Regularly inspecting equipment is always worthwhile to prevent future downtime and lengthen the life of your machine, and a machine’s undercarriage is especially important to keep an eye on.

Jared Haughton, Volvo CE's product sales manager for used equipment, offers inspection tips and advice for crawler undercarriages.

"The undercarriage supports the total weight of the machine and is continuously subjected to rocks and other obstacles when in operation," Haughton says. "Many of its parts are exposed to constant wear and stress. It’s also the most expensive part of an excavator. By keeping the undercarriage in good condition, you can count on improved safety and efficiency from the machine."

Haughton recommends conducting a visual inspection once a week or every 40 operating hours, which means technicians and operators should be doing inspections in addition to any efforts undertaken by a dealer.

"Visual undercarriage inspections should not replace regularly scheduled undercarriage management," Haughton cautions. "Proper undercarriage management entails measuring undercarriages, tracking wear, replacing worn components, and swapping component positions to extend the total undercarriage life. You’ll need conversation charts for each brand of undercarriages to convert them to percent worn."

If you’re unsure exactly what you’re looking at or what might need to be done, your local dealer can help.

Buying machines with warranty coverage for undercarriages is another good way to ensure the components stay in good working order. Volvo has an extended warranty for undercarriages that covers eligible customer-purchased replacement and dealer-installed undercarriages for four years or 5,000 hours, whichever comes first.

Besides inspecting the undercarriages on the equipment in your current fleets, it’s also important to carefully evaluate the undercarriage—and other components—of a used machine you’re considering buying.