Camso expects a market for remanufactured tracks

With its new track remanufacture plant in Emporia, Kansas, rubber track maker Camso aims to “take the best tracks on the market and give them multiple lives.”

So said Martin Lunkenbein, service and aftermarket sales executive director of agriculture at Camso, during an open house on June 21 at the facility.

Camso provides tracks to most major tractor and combine manufacturers as original equipment. However, when tracks wear out, there were few options for disposal. The company learned that remanufacturing the tracks to like-new condition is a relatively simple process, and can give customers new performance at roughly 60 percent of the cost of new tracks.

Camso tracks are remanufactured from original Camso carcasses by using Camso original materials and quality control. Remanufacturing is available for tracks taken from friction drive tractors and for midroller wheels of all tractors.

“It’s a game changer in the way people buy and use tracks and wheels. Customers can now think of a product that provides the lowest operating cost through its first life, while considering the multiple lives that can be delivered after its initial cycle. A track carcass and wheel core still have a value and can be remanufactured if they’re not worn to the bone,” Lunkenbein said. “The program allows customers to return their used Camso wheels and tracks to their local dealer instead of dealing with the headaches and costs of disposing of them. Customers can then buy a Camso certified remanufactured product from our inventory, have their used tracks and wheels remanufactured at the Camso plant or purchase a brand new one from our lineup.”

Camso expects that when its facility is fully operational, a customer wanting to use his old tracks can have them rebuilt within 48 hours.

During the pilot program last summer, Camso carefully monitored the performance of its remanufactured products and vigorously pursued customer validation for more than 500 hours in the field. Lunkenbein said field tests in Texas and Kansas of the remanufactured tracks show the same adhesion and performance as new tracks.

Tom Phillips, who farms near Allen, Kansas, used rebuilt prototype Camso tracks on a Challenger MT 765D tractor. Phillips tested them for more than 500 hours pulling a ripper and road travel. The remanufactured tracks “hardly even scuffed up,” he said. “The remans do ride well. We had factory new ones on the tractor and these ride better than the new ones.”

Not every used track can be rebuilt. Camso employees carefully inspect each track as it comes in. Those with defects that compromise integrity will be discarded. “Part of the education process is, when do you stop using the original?” Lunkenbein said.

Camso’s certified remanufactured tracks and wheels program were available as of March 16, 2018. Customers can contact Camso customer service for more details and visit camso.co.

Camso announces new plant in Junction City, Kansas

In January 2020, Camso will open a new track manufacturing plant in Junction City, Kansas, to meet the growing demand of tracks and track systems in the agriculture and construction industries. 

With this 139,000 square foot facility, Camso enlarges its manufacturing footprint in North America for its Agriculture and Construction business. “Camso is putting the means in place to help deliver on the increasing demand of our agriculture and construction track products,” said Hugues Lajoie, vice president and general manager of agriculture at Camso in a press release.

With a forecasted increase in production capacity, this new facility will allow Camso to have more products on hand to meet the growing demand and shorten delivery lead times. In the last decade, the adoption of rubber tracks to tractors, sprayers, grain carts and planters has soared, necessitating more capacity for Camso. The Junction City plant will produce agriculture tracks by 2020 and construction tracks by 2022, Lajoie said during the Emporia event in June.

Junction City is a strategic location for Camso due to its proximity to its existing manufacturing plant in Emporia, Kansas. “This new location will allow for a strong collaboration between the two plants to produce and deliver quality products to our customers. Moreover, the new site will allow access to a talented local workforce that will allow Camso to add 35 individuals to our team,” Lajoie added.

Bill Spiegel can be reached at 785-587-7796 or [email protected].