Track Shoes (Grousers)
Track shoes — also referred to as grousers, pads, or track plates — are the only undercarriage components that make direct contact with the ground, which makes correct selection important for both machine performance and track wear life.
West-Trak supplies track shoes from 250mm to 960mm wide across the main grouser types: 1 Bar, 2 Bar, and 3 Bar. We can also source specialised options including curved grousers and cast swamp grousers for specific applications.
What Width Do You Need?
Track shoe width should be match to the terrain the machine is working on. Wider shoes provide more flotation on soft or unstable ground, but reduce manoeuvrability and increase wear on the track chains. Running shoes that are too wide for the conditions accelerates wear across the undercarriage and increases the rick of chain failure.
As a guide, here are the most common track shoe widths by machine size:
4-6 Tonne Excavator: 400mm
6-9 Tonne Excavator: 450mm
10-15 Tonne Excavator: 500mm
16-40 Tonne Excavator: 600mm
For soft ground or where extra floatation is required, West-Trak has multiple track shoe widths available:
10-15 Tonne Excavator: 600 or 700mm track shoes.
16-40 Tonne Excavator: 700 or 800mm track shoes.
Which Grouser Type Is Right for the Job?
3 Bar Grousers are the most widely used type of track shoe. The majority of machines operating in Construction and Earthmoving run on 3 Bar grousers, as the ground conditions in these applications don’t require the additional traction that 1 or 2 bar designs provide.
2 Bar Grousers are mostly used for 30-40 Tonne machines in soft ground on earthmoving projects, and in the Forestry and Mining sectors. They are the strongest of the 3 styles of track shoe, and are well suited to rock, high-impact conditions, and some forestry applications (like skid site work).
1 Bar Grousers offer the highest traction and feature large mud-relief holes. They are predominantly used in steep-country forest harvesting. Available with standard or clipped corners — clipped corners improve machine manoeuvrability and undercarriage clearance on self-levelling machines, though they do reduce side traction on steep slopes. Our relug service is also available for 1 bar Grousers to increase traction for extreme forestry applications. Grouser lug height can be increased to over 120mm for maximum traction.
Recognising Wear and Knowing When to Replace
Track shoes can wear in a number way depending on the application and conditions. One common indicator is when the grouser bars have worn level with the bolt heads – at this point the shoes should be replaced, as the bolt heads are not designed to bear the machine’s weight and continuing to run them risks the shoes coming loose and damaging the track chain. Bent or bending shoes are often a sign that the grousers are too wide for the application, or that they have reached the end of their service life.
If you’re unsure about wear on your track shoes, get in touch and we can help you assess what’s needed.
Talk to the West-Trak Team
Not sure what Track Shoe (or Grouser) suits your machine or application? Contact us today for more information or to request a quote.
