Rusty Tracks.

[Anonymous-0]

How do you free up a set of tracks that rusted fast. It is a BG Cletra if it amkes adifference. Thanks in advance. J.

 

[Az Jim]

a friend of mine (78 yrs young at the time) bought a cat that sat at an irigation pump for 50+yrs. had to winch it on & off a trailer w/tracks sliding. soaked them with diesel,atf,some others, got some slack in the adjusters took a BIG hammer ,beat them down,soaked them,took a bottle jack,jacked them up, repeat, took him 9 momths Good luck Jim

 

[Lavoy]

Water penetrates rust faster than any sort of petroleum product. If you can get them off, a steam cleaner will do a lot, and/or drop them in a puddle or water tank for a few weeks, then steam clean/power wash.
If the crawler runs and the tracks will turn, snow is another good one. I fought two bad tracks for quite a while a few years ago. Finally started making laps around the property in the deep snow, half an hour later, no more problems.
Lavoy

 

[BCnT]

buddy of mine had a 450 Case with stuck tracks...it ran but wouldnt move...he drug it down to the creek and let it sit in the water overnite...next morning he cranked it up and drove it out...top half of tracks were still pretty stiff but he ran it back and forth slow and worked em loose.
good side of the coin is you got good tracks IF you can bust em loose...worn tracks supposedly wont freeze up.

 

[Bret4207]

If they're off the machine you can play lift and drop with a hoe or excavator. It works.

 

[jm.]

Fairly common solution was to drive them off in a pond or creek and let sit. Like someone else says something about the water soaking in there.
Once saw a man tie two tractors one to each end.
He had the rais wrapped around a big tree and he would pull one way then the other. Wore a big notch in the tree but did succed in freeing up the rails. I have had to put the torch and heat to individual links when one would lock up but an entire rail froze up will be tough.