tracks, different styles

[ericlb]

just looking at some auction ads today ive been around crawlers and tracked excavators most of my life, but i noticed a few different units this time 1 is a 450 Deere the other is a komatsu, whats different about these 2 are their track pads, im used to the common pad with 4 bolts, 1 pad sort of overlaps the next ect, on these units which are common looking construction dozers the pads are 2 bolt individual pads with gaps in between them,end on there sort of a triangle profile you can see the track chain a little, not sure from the ads how big the gaps are , but what propose do these pads serve? why are they made like they are?
 

[Pads]

Might be swamp pads.
 

[Billy NY]

Definitely swamp pads, the extra width provides more flotation, and its likely that with the extra width its likely an LGP model, I have wondered myself with those pads, is it a weight reduction, less steel ? I demonstrated a D65PX Komatsu LGP and a CAT D6H LGP both new from the dealer in '94 with 36" pads for the company I worked for, made the Komatsu literature with photos working a big ole wet stockpile of topsoil in Howell NJ, flotation is incredible given the weight of these tractors, material was soft and was like riding on a waterbed, D8K I had would not climb the pile just drive straight in, where I could negotiate any part of the pile with either of the above. LGP undercarriage replacements are obviously much more expensive, given the extra width on the pads etc.
 

[ericlb]

thanks guys we don't get into swamp country out here so i hadn't seen those, i know what you mean on the lgp's, the company has a d6-n, lgp its a high track and it does have a lot more flotation than the one it replaced, our d8-R is a high track too but its not a lgp, if it gets on soft ground its easy to spin the tracks down into the ground if you have a full blade of material, those few inches do make a difference , even if the 6 is about 2/3rds of the d8's weight, this 8 is right at 100,000lbs, the 6 is around 58, or 60, i havent hauled that one in awhile so i don't remember its exact weight
 

[JimInOz]

Apex shoes are fitted for both flotation & traction in muddy conditons.They can make a machine perform very well in the worst of conditions.They are useless in most firm ground applications,although they are often fitted on dozers doing batter work.
One think I always liked is the softer sound they make as you work.
 

[scotc]

If the ones you are talking about, when you look at the track from beside the machine, have a triangle shape to them, the only place I have seen them used is grading steep slopes on highway projects.