Warranty

            WHAT IS THE TRUE WARRANTY TO A RUBBER TRACK PRODUCT?

I have been around this product since 1974 and I can assure you as a customer that regardless of extended track warranty offers the track manufacturer will argue any manufacturing fault will show within three Months of use. The value of warranty is with the reseller and his ability to make a case on your behalf.

Warranty offers are with Six Months, Twelve Months, two years by many resellers and I can tell you from experience, having represented many OEM manufacturers, tell of their hard nose attitudes when a claim is being made. We as a reseller need to prove a manufacturing fault to obtain any reimbursement.

Warranty to a manufacturing defect is limited to external defects i.e. cracking of the compound from a delaminating cause, guide plate misalignment and damage occurring in transit from the factory.

What will be argued by manufacturers is cracking from fatigue on skid steer loaders, broken cords on join less tracks with their explanation that the cord strength is calculated to exceed the recoil forgiveness of the machine manufacturers specification by 15% to 20% approximately.

That strength is where a regular test is carried out in a test rig where the track is extended by twin idlers expanded by hydraulic force and the shear strength checked within the cording specification and the machine manufacturers design.

This is different to the overlap join, yet many manufacturers still use that overlap join and meet the machine manufacturers specification. The Join less cord track is with the same number of cords without the overlap join in one point of the track. This eliminates any question to oxidization or contamination to the join area during manufacture.

Manufacturers will never accept broken cords as a manufacturing fault as they will claim the track has exceeded the machines ability to forgive by the recoil spring and the ingestion of foreign material has forced the recoil spring to the solid position and the track has then absorbed a loading in excess of its design.

In the case of skid steer tracks major manufacturers will only warrant in the 500 – 700-hour life expectancy and again I suggest you read my article on skid steer tracks.

Many will give promise of extended warranty without experience and will find every excuse to refuse based on the manufacturers reply.

We will warrant Skid steer 100% for three Months if a manufacturer problem exists, excavator tracks for six Months 100%. After that we pro rata for Twelve Months and again that allows the operator who does less hours to be with consideration if a manufacturing fault is noticed after that period.

I could offer Three years, yet the manufacturer will ask proof of their manufacturing fault and will refuse on many grounds after Six Months.

 

Ted Lockwood