As the core component of crane load-bearing and walking, the state of the track shoe directly determines the safety and service life of the equipment. This guide integrates 28 years of experience in engineering machinery maintenance and provides equipment managers with a systematic crane track shoe inspection solution.

Four major causes of track shoe failure

Extreme load: vertical pressure generated by hoisting operations

Continuous wear: friction loss caused by equipment movement

Environmental erosion: corrosion by site pollutants (acids, alkalis/gravel)

Impact stress: instantaneous impact caused by rugged terrain

 Regular inspections can avoid:

• Sudden downtime in key projects
• Early replacement of the track system (cost reduction of 40%+)
• Safety accidents caused by track breakage
• Risk of equipment instability during operation

Three-step precision inspection process

Step 1: Pre-inspection preparation

Park the equipment on level and solid ground

The main arm is completely lowered and locked

Start the safety lock/turn off the engine

Prepare calipers (accuracy 0.01mm), torque wrenches, and flaw detection lights

Step 2: Visual inspection

Crack/deformation investigation (focus on stress concentration areas)

Confirmation of missing/loose bolts (a single track with >30% bolt abnormalities requires replacement of the entire section)

Record of abnormal wear patterns (such as eccentric wear, dents)

Marking of foreign body impact damage

Step 3: Key dimension measurement

Track plate thickness Center point ≥35mm (new part) ≤25mm (Liebherr LR1300)

Inner edge ≥28mm ≤22mm (Manitowoc 999)

Outer edge ≥28mm ≤20mm (Sany SCC8500)

Wear rate calculation formula (Original thickness – current thickness)/original thickness × 100% >50% Replace immediately

Standards for mandatory replacement of track shoes

Replacement is required in the following cases:

Thickness is lower than the manufacturer’s limit (usually 25mm)

3 or more broken plates appear on a single track

Bolt replacement rate >30%/section

Edge curling deformation >5mm

Deep depression on the contact surface

Golden rule for maintenance

Cleaning management: remove gravel/oil stains every shift

Position rotation: replace track shoe installation positions every quarter

Tension control: maintain the manufacturer’s specified value (200-ton class: 80-120kN)

Digital archives: establish a wear trend database

Operation training: standardize steering/climbing operation procedures