Shop Talk Blog

You may have a good understanding of why contamination is bad for your hydraulic system, but did you know it’s just as bad for the planetary side of your final drive motor? Experts agree that lubrication contamination is the number one cause of machinery failure. Dirt, sand, and other abrasive particles can get inside your final drive gearbox and do tremendous damage. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss why contaminated gear oil is a problem, what the results of it are, and how you can minimize it.

As we've talked about before in Part 1 of this series, there are some really good lessons we can learn from superheroes, and maybe some really bad ones, too (we’re looking at you, Deadpool).  We can learn some pretty good lessons about final drives, too.  For Part 2, we are going to take a look at lessons from Batman, Huntress, and Thor! (Trigger warning:  this article may upset diehard comics fans!)

Here at Texas Final Drive, we troubleshoot, repair, and remanufacture many final drives that come off Bobcat machines. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss some of the most common issues with Bobcat final drive motors, including main bearing failure, case drain issues, and charge pump problems.

Here are a few other related posts that you may find helpful ...

• Autopsy: Bobcat 331 Mini Excavator Final Drive
• Bobcat 325 Rotator Group Damage
• Reman Bobcat T190 Final Drives
• Bobcat 337 Final Drive Failures

There are some really good things we can learn from superheroes, and maybe some really bad ones, too (we’re looking at you, Deadpool). You might not realize it, but we can learn some good lessons about final drives, too! For Part 1, we are going to take a look at lessons from Superman, Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk to see what they can teach us about contamination, installation/removal, and maintenance. (Trigger warning:  this article may upset diehard comics fans!)

We’ve seen the frightening images of glowing, molten lava making its way across homes, yards, cemeteries, schools, and neighborhood streets as the Kilauea volcano wreaks havoc and disaster in Hawaii. In this Shop Talk blog post, we are going to consider the effects of lava on roads and look at how heavy equipment is used in the resulting clean-up process.

Here are a few more related blog posts you might find interesting ...

• Excavating Deep Underwater
• Caring for Your Equipment After a Flood
• Monster Bulldozers by the Numbers

Any type of machine you encounter is going to have bearings in it.  In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss the types of bearings in your final drive hydraulic motor. We'll also look at the different functions they serve, signs of failure, the aftermath of failure, and how to prevent failure.

If you ever want to have nightmares, just scan through some of the OSHA accident search results with the keyword “excavator.” These accidents -- 509 accidents going back to 1986 -- aren’t always what you would expect. You may think you know all the dangers related to excavators, but remember that the human race always seems to think of new ways to harm ourselves. Here are some, shall we say, more unusual accidents related to excavators, including one involving final drive maintenance.

You’ve been having issues with your final drive, and you’ve started to take it apart to track down the problem. You’ve cleaned the bearings up, but how can you tell if it’s time to replace them? In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to delve into the signs that your bearings need to be replaced.

Do you know who invented the machine that set the stage for our modern hydraulic excavators? Did you know the history of the excavator dates back to 1835? Do you know the connection between excavators and elevators? If any of this sounds interesting to you, then you will enjoy this Shop Talk Blog post about William Otis, grandfather of the modern hydraulic excavator.

Your final drive motor has been giving you problems, and you’ve decided to take it apart. Once you get to the bearings, you need to clean them up before you can tell whether to replace them. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss how to clean your bearings without damaging them.

We have more blog posts on this subject that you might find helpful!

• Real Life Bearing Failure
• How to Troubleshoot a Noisy/Vibrating Final Drive Motor
• Most Common Failure Items on a Final Drive