Any tips for hauling tracked equipment?

If the operator isn't greasing his track adjuster enough, it can come off. If you get into a bind(generally with a shovel) they can also flop off. It's rare, but it's happened many of times that I've seen. Usually a lot to do with improper maintenance.

 

I cross the chains from one side to other on front and back, hooking one end to a grouser, then I run one on the front and back from one side to the other through the draw bar, and through a d-ring on the hook that is on the front belly pan

 

Or if the rails and everything elsea are worn out also

 

Yeah we are running some OLD equipment, for a lot of things waaaaay beyond what they were ever build for and very seldom do we loose a track. A descent operator and a little maintenance go a long way.

 

I use the tracks on 4 corners also. I meets the standard for 4 corners and pulling against each other. Than we chain on front and year, and attachments. Remember the the four corners direct tie downs, so you only take 50% of the chain or binder rating. Than I use two chains as a indirect, and one over the attachment, bucket or blade. DOT has never said a thing about the tracks. Depending on what you are hauling and the weight, you may need additional chains over the tracks under the tracks, or where ever to meet your 50%. personally 60% is my bare minimum, and have never been issued a ticket. Side bonus besides safety is if you throw some extra chains on it, and DOT should not like a chain, or try to say it is stretched or something, you will not get a ticket.

 

I chained to the tracks on excavators and dozers for years, but I did see an occasion that chaining to the tracks was a bad idea.
I sent my son out on his very first solo haul to get a feller buncher that the guy who was paying us had just bought. My son tied it down the way we tie down our equipment, four corners crossed off of the tracks and the attachment tied down.
The tracks were wore enough on this machine that there was considerable wear in the pitch of the track pins and bushings. Enough so that even with the tracks tied firmly, the machine would roll inside the tracks just a bit. It ended up beating on the chains and actually spreading one of the (1/2") binder hooks to the point where it popped off. Fortunately my son was on a county road at slower speeds when he saw the binder pop off. Everything would have been great except in his inexperience he panicked when he saw the binder pop and hit the brakes too hard, which caused the machine to pivot just a bit. After repositioning the machine and tying it all down again, with additional chains that did not go to the tracks, all was fine.
Since then we try to tie directly to the machine if possible.
That feller/buncher was in sad shape in many ways. I still feel comfortable chaining to the tracks of most machines, but take extra precautions if the tracks are very worn or loose. The tracks did not come off of the feller/buncher rollers or idlers by the way.
The HH haulers that work for our Cat dealer often use just a binder between the tracks and trailer frame with no chain if the length works out, as well as other securements using chain.

 

So, loading a CAT 312 Excavator on to my all Aluminum Step, up the ramps,,,probably is not a good idea.

 

We've had ramps on step decks for equipment before, and they seem to be more troublesome than helpful

 

I have hauled many tracked vehicles but never had to use the ramps to load one...

 

You can load a track machine up a ramp with no problem, assuming you are work a darn at operating said machine. But with aluminum ramps you need to put a good 2x12 down to protect the ramp. Steel tracks will tear up an aluminum ramp.