ForConstructionPros.com

Track pads will wear down naturally, but Chastain cautions about causing premature wear as well. This can be done from stationary turning while the machine is running. "You don't really want to turn the track pads flat around the ground," Chastain says.

Another habit to avoid is climbing up over the sidewall of a cut you've made. "When you climb up over a curb or over an edge of asphalt that you've just cut you're pinching that track pad, which can put a tear in the track pad. Once you've torn it then it's going to start breaking down the bonding, and you're going to start losing chunks of the track pad. And before long you've lost that track pad," Chastain adds.

Conveyor systems
How many conveyor belts a unit has depends on its size. Smaller utility milling units usually only have one belt that works as both the pick up and discharge belt, although some may have two separate belts. The half-lane milling units have separate pick up and discharge conveyors, Schmidt says.

Wear and tears in conveyor belts can become a serious issue. "If you get a slight tear in a conveyor belt it will go ahead and continue to rip on through. And if you lose a conveyor belt, effectively your milling job is done at that point in time," Hood says.

Cleats on the conveyor belt - raised rubber pieces that carry material along the belt - are also susceptible to wear and tears, Chastain points out. Worn or damaged cleats prevent the machine from carrying as much material as it normally does and could cause the material to go everywhere instead of where the belt is directing it.