Shop Talk Blog

The Official Blog for Texas Final Drive

Contaminated Gear Oil: The Hidden Threat to Your Final Drive Motor

by Dr McCaslin | Aug 31, 2025 |

Gear oil, Contamination

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One of the most frustrating things about equipment failures is how often they sneak up on you. Your machine might sound fine, run fine, and get the job done—until one day, the final drive gives out without much warning. A common culprit? Gear oil that’s quietly been working against you instead of for you. Gear oil is supposed to lubricate, protect, and keep things cool inside the drive. But once it’s contaminated, it stops doing its job, and the damage starts piling up long before you notice anything’s wrong.

In this Shop Talk Blog post, we talk about gear oil contamination, signs to look for, prevention and maintenance tips, and what to do when the damage is done.


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Understanding Gear Oil Additives

by Dr McCaslin | Apr 11, 2025 |

Final Drive Motor Gearbox, Gear oil, Wear

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Gear oil is easy to overlook—until something goes wrong. A noisy final drive, worn planetary gears, or sudden power loss can all point to a single cause: lubricant failure.

Many don’t realize that gear oils are engineered fluids, not just oil. They’re packed with chemical additives that do far more than reduce friction—they help your equipment run cooler, cleaner, and longer. These additives reduce wear, prevent corrosion, fight sludge, and help the oil survive extreme pressure and temperature. Without them, even top-tier base oil won’t cut it.

This Shop Talk Blog post covers what gear oil additives do, how they work, and why they're essential for protecting your final drive motor gearbox. And whether you operate compact track loaders or full-sized excavators, knowing what’s in your oil helps extend service life and avoid costly repairs.


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A Masterclass in Maintaining Your Final Drives

If there’s one thing we know here at Texas Final Drive, it’s how we wish people would maintain their final drive motors. That’s why we’ve come up with this comprehensive guide to final drive motor maintenance. It touches on more than just the final drives, though, because issues such as track tension and even a dirty undercarriage can impact the performance of your final drives and cause premature wear.

Maintaining Skid Steer Final Drives for Optimal Performance and Reliability

by Jim Strong | Feb 29, 2024 |

Final Drive Maintenance, Gear oil, Leaks, Duo-cone Seal

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We know that it’s vital to keep your skid steers rolling year-round and that the key to their reliability and performance lies in maintenance.

In this Shop Talk blog post, we’ll discuss the key maintenance tasks for skid steer final drivesthat will increase their uptime, reduce repair costs, and extend their lifespan.


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The Role of Lubrication in Preventing Planetary Failures

 

The planetary on your final drive motor generates tremendous amounts of torque and requires lubrication to provide high performance and extend the life of its components. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we'll talk about lubrication's role in preventing planetary failure.


The Effects of Gear Oil Contamination on a Final Drive Planetary: A Comprehensive Guide

Discover the detrimental effects of gear oil contamination on your final drive and learn how to prevent it. This comprehensive guide provides valuable insights into the various forms of contamination, their impact, and essential preventive measures.

Caterpillar Medium Excavators: Final Drive Failures

Do you own a CAT 320, 325, 330, or 336? Read on to learn about the most common causes of final drive motor failure on these machines.

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How Aging Gear Oil Affects Final Drives

by Jim Strong | Dec 01, 2021 |

Final Drive Maintenance, Gear oil, Planetary Hub

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There's a reason why we encourage our customers to regularly replace the gear oil in their final drives. Gear oil is inevitably going to degrade, or age, over time. Find out what that means to your final drive motor.


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Common Gear Oil Additives

by Jim Strong | Nov 10, 2021 |

Final Drive Motor Gearbox, Gear oil, Lubrication

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2 Comments

How familiar are you with common lubricant additives, especially when it comes to gear oil?

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Gear Damage in a Final Drive

by Jim Strong | Aug 30, 2021 |

Final Drive Motor Gears, Gear oil, Planetary Hub

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What makes a final drive motor different from a hydraulic motor is the planetary gear set on the drive motor--and when the gears go out, you're going to have major problems.

 


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