Excavator Repair/Garage floor

[Broadie]

Hopefully this isn't too stupid of a question, but I'f hate to find out the answer the hard way - I need to do some repair work on my Bobcat mini-excavator and was wondering if I can bring it into my garage without doing damage to the slab-heated floor? It's a 7000 lb machine, steel tracks and want to make sure I don't crush the heating system in the slab. My gut tells me I'd be OK, but wanted an "expert" opinion from someone on here.

Thanks!


WD

 

[tarmy]

Put some plywood down or 2x material for it to travel on.

 

[Bert_]

Zero worries. You probably have at least a 3 1/2" slab which is plenty to support that little machine.

If the concrete has a lip at the door it might get chipped. It's about the worst that could happen.

Ground pressure from a track machine is actually pretty low.

 

[Wrench97]

As stated above run it in on wood and iit will not mark the floor.

 

[Mikeske]

Well think about it a 4x4 pickup are running in those ranges of weight with smaller contact to the ground with the tires. I see no problem with what you want to do just remember to get some thick plywood and Bob’s your uncle.

 

[Crawlin]

I have a 38k lb steel track excavator and walked it in my shop to have the windows tinted one winter. Layed down 2x6s and no problems other than getting the floor dirty. I do have a 6" slab with radiant heat and epoxy coating. I did not try and turn though, straight in and straight out. Used tires work well too.

 

[finn]

My shop was originally built by a logger. It has radiant floor heat.

I have scarf marks on the floor, presumably from a crawler.

Funny thing. I needed some trees cut down near the house and power lines, so I called a tree guy, and asked him to stop by the shop and we’d go to the house. He stopped in, and told me he had spent a lot of time in that shop as a mechanic. Last time he was there they had a slasher torn apart with hydraulic fluid everywhere. He had never seen the place so clean and orderly, a concept I can’t grasp, as I consider it a mess most of the time.

A mid sized loader with a slasher probably weighs at least 25000 lb.

 

[johninct]

I never scratched my floor with plywood and my Cat 215 ( 20 ton).

 

[racecougar]

I've been trying to dig up a picture of it inside the shop, but I've been unsuccessful thus far. I guess that's sort of a testament to how rare an occurrence it is. The steel tracks can mar the surface of the floor, particularly if they aren't clean (have mud/rocks stuck to them) and if you have to turn. As others suggested above, if you can lay down some plywood or lumber to run the tracks atop, you're set.

 

[CraigStu]

It's a shop so probably OK but measure the door opening height.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you don't have any plywood/OSB. I would suggest getting some out of the cheap "defect/damaged" stack at the local big box store.

 

[larry_g]

As said above pay attention to the transition from the drive to the concrete. Me I have a gravel drive and when bringing in a tracked machine I build a bit of a ramp with 2x's to prevent the machine from grabbing just the edge of the concrete at the transition. I also use wood under the tracks to prevent marring the floor.

lg
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