Track preservation

[brit plumber]

I’ve just purchased a set of NOS Israeli tracks for a good price and wondered what people are doing to preserve/condition/maintain the rubber? I’m not going to be in a position to fit them for some time and would like to preserve them for now.

I’ve pressure washed them as they were dirty and I’m treating the rubber with a tyre (tire) conditioner with the intention of wrapping them tight in cellophane. I’m also thinking of inserting silica desiccant bags in the wrap and finishing with a black plastic wrap. Has anyone done this sort of thing before and what did you do? I’m particularly interested in any liquids/gels or oils used to keep the rubber pliable and stop it from cracking.

[Jesse]

I think storing them in a cool, dark, dry place is about the best you can do for them. As far as cracking, Israeli tracks are known for cracking where they were bent tightly for storage.

[brit plumber]

Thanks Jesse, mine have fine cracks like you say, does this cause any issues? I also heard from an enthusiast that the Israelis tracks had Stainless cables fitted, do you know if that’s true?

[8683jb]

My Israeli tracks from the late '80s have lots of small cracks from being coiled up on a pallet until 2020. Not any problem whatsoever so far.

[Jesse]

I haven’t heard any stories of trouble with the cracks. I put 800 miles on my last set before I sold it.  As far as I know it’s ran 6 years since then. There’s controversy about what kind of steel they used for the cables, but it always boils down to no one volunteering to cut up their track to verify the type of steel in the cables.

[Monkeypirate]

SS  cables seam like they would not be the best choice of materials as SS is prone to work hardening when bent repeatedly. Of course, there are many different grades of SS so who knows? As for preserving your tracks, they are almost 40 years old to begine with. I dont think they are going to be bothered sitting for a bit longer. I would check with the company that makes the rubber conditioner though as the old rubber those tracks are made from might not take kindly to chemicals formulated for newer low sulfer stuff. Best of luck!

[R.E.Co.]

As far as storage and care, keeping tracks out of direct sunlight is the most important consideration. Israeli tracks do not have UV protection in the rubber compound so UV rays will cause cracking and damage to the outer layer of rubber.

I have also heard that Isreali tracks used stainless cable. Stainless cable has a different tensile strength and as such have fewer bends over time before breaking. I would never recommend stainless for tracks. If a galvanized steel cable in an original set of tracks lasts 75 years before breaking, I think that is ok ?. 

I ran Israeli tracks on my halftrack prior to making new tracks and I was not at all impressed by the life of the rubber. The Israeli tracks had small weather cracks too. After running about 500 miles on them, they really wore down the tread. It could have been a combination of the rubber composition and storage previously but it's hard to tell.

Hopefully my two cents was useful.

Jon