How do you press track pins in and out of a track chain?

Question

Accepted Answer

Track pins are removed and installed with a track pin press — a hydraulic press, either a workshop machine or a portable track press, that pushes the pin through the link bore under very high force. The chain is positioned so the ram lines up exactly with the pin axis, the links are supported against reaction blocks, and the pin is pressed out; pressing a pin in reverses the process, often with the bushing pressed in first. Field crews sometimes work on the master pin only, which is designed for easier removal to split the chain. This is genuinely high-force work — pins are interference-fitted — so improvised pushing with excavator buckets or hammers is dangerous and damages link bores. For badly worn chains, a full pin-and-bushing turn in a workshop press can restore internal pitch. VANROCK supplies track chains, pins, bushings and master pins for 54+ brands, quoted on request through its dealer network.