How do you service final drives?
There are four important maintenance tasks for a final drive that, when performed as regularly, can save you thousands of dollars in repairs:
- regularly checking your final drive for evidence of leaks.
- checking the levels of gear oil on a regular basis.
- changing the gear oil on a regular basis.
How do you disassemble a final drive?
The first step is to remove the track (if it’s a track driven machine, of course). Next, loosen (but don’t remove) the sprocket bolts. It is actually much easier to loosen the bolts before you remove the final drive. Then, from inside the undercarriage, remove the motor cover plate.
What is final drive service?
Final drive motors are typically used on excavators and other heavy equipment. A final drive motor provides the power to turn tracks, and it is made up of two components. There is the hydraulic motor, and then the gear box. Sometimes, when people use the term final drive they are actually referring to the gear box.
How does a excavator final drive work?
Using a planetary gear configuration, the final drive gearbox reduces the speed supplied to that shaft and proportionately increases the available torque to rotate the hub to which the track sprocket is mounted, which engages the tracks with tremendous torque and moves the machine in the intended direction.
Can you rebuild a final drive?
Although you can buy a used final drive, the risk you run into there is getting a drive that has been rebuilt with counterfeit parts that don’t meet OEM standards. You can run into the same issue with aftermarket final drives. Finally, you can send it to a hydraulic repair shop that specializes in final drive repair.
What is a final drive on a dozer?
The final drive is the planetary gearbox that protrudes through the track sprocket and contains a couple gear oil fill/drain plugs (see our other articles about the importance of maintaining that gear oil!).
What is the final drive on a skid steer?
hydraulic motor
Instead, each hydraulic motor is responsible for one side of the skid steer. These hydraulic motors are also referred to as wheel drives or final drives. The hydraulic motor is the key to keeping a skid steer moving: if one of the hydraulic motors fails, the best you can hope for is a machine that can go in circles.
Why do final drives need special lubricant?
Gear oil is a key component in your final drive as it serves to cool, lubricate, and protect. Contamination and degradation can reduce the ability of gear oil to perform those tasks, making the useful life of your final drive proportional to how regular you are about changing out the gear oil.