Lp2 track pins

[Perry Kitson]

A few years ago, I had some NOS Canadian track pins hardness tested. They came up at Rockwell C 56-57, which I think translates to 633 on the Vickers scale, and 595 on the Brinell scale.
There are merits to using softer pins, that is the pin wearing, not the irreplaceable track shoes. But soft pins will wear quicker, lengthening the pitch of the track and causing trouble at the sprocket. Perhaps with the limited number of miles we put on our machines, the unhardened pins would be something one could live with.

Perry

[Lynn Eades]

Perry doesn't the M.C.I. lend it's self to working with a hard pin? Often the hard material wears more than the soft? One of the advantages of the cast iron is that it is self lubricating because of the carbon (like graphite) content.

[Perry Kitson]

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

[ShawnC]

So would I need to lube the new hardened track pins. If I use oil or use other products dirt will stick I them. If I leave them dry they will where the track shoes out faster then I want. Anyone?

[Radek]

use a graphite

[Lynn Eades]

They are supposed to run dry.
I think graphite would be impractical unless you could drive your carrier through it. :-)
Too hard to get in there. The graphite (carbon) is in the iron already.