Lynn, you are absolutely right. The cast iron and hard pin are meant to wear together, so that the holes are elongated and the pins are worn to the maximum tolerance that will still properly mesh with the sprocket, getting the most out of both components. The issue most off us have faced is that the pins have rusted sufficiently to remove most of the case hardening, and when we start using the tracks, it is the pin that has contributed most to the pitch lengthening. My reference to using soft pins is only to preserve the track links. Like Shawn mentioned, easier to replace the pins than the shoes.
Perry
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