Measure both sides; replace wear as a set

Undercarriage and ground-engaging tools wear as a set. Replacing one sprocket and leaving a stretched chain, or putting new teeth on a twisted bucket, spends the new parts in weeks. This page is how to inspect tracks or tyres, rollers, idlers and the bucket edge together so the order matches the wear, not the loudest complaint from the operator.

Measure both sides

Pitch wear, roller flanges and idler height should be compared left to right. A machine that always turns one way eats one side. Rubber tracks have a carcass and a pattern; a cut to the cords is not a 'still has tread' decision. Photograph the sprocket teeth: hooked teeth will eat a new chain. Tension that is too tight cooks rollers; too loose slaps the track off.

Ground-engaging with the undercarriage

A bucket that is side-loaded because the edge is worn to a point twists pins and walks teeth. Replace edges and teeth with the adapters they sit on. Dozer edges and end bits are a set; one new bit on a worn edge is a step that breaks. Write abrasive versus impact. Identification of the tooth system is on the wear-parts page — this page is whether the whole corner of the machine is due.

When to stop and quote

If rollers are flat, sprockets hooked and the chain at the wear limit, quote the set. Piecemeal replacement is a second mobilisation. Make, model and serial catch track gauge and shoe width. The OEM mark on a pad or a tooth still matters when the published list is thin. Construction-parts is the category start; model search when the machine is known.

Compare left and right pitch, rollers and idlers
Reject sprockets that will hook a new chain
Treat edges, bits and adapters as a corner, not as odd teeth
Set track tension to the book after any undercarriage work
Send serial, shoe width and OEM marks with the quote request

Shoes, gauge and why one sprocket is a trap

Track gauge and shoe width are serial-range items. A shoe that is too narrow in mud or too wide on a hard road cooks the rest of the undercarriage. One hooked sprocket on a new chain is a second mobilisation. Tension that is too tight cooks rollers; too loose throws the track. Compare left and right before you buy one idler. Rubber tracks with cords showing are not a tread-depth decision.

The walk-around that actually changes the order

Look for leaked grease at roller caps, a chain that rides high on the sprocket, and a bucket edge worn to a point that side-loads pins. Edges and end bits are a set. If the bucket is side-loading, the teeth will not save the week — quote the corner. Hydraulic leaks and knife-gate lines are different jobs in the same yard. Return to the construction pillar so media and duty stay in the order.

SEROC quotes B2B; no webshop account is required to ask whether a track and a tooth system match the machine you actually run. Make, model and serial catch gauge and shoe width when the published list is thin.

Workshop sequence

Measure pitch, roller flanges and idler height on both sides. Photograph sprocket teeth for hooking. Check rubber-track cords, not only tread. Record shoe width, track gauge and serial. If rollers are flat, sprockets hooked and the chain at the wear limit, quote the set — piecemeal replacement is a second mobilisation. Set tension to the book after any work. Treat bucket edges, end bits and adapters as a corner when the edge is worn to a point. Write abrasive versus impact. Hydraulic leaks and knife gates are different jobs; do not mix those orders into an undercarriage crate.

What a set quote should include

Left and right chain or track, sprockets, idlers and rollers as wear matches, plus shoe width and gauge from the serial. Add bucket edge, end bits and adapters if the corner is pointed. One sprocket 'for now' is how the new chain dies. Tension spec after fitment belongs in the job card. Rubber tracks: carcass and cords, not only pattern depth. Send OEM marks from a pad or tooth when the published list is thin. SEROC quotes that set B2B — mobilisation once, not once per loud roller.

Machines that always turn one way eat one side. Compare left and right before you buy a single idler. Hooked sprocket teeth will eat a new chain the first week. Quote both or explain why one side is still inside the wear limit. Set track tension to the book after any undercarriage work; too tight cooks rollers and too loose throws the track on the next turn.