A Spooky Troubleshooting Guide for When Your Equipment Acts Possessed

Your skid steer can act downright haunted some times, with things like strange noises, phantom movements, and mysterious leaks -- and sometimes, death. The good news is that it isn’t ghosts, but rather an all too real issue with mechanical or hydraulic causes. So here’s a Shop Talk Blog post where we provide practical troubleshooting tips, empowering you to take control of the situation.

The Phantom Creep: When Your Skid Steer Moves on Its Own

Have you ever had your final drive inch forward or backward with no input? No worries: your skid steer isn’t possessed by a spirit. The most likely causes are …

• A sticking control valve
• Contaminated hydraulic fluid
• A faulty joystick

How do you deal with this “spirit”? That’s pretty straightforward: clean or replace the hydraulic filters and bleed the hydraulic lines, and if that doesn’t work, then inspect the control wiring.

The Banshee Wail: Unholy Noises from Below

No one wants to hear whining, grinding, or shrieking noises coming from your final drive motors. When that happens, there are a few potential causes:

• Low or aging gear oil
• Bearing failure in the planetary hub
• Cavitation (air in hydraulic fluid)
• Weak charge pump
• Issue with brakes

The first step to addressing a banshee in your final drive motor is to check your gear oil levels and top them off as needed or change them out if you need to. You can also verify that the charge pump is working correctly. If it’s a machine with brakes, then you need to make sure the brakes are releasing completely. If none of those options reveal the source of the “banshee,” then it could very well be bearing failure.

The Bleeding Beast: Leaks That Won’t Quit

No one wants something that’s bleeding, whether it’s your walls or your skid steer loader. As we’ve said before, leaks are something not to be ignored. If you see an abundance of thin fluid, then it’s likely the hydraulic side that’s leaking. Smaller amounts of fluid usually point to the planetary gear side. The leading causes are:

• Damaged floating face seals
• Blocked case drain line
• Leaking hose
• Overfilled gear case

The first step in addressing a 'bleeding' skid steer is to identify the type of fluid. Then clean around the seals to pinpoint the problematic one. If it’s not a seal, check the hydraulic hoses near the final drives for leaks. If your machine has a case drain filter, replace it as it might be clogged. Finally, ensure the gear oil levels in the planetary side are not overfilled.

The Power Gremlin: Sudden Weakness or Possession

Does your final drive motor lose power or jerk? Is it trying to curve when it should go straight? Is it harder to go up hill, or does it slow down more than usual when it’s carrying a load? Well, the good news is that your skid steer isn’t possessed. Here’s what could be going on:

• Lack of hydraulic pressure
• High friction (e.g., over-tight tracks, worn idlers/rollers)
• Machine trapped in high-speed mode (causing poor climbing/steering)
• Weak charge pump (won’t disengage internal brake on travel motor)
• The final drive or gearbox itself is worn out / exceeded its useful life

Here’s what you need to do. Eliminate external causes of weakness involving things like a weak charge pump, pressure valves that are stuck, a drive locked in high-speed mode, tracks that are too tight, or blocked case drain lines. Then, when external issues are cleared, inspect the final drive motor itself. Start by measuring case drain flow to check internal leakage, and if you’re comfortable with opening up your final drive, start examining internal wear components like the valve plate and rotator group for cracks or excessive clearance.

The Dead Final Drive: When Nothing Brings It Back

Is your final drive dead? Does it refuse to move? There can be two causes: stripped splines or gears, and catastrophic motor failure. If this has happened, it’s time to seriously think about sending your final drive in for evaluation and potential repair, or for replacing it.  Contact Texas Final Drive for diagnosis, reman options, and expert support if you’ve reached this point.

Conclusion

Before you call an exorcist, grab a wrench, or just give the experts at Texas Final Drive a call. We can help you with your “haunted” machine and get it up and running for you again. And remember, we can provide troubleshooting advice over the phone or get you set up with a replacement final drive at a very reasonable cost, giving you the reassurance of expert support.