This article initially appeared in PS 752 (Jul 15), p. 12.
Hydraulic excavators are getting full-time workouts in Afghanistan tearing down wooden buildings and removing rubbish.
Working around the clock means these vehicles need daily, weekly and monthly doses of PM.
One particular area of concern is the upper support rollers for the excavator’s track. Reports say there’s a high rate of burnout with these rollers because of a lack of oil. Low or no oil means the roller won’t turn evenly or at all. That damages the roller and causes a lot of wear-and-tear on the vehicle’s track system.
The sad news is there’s no check for the roller’s oil level in TM 5-3805-280-10. No check means no oil, which equals roller burnout!
Little or no lube results in damaged support rollers
To keep those rollers rolling smoothly, mechanics need to check out Pages 11-16 through 11-19 in TM 5-3805-280-24-1 (Feb 00). These pages explain how to remove the roller’s hex socket plug with a 6mm hex key wrench. Each roller takes about 2.9 ounces of 80/90W gear oil. So not too much or you’ll get seal damage. Just fill to the bottom lip of the fill hole.
Get a 1-qt bottle of gear oil with NSN 9150-01-035-5392.