Komatsu has introduced Dual Bushing Track, a new undercarriage concept for large dozers, which it says can more than double track life in the right applications. Designed specifically for high-abrasion, low-impact applications, Komatsu’s Dual Bushing Track completely eliminates the need for pin and bush turns and associated new sprockets.
According to John Mortimer, Komatsu Australia’s, Business Development Manager for Undercarriage, the first application of Dual Bushing Track in Australia – on a D275A-5 dozer – achieved more than 3,000 hours of operation with no issues. This compares with track life of around 1,000 hours, including a pin and bush turn at 500 hours, on a conventional undercarriage.
“In this application, a large sand mining site, we actually effectively tripled the life of the undercarriage – and it would have gone longer if the dozer had not been redeployed elsewhere,” Mortimer said. “By the time the dozer finished on the site, the track was approximately half worn, so we believe it had the potential to run to 4,000 or even 5,000 hours. Seal life would have ultimately determined the longevity of the track before the bushes went. In that 3000 hours, there were absolutely no issues. There were no dry or hot pins, and the system avoided three pin-and-bush turns, which would have required a week’s downtime to take off and put back on. Essentially, Dual Bushing Track can last the life of the undercarriage.”
Mortimer said the major limitation of the system was that it couldn’t be used in high-impact applications, including ripping or hard rock work. “Having said that, it is ideal for sand, bauxite and other high-abrasion applications where you have large stockpiles to be moved around, with no ripping,” he said. “In the right applications, the system performs very well.” Dual Bushing Track has a premium price compared with conventional undercarriage, but Mortimer pointed that customers “get at least twice the life in the right application, plus you eliminate pin-and-bush turn downtime and the cost of the other components.”
