By Ray Gonzalez
Proper belt tension is critical to the operation of your paver. When not monitored consistently, track sag and wear can cause excessive downtime and bring your operation to a screeching halt. Checking your tracks on a daily walk around is key to optimum performance and longevity.
Track sag not only causes premature wear on the belt, but can also cause de-tracking, when the belt is forced off the drive components and no longer can propel the unit. This all requires time, money and manpower to correct. When a de-track happens, or unscheduled down time due to prematurely worn track; efficiency, time and money are at risk. No jobsite can afford to have haul trucks waiting, time ticking away, and lost manpower. Unforeseen downtime due to de-tracking and premature track wear have significant cost impacts to your business.
Smart-Trac is our belt tension solution that prolongs the life of your track and greatly reduces the likelihood of a de-tracking. This means more uptime, lower operating cost, and peace of mind for you.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Smart-Trac solves this problem for you without any manual work or extra downtime. BOMAG exclusive solution is powered by a patented self-adjusting hydraulic system to control the amount of track tension. Regardless of propelling forward or in reverse, Smart-Trac adjusts track tension for a smooth ride and continuous optimum track contact with the ground. Sensors then monitor the operating conditions of the paver and adjusts track tension to continue to perform at optimum levels. A smoother ride, less manual adjustments and peace of mind is something your operators will appreciate.
The typical approach to solving this issue with other pavers is to always maintain a high level of force against the carriage assembly. Unfortunately, this approach significantly increases the load on the drive components of the unit during normal operation. Many system components are then exposed to increased wear and tear, which leads to premature system failure. Most of the time, this means adding tensioning devices or idler assemblies that automatically adjust but are not done until the problem occurs. This is too little too late for your needs. BOMAG Pavers Smart-Trac is integrated into our highway class pavers to give you the value and efficiency you need to finish those projects with one less maintenance point and improved efficiency.
CLOSING THOUGHT
Smart-Trac is just one of the features of BOMAG pavers that improve your bottom line, total cost of ownership, and paving experience.
About the Author:
Ray Gonzalez is a product manager, pavers, with BOMAG Americas, Inc. For more, visit www.bomag.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, October 2021
Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to the FREE Digital Edition of Modern Contractor Solutions magazine.
