How to Install Rubber Tracks on Your Excavator?

Most track installations that go wrong do not fail during the fitting - they fail a week later, when the belt has run off line and worn its shoulder against a flange. The cause is almost always something that was skipped at the start: a sprocket that should have been changed, an idler that was not checked, or tension set by feel instead of by the manual. The sequence below is short; the checks around it are what make it work.

Last updated: October 5, 2026

This guide covers the tools and safety setup, releasing tension, taking the old track off, fitting the new one, setting tension properly, and how to judge whether the old set is worth keeping.

Tools and safety setup

The tool list is short: a hydraulic jack rated well above the machine's weight, axle stands or heavy blocking, a track tension gauge, two pry bars, a sledgehammer and punch for the master link, a grease gun for the tensioner, and heavy-duty gloves and eye protection. A track press is useful when a pin is stubborn, but on most machines in this class the job is done with the jack, the bars and the punch.

The safety setup matters more than the tools. Park on level, firm ground, lower the attachment, engage the parking brake and chock the machine so it cannot roll - a track change means lifting one side of a machine that weighs several tonnes. Support the raised side on stands rather than on the jack alone, and release hydraulic pressure before working around the undercarriage so nothing can move under stored pressure while your hands are inside the frame.

Release the tension first

Track tension is held by a grease-filled cylinder that pushes the idler forward. Clean around the grease fitting before you touch it - grit forced into the cylinder is what kills tensioners - then open the fitting slowly and let the grease escape until the belt goes slack. Never crack the fitting open with your hand directly behind it, and never stand in line with the idler while the tension comes off.

Once the track is slack, block it before breaking the master link. A slack track on a raised machine is heavy and it moves when the link releases; the blocking is what keeps it away from the frame and away from you.

Taking the old track off

Clean the undercarriage first, because packed material hides the wear you are looking for and falls into the frame as soon as you start. Then drive the master link pin out with the sledgehammer and punch, with the machine chocked and the track supported.

With the link open, walk the track off the sprocket and idler by rotating the wheels by hand, a little at a time, keeping the belt from twisting. Lift the side of the machine at the track frame, and work the belt off the rollers with the pry bars in short sections rather than in one pull - a track that is fought off takes a roller or an idler with it.

Fitting the new track

Offer the belt over the sprocket first, then feed it around the idler and onto the rollers, keeping the direction marking correct and the belt square to the frame. Join the master link and apply anti-seize compound to the pin threads as you reassemble - a small habit that makes the next removal easier.

While the machine is in the air, inspect what the old track was hiding: scoring on the roller faces, play in the roller bearings, the condition of the sprocket teeth and the idler face. This is the moment when a problem costs a part rather than a belt.

Setting tension properly

Tension is set with the grease gun, which pushes the idler forward and tightens the belt. The target figure is specific to your machine and belongs in the manual; the method is the same everywhere.

Lift the machine so the track hangs clear, measure the sag at the point the manual specifies - normally mid-span between the sprocket and the idler - at the stated height and over the stated number of links, and adjust until it matches. Then check the other side. The two tracks rarely share a tension, and a machine running one tight and one loose steers badly and wears the tighter one first. In cold conditions, follow whatever the manual says about tension at low temperature; rubber stiffens as it cools, and a track set for a warm day can be over-tight when the machine is started in frost.

Can the old tracks be reused?

Sometimes, and the test is visual rather than numeric. A track is worth keeping as a spare if the lugs still have their profile, the rubber has no cracks running to the cord, the cord is not exposed and there is no rust staining around the links. Where any of those is present, the belt is finished - and it is worth keeping the dimensions and link count of the failed set on file, because those are the numbers you need for the next order.

One more habit is worth building at the same time: rotating travel direction periodically spreads wear across the lugs instead of concentrating it on the drive side, and the parts that decide how the new belt wears are the ones you just inspected. Which of them does what is worth knowing - the difference between carrier rollers and track rollers explains why replacing one without checking the other shortens the life of both, and top rollers are the part most often missed on this walk-round.

Where an idler or a link is the reason the track came off, the parts are available individually: this idler 9237934 for Komatsu machines is one example, and the facts about idlers SI756 for Hitachi machines is another. A repair link kit solves the narrower case - a single stretched or damaged section - and what a forestry repair link kit is designed for is explained in the same terms. The replacement belt itself, and the sizes it comes in, are listed in the rubber track range.

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 tools do I need to install the tracks?

A hydraulic jack and stands or blocking, a tension gauge, two pry bars, a sledgehammer and punch for the master link, a grease gun for the tensioner, and gloves and eye protection. A track press helps when a pin is seized.

How tight should the new track be?

Exactly the figure in the machine's manual, measured the way the manual specifies: with the machine lifted, at the defined point, at the stated height. Check both sides, and follow the manual's guidance for cold-weather tension.

How do I release the track tension?

Through the grease fitting on the tensioner: clean around it, open it slowly and let the grease escape until the track goes slack. Never open it with your hand behind the fitting or stand in line with the idler while the tension comes off.

Can I reuse the old tracks?

Only if the lugs still have their profile, there are no cracks running to the cord, no cord is exposed and the links show no rust staining. A track that fails those tests will damage the undercarriage it runs on, so it is worth keeping only as scrap or as a documented failure.

Why does a new track run off to one side?

Usually tension or alignment rather than the belt itself: a sprocket that should have been replaced, an idler running out of line, or a roller with flat spots. Stop and check those before running the machine, because a misaligned belt wears its shoulder quickly.