What Are Bobcat E32 Tracks Compatible With?

Bobcat E32 tracks are commonly described as fitting "the E-series" - and that is where buyers get into trouble. In this catalogue the E32 takes a 300x52.5Nx80 belt, while the E35 takes 300x52.5Nx84 and the E42 takes 300x52.5Nx90. The width and the pitch are the same; the link count is not. Those three tracks bolt onto machines that look alike and they are not interchangeable, because a belt with the wrong number of links cannot be tensioned correctly on a different undercarriage.

Last updated: October 5, 2026

This guide covers which models genuinely share E32 fitment, why "same width" is not the same as "same track", how to read your own size code, and what to check before ordering.

What the E32 shares, and what it does not

The E32 fitment in this catalogue covers the 231, 329, 331, 334, 425, 428, E26 and E32 - a group of machines that share the same undercarriage dimensions and therefore the same 300x52.5Nx80 belt. That is a genuine cross-model fitment, and it is why a single product page lists several models rather than one.

What it does not cover is the rest of the E-series. The E35 uses a belt with the same width and pitch but a different link count (300x52.5Nx84), and the E42 and 430/335 use another (300x52.5Nx90). Same width, same pitch, different length - so a belt that is correct for one machine is not correct for the next, even though both listings describe "300 mm tracks for Bobcat".

Two other numbers complete the fitment: pin diameter and bushing size. They are not in the size code, and they are the numbers that separate two aftermarket tracks that both claim the same machine. Ask for them.

How to confirm your own size

Four steps, in order, and the whole thing takes ten minutes on the machine.

Read the marking on the track you are removing. Moulded belts carry their size - width, pitch and link count - on the inside or the sidewall. A track running correctly on your machine is the best evidence of fitment you will ever have. Confirm it against the parts book for your series. This matters when the machine has been re-tracked with something the book does not list. Get the serial number. Undercarriage specification changes across build series, so a supplier needs the serial number, not just "E32", to cross-reference a part number. Have the number cross-referenced in writing before you pay - that is what turns a fitment guess into a fitment statement and makes a wrong part a return rather than a problem.

Why the fitment matters more than the price

A track is a chain, and the chain has to match the drive sprocket as well as the undercarriage. Pitch engages the sprocket teeth; link count sets the tension range; width sets ground pressure. Get any one wrong and the failure is predictable: the belt rides up the teeth, or it cannot be tensioned, or it loads the frame instead of the ground.

The same logic applies to what is underneath the belt. A track replaced onto a hooked sprocket or flat-spotted rollers is a track that wears out early, which is why the parts around it belong in the same inspection - and why the walk-through for replacing tracks on a Bobcat mini excavator starts with the undercarriage rather than with the belt.

Ground pressure: the number that explains the size choice

Ground pressure is the reason two similar machines take different track widths, and it is arithmetic rather than a specification. Divide machine mass by total contact area: a 3,000 kg machine on two 300 mm tracks with 1.6 m of ground contact each gives 0.30 × 1.6 = 0.48 m² per track, 0.96 m² for the pair, so 3,000 × 9.81 = 29.4 kN divided by 0.96 ≈ 31 kPa. Fit a 400 mm track and the same machine sits at roughly 23 kPa.

Treat that as a model, not a measurement: substitute your own machine's mass and your own measured contact length. What it shows is why a wider belt suits soft ground - and why changing width is a fitment question rather than a free upgrade, since the pitch and link count still have to match the machine.

Tension and alignment, briefly

Whatever size you fit, the routine is the same. Set tension to the figure in the machine's manual, measured where the manual says to measure it, and check both sides - the two tracks rarely wear at the same rate. If a track starts sagging or the machine drifts, the cause is usually tension, alignment or a worn carrier roller rather than the belt, and why an excavator track sags is the diagnostic order to follow before ordering anything.

It is also worth knowing what the undercarriage does with the tension once you set it. A machine in this class uses a grease-filled cylinder to push the idler forward, which means the tension figure is a measurement of the belt's sag at a defined point rather than a torque value - and it changes as the belt beds in. That is why the first weeks after a new set goes on matter: the belt stretches while it seats, the tension that was correct on the day it was fitted is not correct a fortnight later, and a machine that never gets re-checked runs slack until something else fails.

Two habits cover it. Check the tension on the schedule the manual gives rather than when the machine looks wrong, and record the hours when the set went on so the second check is a calculation rather than a guess. Where a belt has been replaced on one side only, check both tracks against the same figure: a machine running one tight and one loose will track badly and wear the tighter belt first.

Where a replacement is due, the rubber track range lists sizes by machine, and the parts that decide how long the new belt lasts - sprockets, rollers, idlers - are listed in the same place, including items like this sprocket for Caterpillar machines, which illustrates how a number has to cross-reference to a serial number rather than to a brand.

This article is part of the rubber tracks guide, which covers how the size code works, tread patterns, compounds and buying a set in Canada.

FAQs

What are Bobcat E32 tracks compatible with?

In this catalogue the 300x52.5Nx80 belt covers the 231, 329, 331, 334, 425, 428, E26 and E32. Other E-series machines use the same width and pitch but a different link count, so they are not interchangeable.

Do E35 tracks fit an E32?

No. The E35 takes a belt with a different number of links, so it cannot be tensioned correctly on an E32 undercarriage. Confirm the size off the track you are removing rather than from the model family.

Can I fit a wider track to an E32?

A wider track lowers ground pressure and suits soft ground, but the pitch and link count still have to match the machine and the drive sprocket. Treat a change of width as a fitment question for the supplier, not as an upgrade you can assume.

How do I know which size my machine takes?

Read the marking on the track you are removing - width, pitch and link count - then confirm it against the parts book for your series and have the part number cross-referenced against your serial number before ordering.

Should I replace both tracks at once?

If both have run the same hours on the same ground, yes: the machine otherwise steers against the older belt and wears the new one faster. A single replacement is reasonable when one belt was damaged early on an otherwise sound set.