Centurion tracks binding

[Malcolm Towrie]

We are working on restoring a Canadian Centurion. I rebuilt the clutch. It's in ok condition but not great. We have a rebuilt Mk 4B engine to go in. One concern I have is the tank had not been moved for years, possibly decades. While it was being towed recently, I could see the track links were binding both sides. To avoid abusing the clutch when we first start moving it, I would like to free up the track a bit. I was thinking of spraying penetrant on all the track pins and towing the tank up and down the road a few times with the wrecker. Is this reasonable? Anyone tried this?

I noticed that the track is not resting on some of the idler wheels, so they can be turned by hand. I'd like to free up the track enough that it is resting on all the idlers.

Malcolm

[tankbarrell]

It's just corrosion in the links. Tow it around a bit, they should soon free off a bit and will slacken noticeably. I wouldn't bother with any penetrant or lube, the tracks are designed to run dry.

[David Herbert]

As Adrian says but it may well make quite a trail on the road with rust dust so don't do it anywhere that people will complain about the brown mess. There always seem to be a few links that won't free up but when you start to drive it they should sort themselves out. Leave the tracks a bit loose for a while to reduce the load on the idler bearings. Also towing it on a hard surface will have more effect than on a soft surface.

David

[Malcolm Towrie]

David, do you agree with Adrian about not using penetrant? I was thinking of using a penetrant like WD 40 which is mostly mineral spirits so it doesn't actually lubricate that much. And it's wonderful stuff for freeing up rusted joints.

Malcolm

[David Herbert]

I would not use WD40 primarily because of cost but also because it is probably not too good for the tyres which are natural rubber. The same would apply to diesel or any mineral oil. Quite a lot will finish up on the road too, which might not make you popular. I think there is a case for just spraying water on the tracks once you have some movement as it will have some effect in flushing rust dust out of the hinges but to be honest the biggest effect will be just from towing it back and forwards on a hard surface. Once you have some movement the tracks will sort themselves out once you can drive it.

Whatever you do, do NOT use heat to free the really stuck ones. The links are manganese steel and will go like glass if heated enough to make a difference to a stuck pin. They may look fine but will crack if you try to use them afterwards. The same applies to Sherman end connectors too. Heat them to anything like red hot and they are scrap !

Anyway it is fun towing tanks around !

David

[Malcolm Towrie]

Ok. Thanks, guys.
Malcolm