Where to Buy Drive Sprocket 260-6341 for Caterpillar Excavators in Canada?

Drive sprocket 260-6341 is the 19-tooth, 12-bolt sprocket Caterpillar lists for the 304C CR and 305C CR mini excavators, and the same number carries the 305.5D, 305.5E and 305.5E2. Buying one in Canada is not difficult - the number is stocked by undercarriage specialists - but the purchase only works if the number is confirmed against your machine's serial, because the 304 and 305 families use several different sprockets that look alike on a pallet.

Last updated: October 6, 2026

This guide covers what the number covers, how to confirm it before ordering, the neighbouring numbers it is confused with, how to read a worn sprocket, and what to put in writing when buying in Canada. The range is in the sprocket collection, and the wider component picture is in the drive sprockets guide.

What 260-6341 covers

The fitment list for the number is specific: Caterpillar 304C CR, 305C CR, 305.5D, 305.5E and 305.5E2 mini excavators. It is a 19-tooth sprocket with 12 mounting bolts, which is how it is identified in every listing and parts book.

Two things follow. First, "304C CR" and "305C CR" cover machines whose sprockets are not interchangeable with everything else in the 304 and 305 range - CR denotes the compact radius version, whose undercarriage package differs from the standard-tail machine. Second, tooth count and bolt count are the fastest way to check that what you have been offered is the right part: 19 and 12 are the numbers to confirm before anything is ordered.

The numbers it is confused with

The 304 and 305 families use at least three sprockets, and they are close enough in appearance that a photograph will not separate them. 158-4795 is listed against the 304, 304.5, 304CCR, 305 and 305.5. 260-6341 is the one listed for the 304C CR, 305C CR, 305.5D and 305.5E/305.5E2. And 264-5371 covers the 303.5C, 303.5E, 303C CR, 303.5C CR and 304D CR.

Three numbers, three groups of machines, and a machine can move between the groups across a generation change. That is why the fitment check is not "does it look right" but "does the number match my serial number, and do the teeth, bolts, bolt circle, pilot diameter and hub height match the sprocket I am taking off". Any difference in those is a stop, and the description of how that check is done on these two models is set out in the 304C CR and 305C CR sprocket guide.

How to read a worn sprocket

A sprocket wears into a hook. Look at a tooth from the side: new, the drive face is flat and square, and as the sprocket runs that face curves forward until the tooth looks like a hook. Once hooked, the chain no longer seats properly - it climbs the teeth under load, the pitch stretches, and both parts wear faster together.

Four observations cover the diagnosis. Hooked or sharpened teeth mean the sprocket is finished. Wear concentrated on one side of the teeth means the chain is running out of line, and the replacement will wear the same way. Chipped or cracked teeth point at impact or a foreign object, and the chain should be inspected link by link. A shiny tooth face with little hook is normal running-in, not a reason to replace anything. The symptoms the operator notices first are noise, a chain that will not hold pitch, and a machine that climbs out of the chain when it pushes.

Buying in Canada

Four items belong in writing, and a specialist will provide all four without being asked twice. The part-number cross-reference for your model and serial number. The specification as supplied - tooth count, bolt count, bolt circle, bore or pilot diameter and hub height. The warranty terms as a period plus an operating-hours cap, whichever comes first, with freight responsibility named. And the stock position with a delivery date, because on a machine that is down the date usually decides the purchase.

Two habits make the next replacement cheaper. Replace the sprocket and chain as a pair where both are worn - a new sprocket under a stretched chain wears quickly, and a new chain on a hooked sprocket wears its bushings from the inside out. And keep the old sprocket's dimensions on file, because on a machine that has been through a generation change or a rebuild, that record is what confirms the number the second time.

Fitting it, and what to check afterwards

The sprocket is a bolt-on part on these machines, which means the job is done at the track end rather than inside the final drive - but it still starts with the undercarriage unloaded. Support the machine on level ground, release the track tension at the grease cylinder (keeping clear of the valve outlet, since the grease leaves under pressure and can be hot), and take the belt off or split the chain as the design allows. With the track clear, unbolt the old sprocket, clean the mounting face on the final drive flange, and check the flange itself for damage or run-out before the new part goes on.

Seat the replacement on the flange, fit the bolts and torque them in a crosswise sequence to the specification rather than to a feel. Then re-fit the chain or belt, re-tension to the manual's figure, and run the machine slowly while watching how the chain sits on the teeth through a full rotation. If it rides up one side, the final drive or the track frame is not running true - a different repair from a new sprocket, and one worth identifying before the new part wears into the same pattern.

After the first few hours, re-check the tension and the bolt torque. A new sprocket under a chain that has just been re-seated settles into place, and the re-check is what catches a chain that was set slightly loose or a bolt that has taken up its clearance.

FAQs

What is drive sprocket 260-6341 used on?

It is the 19-tooth, 12-bolt sprocket listed for the Caterpillar 304C CR, 305C CR, 305.5D, 305.5E and 305.5E2 mini excavators. Confirm the number against your machine's serial number before ordering.

Is 260-6341 the same as 158-4795?

No. 158-4795 is listed for the 304, 304.5, 304CCR, 305 and 305.5, while 260-6341 covers the 304C CR, 305C CR, 305.5D and 305.5E/305.5E2. A third number, 264-5371, covers the 303.5C, 303C CR and 304D CR.

How do I confirm the sprocket before buying?

By the part number against your serial number, then by comparing tooth count, bolt count, bolt circle, pilot diameter and hub height against the sprocket you are removing - best done with both parts clean and side by side.

When should a drive sprocket be replaced?

When the teeth are hooked or sharpened, when one side wears faster than the other, when teeth are chipped or cracked, or when the chain starts climbing out of the sprocket under load.

Where can I buy a 260-6341 sprocket in Canada?

From undercarriage specialists who list by part number and machine, and from Caterpillar dealers. What matters is a written cross-reference for your serial number, the mounting dimensions, a warranty with an hours cap, and a delivery date.