session. BTDT many times.
-Pat

I don't Indulge in the beverages like Big Al does but I should be at church repenting today I might give the hot wrench a try so far wiping off the top of the bolt head with a plasma cutter than a hole through the center followed by an air chisel seems to be working the best. it is time consuming.

I have the crew my daughters boy toy and the 8 year old working the assembly line I heat the nuts they follow along with wrench and impact wrench. wished it wasn't 1 degree I would love to be able to do this outside

Hi Don,
What I did when I had those type of tracks was took a 12 point box end wrench and cut it short about 3" or so. Then I was able to put it on the nut and let it jam it's self in the grouser opening. The trick was to make the length just right and I think I ground a small angle to it so that it was below the bend in the grouser. If you had a box end that was flat with no bend in it then it would lay flat in the grouser and not pop off the nut as easy. Only thing I found that really worked short of the torch.

I used PB Blaster but any type of penetrating oil is going to help out some if you can give it time to work. Also some times if you try tightening the nut a little it sometimes with then back off easier.

I also replaced any old original bolts with new ones when ever I had to take them out and then the new ones would last for years even if i had to take them on and off multiple times.

My old AC3700 had overlapping belts at the seam and I had to take off 7 grousers on each side to take the tracks off and on and amounted to 63 bolts per side and was a major pain in the ass. I don't know how many times I took those tracks off and put them back on but it dozens of times and I still the scars on my knuckles from doing it. All done outside and usually out in the middle of nowhere with only hand tools.

I'll never own another snowcat with out the lacing bolts and hinges.

pb baster just didn't work and 12 point wrenches were stripping off nuts your idea may have worked with a 6 point socket. at the end of the weekend I have half the guides on 1 track and 1 belt replaced I still have the other belt and the rest of the grousers. assembly line or not rebuilding these large tracks are a lot of work and yes all fasteners are being replaced to the tune of a grand for fasteners alone. I guess it's official I'm now a snow cat mechanic I have rebuilt a set of tracks. I never thought about what a bitch it would be to overlap a set of tracks when they are 5 feet wide that is a good point.

Snowtrac Nome said:

I guess it's official I'm now a snow cat mechanic I have rebuilt a set of tracks.

Click to expand...

I don't think anyone who's never rebelted tracks can fully appreciate the amount of effort and $ it takes to do it. My tracks are only 28" wide, with just two 12" wide belts. But it was 888 bolts of pain and effort. Realizing that bigger tracks are probably even more of a PIA, let me congratulate you on your promotion!

Now, how soon are you going to be ready to take on another set?

the heads aer about wore off on the inner set on my snow trac I expect I will have to do those bolts this summer .

undy said:

I don't think anyone who's never rebelted tracks can fully appreciate the amount of effort and $ it takes to do it. My tracks are only 28" wide, with just two 12" wide belts. But it was 888 bolts of pain and effort. Realizing that bigger tracks are probably even more of a PIA, let me congratulate you on your promotion!

Now, how soon are you going to be ready to take on another set?

Click to expand...

mine is 576 per side for inner belts and guides I will be waiting a while on the outer belts. that would add another 864 bolts to the mix likely another day to stripping them down

Perhaps you should contact one of the companies making those bolt out extractors we see on TV. You know the ones with aggressive left handed threads that "latch onto any bolt, no matter what" (or some such verbiage ) and get them to sponsor you track rebuilding project.

they won't be of much help the track was bolted to gather, with bowmalock nuts portions of the track have sat for years in mud or water. I was using a 17 mm wrench on 11/16 hex heads and they were some times loose ,maybe a good time to invest in some witworth sizes if the wrench wouldn't catch it I would blow off one side with the cutting torch than grab it with vise grips

Hi Don, I maybe late to this so called "track party" but on our Thiokol 1200 I was fortunate to have someone who worked for LMC show me a few options. The best we found was to take a 6 point sock, keep it as short as possible, then we welled a piece of straight metal on receiver side. This flat metal can now rest up against the cleat and using a Vice Grip to hold the metal socket to the cleat. The impact wrench may take as long as a minute to heat the nut and bolt, but they would eventually turn, some quicker then others. Brad

schmidt said:

Hi Don, I maybe late to this so called "track party" but on our Thiokol 1200 I was fortunate to have someone who worked for LMC show me a few options. The best we found was to take a 6 point sock, keep it as short as possible, then we welled a piece of straight metal on receiver side. This flat metal can now rest up against the cleat and using a Vice Grip to hold the metal socket to the cleat. The impact wrench may take as long as a minute to heat the nut and bolt, but they would eventually turn, some quicker then others. Brad

Click to expand...

good to know the thought of destroying a socket never occurred to me but the 6 point is what I need

I tried the socket idea didn't go well I must have lost the temper but I did try a new twist as I had some craftsman 6 point combo wrenches and with some simple mods I made a tool that works great and also keeps your fingers out of harms way

the 6 point 17mm wrench did eventually fail after being hammered on so much it did do 90% of the track successfully I used an 11/16 wrench modified the same way for the rest. if a nut started to round I cut a slot in it with a plasma cutter than used vice grips to hold the nut while it was still hot.