Oil seals are used on the final drive motor axle to keep the gear oil for the planetary gear set or bearings from mixing with hydraulic oil. These seals are vital to the operation and performance of your final drive motor -- and learning how they can fail is essential.
How Many Ways Can an Oil Seal Fail
In a previous post, we talked about basic mechanical stress -- but this one is going a step further and looking at the relationship between stress, deformation, and strain -- all of which affect how metal parts break.
Here are some other Shop Talk Blog posts you might be interested in:
The minimum bend radius is important in hydraulic layout, but what is the difference between static and dynamic bend radius?
Of course, there are obvious signs of hose failure: fluid spewing from a crack, a hose split wide open, or a hose blown off a connector. However, there are several signs you can look for that tell you failure is imminent -- and that’s the blog post's topic.
You’re in the field working on a job with a tight deadline when the lifting arm on your skid steer or boom on your compact excavator suddenly loses power. You step out of the machine and see the cause: a leaking hydraulic hose. While you may not know what’s happening inside a hydraulic hose, some signs on the outside can serve as a red flag to replace (and maybe reroute) that hose. Here's a discussion on what to look for during your daily equipment walkaround.
The Final Drive Repair Shop House of Mechanical Horrors
Final Drive Motor Seals, Final Drive Maintenance, Leaks, bearings, Case Drain
|Here are some final drive motor horrors from our own shop -- with some explanations of what caused them and how you can prevent them.
And while you're here, check out these terrifying Shop Talk Blog posts from the past ...
Case Drain Filter: Good or Bad?
Why don't we see case drain filters on all compact hydraulic equipment? There are pros and cons to including them in the hydraulic design. If your machine requires one, then it is critical that you replace it regularly.
Here are some other Shop Talk Blog posts you may find useful:
Mechanical stress is behind any of the failures we encounter when inspecting a final drive motor. Sheared fasteners, bent gear teeth, dented roller bearings, and broken races are examples of where stresses have gotten high enough to do permanent damage. To help you learn more about the mechanisms behind this and other types of failure, we'd like to introduce you to a new blog series entitled Dr. Mac's Notebook.
Here are some other Shop Talk Blog posts you might find of interest:
Simple Forces
There are three basic types of forces:
- Compressive, which pushes things together
- Tensile, which pulls things apart
- Shear, which causes things to slide apart
Is the Problem Really the Pump?
Let’s quickly review how to troubleshoot a hydraulic pump by looking at common symptoms and discussing the causes -- and whether the issue is even related to the pump.
Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts you might find interesting:
Maintenance and Hazardous Energy
Skid Steers, Mini-excavators, Heavy Equipment Safety, Maintenance, LOTO
|Crushing accidents don’t just happen when someone gets run over by equipment -- they can also occur when you’re working on your equipment and don’t take hazardous energy into account.
Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts you might enjoy:
Tips for Setting Up a Workspace for Your Hydraulics
Hydraulic Contamination, Water Contamination, Air Contamination
|If you’re going to work on a final drive motor or pump, it’s essential to set aside a clean workspace if you want to prevent contamination and the expensive damage it can cause. Here are some hints and tips to help you have a safe workplace for your hydraulics.
Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts: