Shop Talk Blog

The Official Blog for Texas Final Drive

Final Drive Gear Oil Characteristics: Clearing Up the Confusion

Final Drive Gear Oil

Have you ever looked at the specifications for gear oil and wondered what all those values really meant?  Considering how important gear oil is to your final drive motor, its always good to know as much you can.   In this blog post, we are going delve into the sometimes confusing but always interesting world of gear oil characteristics!

Daily Maintenance for Skid Steer Loaders

Extending Useful Life of Your Skid Steer

 

Did you know that daily maintenance is the key to extending the useful life of your skid steer?  While simply daily steps may not seem like much, they add up to a great deal of savings in repairs and machine down-time regardless of whether a Bobcat or Terex skid steer loader.  In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to review the daily maintenance tasks that need to be followed if you want the skid steers in your fleet to be as efficient and productive as possible.

 

 

 

 

Hydraulic Drive Motors and Contamination

Hydraulic contamination is a major source of problems for any type of hydraulic system, but especially for hydraulic motors and final drives -- which means that it is very important to be well informed on the subject.  In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to talk about the types and sources of contamination, as well as how to avoid contamination.  This information is important for all types of hydraulic construction equipment, from a Terex CTL to a Bobcat skid steer.

 

 

For more Shop Talk Blog post on hydraulic motor maintenance and repair, check out these great artilcles:

 

5 Things You Should Know About Floating Face Seals

Floating Face Seals and Track Drive Maintenance

The floating face seal is a vital part of your travel motor or final drive, whether its on a John Deere skid steer or an ASV compact track loader. It rests against the hub, holding in the gear oil on the planetary side and preventing contaminants from getting in where they can damage bearings and gear. If this seal begins to leak, your travel drive motor will suffer damage. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to talk about 5 things you should know about floating face seals and track drive maintenance.

Track Drives: 3 Mistakes Heavy Equipment Owners Make

Track Drives Vital to CTL and MTL Equipment

If you own a CTL (Compact Track Loader) or MTL (Multi-Terrain Loader), you know that it needs a working track drive in order to move. Track drives are a vital part of your CTL, whether it's an ASV compact track loader or a CAT multi-terrain loader, they are also commonly neglected. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to talk about three common mistakes equipment owners make in maintaining their track drive motors.

 

 

 

 

CTL Maintenance: Track Drive Motors, Undercarriage, and Tracks

Preventive Maintenance Focus on Track Drive

 

Performing preventative maintenance on your compact track loader or multi-terrain loader will save you thousands of dollars in repairs and down-time.  At the Shop Talk Blog, we've put together a short guide to help you keep your CTL or MTL running smoothly, focusing on the track drive, undercarriage, and tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

Taking Your Hydraulic Motor Diagnosis Seriously

When a hydraulic motor or final drive fails, getting it fixed fast is the first instinct. But if you don’t figure out why it failed, you could be setting yourself up for the same problem down the road—leading to more downtime, expensive repairs, and lost productivity. Issues like hydraulic contamination, clogged case drain filters, or overlooked maintenance are often the root cause, and addressing them now can help prevent future breakdowns.


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


Cam Ring Failure in a Final Drive (Dr. Drive Video)

Dr. Drive on Cam Ring Failure

Cam ring failures are common in radial piston hydraulic motors and are not specific to a particular model of a final drive -- it can be found in any of the radial piston motors used on Bobcat, CAT, CASE, and New Holland machines. In this Shop Talk Blog post featuring Dr. Drive, you will learn what a cam ring failure is, how it happens, and what can be done about it. We'll start with a quick review on cam rings ...

 

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

 

3 Considerations in Keeping Your Final Drive Running

Final drives have to endure quite a bit – like high-impact loads, extreme torque, sudden direction changes, and frequent gear changes. You know that when your final drive stops, your machine stops. That means one of your goals should be to keep that final drive running.  In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss some of the considerations in keeping your final drive running.

 

 

4 Key Maintenance Tasks for Final Drives


Final Drive Motor Preventive Maintenance

 

Based on our own experience here at Texas Final Drive, the maintenance for final drives can be broken into four key tasks.  When these tasks are performed as recommended, they will greatly extend the life of your final drive, keep your equipment running, and save you money.  Let's see what these four tasks are ...

 

 

 

 

 


The Shop Talk blog has several other posts you might be interested in, including these:

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