Shop Talk Blog

Final drive motors are essential components in heavy machinery. They turn hydraulic energy into mechanical motion to propel equipment. Understanding their function, maintenance, and common issues is crucial for optimal performance and longevity. Here are some frequently asked questions about final drive motors.

Here are some other Shop Talk Blog posts you might be interested in:

• 5 Questions You Should Ask About a Final Drive Before Buying It
  
• Basic Types of Hydraulic Fluid for Heavy and Compact Equipment
• Valve Blocks on Final Drive Hydraulic Motors

   

What is a final drive motor?

A final drive motor is a hydraulic motor that converts hydraulic pressure into mechanical torque. It drives the tracks or wheels of both heavy and compact equipment like excavators, compact track loaders, and skid steer loaders. A final drive motor combines a hydraulic motor with a gear reduction system to provide the necessary force for movement.

Halloween Horror Stories from the Construction Site!

As Halloween draws close, tales of haunted houses, monsters, and things that go bump in the night are in full swing. But for those in construction, there’s another type of horror to worry about: the dreaded equipment breakdowns that bring your jobs to a screeching halt. One of the biggest culprits? Final drive motors. Join us as we dive into some familiar “horror stories” and, most importantly, how to avoid them!

The choice of materials used in your final drive motor is extremely important. The engineers behind hydraulic motors don't randomly choose what type of steel or brass to use. So here is a quick introduction to one of the characteristics engineers consider: material hardness.

Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts you might find helpful:

• Real-Life Bearing Failure
• Four Horrifying Final Drive Failures
• Why Metal Surface Finish Can Be Important for Final Drives

What does catastrophic failure caused by a lack of maintenance look like? Let’s look at an example: a totaled planetary on a John Deere 332 final drive.

Here are some other Shop Talk Blog posts that might be helpful:

• Guidelines to Final Drive Maintenance
• Gear Damage in a Final Drive
• Autopy Hy-Dash Final Drive

Failure in a final drive motor is always bad -- but a good understanding of basic metal failure can help understand what causes it and lead to a better understanding of metal behavior in general.

In this Shop Talk blog post, you'll learn about basic metal failure and the material properties that explain it. This includes an introduction to tensile testing, a discussion of key metal parameters, and an example of how these parameters can vary.

Here are two other blogs in this series:

Dr Mac's Notebook: Basics of Mechanical Stress

Dr Mac’s Notebook: Displacement Under a Load

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.

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:

• Dr Mac's Notebook: The Basics of Mechanical Stress
• CNC Machining for Final Drive Parts
• Troubleshooting 5 Common Final Drive Issues

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:

• Real Life Bearing Failure
• 4 Horrifying Final Drive Failures
• Autopsy: Kubota KX71-3 Final Drive

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

Not all final drive motor failures are equal! Some are just horrifying ...

Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts you might be interested in:

• #1 Cause of Final Drive Failure
• 5 Final Drive Maintenance Tips
• How Do I Fix My Final Drive?

The planetary gear system is key to helping your final drive motor generate the torque needed to move your equipment and transport heavy loads. When it goes out, everything literally comes to a grinding halt. Learn the signs of impending planetary gear failure!

Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts you might find of interest ...

• Planetary Gears and Final Drive Motors
• How to Troubleshoot Gear Oil Problems with Your Final Drive
• Very Real Dangers of Reactive Maintenance