Removing Tracks on a Bobcat MT50

[Grace Tree]

I bought a very used Bobcat MT50 and I've decided to replace the tracks. I released all the tension on the tracks but I can't seem to get the buggers off. Any helpful hints would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Phil

 

[epicklein22]

Sweet purchase! Where and how much did ya snag it for? You should be one of the first tree companies around using one. I know I haven't seen any other company with one on the job. Let me know if you ever need a little help on a job. I would like to see that thing in action.

 

[Grace Tree]

Nice to hear from you. I paid $4800 for it in podunkville somewhere west of Canton. It didn't have many hours on it but once I got it home I found it didn't have much maintenance done on it either so we'll see if it was a good deal or not. The first job we used it on was 13 big pines in a side yard. We just laid down a roadway of 5/8" plywood and there was almost no lawn damage at all. It's been great for dragging the lift into backyards and spotting it exactly where we want it. We have about 10 more removals and maybe half a dozen prunes and then we're shut down until March.
I'm ready,
Phil

 

[ArborquipSP]

it should come off if you have the tension out of the spring. If it doent you could pull the drive sprocket off the hyd motor on that side.

scott

 

[epicklein22]

Nice to hear from you. I paid $4800 for it in podunkville somewhere west of Canton. It didn't have many hours on it but once I got it home I found it didn't have much maintenance done on it either so we'll see if it was a good deal or not. The first job we used it on was 13 big pines in a side yard. We just laid down a roadway of 5/8" plywood and there was almost no lawn damage at all. It's been great for dragging the lift into backyards and spotting it exactly where we want it. We have about 10 more removals and maybe half a dozen prunes and then we're shut down until March.
I'm ready,
Phil

Cool, I hope it does well for ya. Under 5K sounds pretty cheap. Find it on Craigslist?

Yarnell is doing alright currently. I assume they will be busy till thanksgiving or early December.

 

[treeoperations]

are you sure the grease cylinder is empty, jack machine up off floor and sit it on blocks fire it up make sure tracks arent touchin anything, throw lump of wood in the tracks and drive them round so it goes around the adjustment idler and pushes it in. then track should lift off, if not jamb a heavy bit of pipe into the tracks and use it like a lever to get the tracks off.

 

[Grace Tree]

Cool, I hope it does well for ya. Under 5K sounds pretty cheap. Find it on Craigslist?

Yarnell is doing alright currently. I assume they will be busy till thanksgiving or early December.

Found it on ebay. Here's the vid from the ebay listing
Bobcat
Thanks ArborquipSP and treeoperations for the suggestions. I'll give them a try this weekend. I actually did try jamming some delrin pieces between the track and the idler wheel and there didn't seem to be enough slack. 'Might try pulling the sprocket. I ordered a service manual ($142). 'Figured I may need it before I'm done.
Phil

 

[treeoperations]

you shouldnt need to pull the sproket.

throw a bit of scaffold pipe into the track and drive it around till it starts going over the idler from the bottom, then jamb a long bar in behind it on the bottom of the track and drive it around and itll pop off.

on our t190 me and my father can have tracks off in five mins using this method and on in 15 (even brand new tracks)

if you need to take off the sproket theres something wrong in there like a rock in the track frame or something.

 

[Grace Tree]

I put a little extra side pressure on the pry bar and I was able to walk the tracks up on the idler pulley and off. I tried again to put "stuff" between the track and the idler pulley but that didn't seem to work so I just did it with the pry bar. The first one took me 4 hours and the other one took 10 minutes. 'All in knowing how to do it, I guess.
Thanks for all the suggestions and help,
Phil