Track pad base

[David Merritt]

I have been looking at the track pad base (CV0505) when trying to assemble some of the track links to go on the front plate. The thread in the metal backplate appears to have acquired some rubber or glue within them, I presume from the process of attaching the rubber to the metal backplate. The only way to clear these threads is with a number 3 or bottom tap as it has very little lead in so will not disturb the rubber to much which will probably make matters worse if that happens

David

[Rolf Mönke]

I wrote a similar post yesterday. but it was deleted overnight..............

[Rolf Mönke]

I lowered the countersinks in the chain links. No problem with the soft cast aluminum (hopefully they hold up while driving)



Drilling out the threaded holes is more annoying. Drill with core diameter and carefully adjust the depth. I don't know, ??, 400 pads??



Out of boredom, I tried to see how the end connectors behave with the bolts. Should be glued according to the manufacturer. Waiting for new screws. I hope you can then squeeze/clamp the end connectors a little.

[Chang]

Hello Rolf,

Are you waiting for new M3x6 hex head screws of the end connectors?
I am also thinking of how to squeeze them more on one-side only ...

Leopard 2 track-4.png (121.25 KiB) Viewed 1644 times

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Leopard 2 track-5.jpg (50.65 KiB) Viewed 1644 times

Lerh Chang

[Rolf Mönke]

Hello Chang,
I bought new screws.
I will place the end connectors on the bolts and press them together a little with a press. I'm having a tool made. Gluing probably won't help much.

By the way: I drilled out the chain pads. See pictures. I can use the material from the holes to have new tires made for next winter...

[Mark Heaps]

I would like to comment on the Diehl track but first of all a caveat that this info might not be applicable to the Leopard as used by the German / Dutch or any other country which uses them.
Challenger 2 which I was actively supporting prior to leaving the British Army in 2007 had track from Diehl.
Being REME and an ECE (Control Equipment Technician) I was never actively involved in splitting or changing a track on a CR2 but my understanding was that the pins on the Diehl track that we used were glued in to the track links and not of the knock out type as with Chieftain or Challenger 1.
Connection of the pins between two track links was done by a 2-piece connector in the middle and the clamping connectors on the outside.
The advantages over the previous track type were I recall two-fold.
Firstly the track-pin could not drift inwards or outwards if you lost an end connector, like with Chieftain or CR1 if the circlip broke.
Secondly as far as I can recall, the ends of the pins had the flat machined into them. This made assembly a bit trickier aligning the two links but made it what we termed a "live track" giving it a natural curve around the idler & sprocket wheels thereby reducing the risk of what we in REME termed "throwing" (lifting the track off the sprocket) a track in bad terrain. Tank crews may have used the term "throwing" for losing the track in whatever way, including it breaking.
Refitting a broken track was a reasonably quick & easy procedure for us when it happened, even if the tank had broken the track and driven off it. Rectifying a thrown track not so easy as it was normally jammed against the hull.
I seem to recall we also had the bolts on the middle & end connectors all inserted from the inside making them easier to access with either a torque wrench or power socket driver.

[Peter Quambusch]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the nice explanations!
Leo tracks are of the same type. When made, the track pins are force pressed into the rubberised track holes at a certain angle, the tnedency of the assembled tracks to "curve". The angle is slightly visable in the lower right corner at the loose connector:

[Mark Heaps]

Hi Peter,
your post also indicates that the central connector was of 2-piece type ( two parts clamped together with a bolt ).
Can you confirm ?
Mark

[Peter Quambusch]

Hi Peter,
your post also indicates that the central connector was of 2-piece type ( two parts clamped together with a bolt ).
Can you confirm ?
Mark

Hi Mark,

That´s affirmative!!
A single pice on either side and a two pice in the center.
Btw: The tracks for Leo II are made just around the corner from me in Remscheid.

Cheers

Peter

[Chang]

See my finding on "81 track links" thread on 01 April 2024 :
viewtopic.php?t=10033

https://forums.kitmaker.net/t/leopard-2a7-track-composition-help/19983

Leopard 2 track-3.jpg (54.66 KiB) Viewed 1456 times

[Mark Heaps]

I seem to recall another advantage of the Diehl track was that the pads could be knocked out when too worn down and fresh ones knocked in rather than replacing the whole link as we had to do on the other british tracked vehicles. Quicker and easier to do, and helped appease the germans a bit as it meant we tore up their road surfaces a little less.
I seem to remember pallets of replacement pads pre-positioned at the exit points from manouvre areas so the CR2 crews could replace any that needed doing so before the tank would be released for the road move down to the rail-head for transport back to barracks.

[Mark Heaps]

As far as I am aware but standing by to be corrected, is that the track pads served no other purpose apart from preventing the tracks chewing up the road surface and became totally irrelevant in a war-time situation.

[Peter Quambusch]

Hi Mark,

Principally correct, else the roads would look like a new plower field...

But two more purposes: a) reducing wear and tear on the track itself and b) dampening some of the vibrations caused by the tracks. Those of you who have experianced a road march in a Leo versus one in a T 55 (or higher) will know what I mean...

Cheers

Peter

[Mark Heaps]

Thank you for those insights Peter,
I crewed and commanded FV432 / FV434, ChARRV & CRARRV many times over my 22 year army career but never realised the track-pads were also an aid to crew comfort. Good job we required them for the German roads, otherwise I think the British army would have spared on the expense
I believe the Warrior FV510 series had replaceable pads that were bolted on, but all the tracked vehicles I crewed had fixed pads and I know the state of the pad was one criteria the mechanics used when assessing track for replacing, either by link, section or complete. The major criteria being track elongation (stretch) caused by the pins wearing away the holes, and the wear on the surface contacted by the sprockets, also a broken off guide horn but I never saw or heard of that instance happening during my time.
Cheers
Mark

[Peter Quambusch]

Hi Mark,

We never had a guide horn broken off, too solid, but during the winter 85/86, on a live firing ex in Putlos, while trying to turn right on the icy road, we drove strainght, due to a broken track... It had bekome so brittle from the cold (The Baltic Sea froze over), that the strain from turning caused it to shatter..
But besides replacing worn pads here and there, no track issues.

Cheers

Peter