If you've ever opened up a final drive, you've probably encountered its gears. The gearing system in your final drive is vital to its proper function. A good understanding of gears, surface hardening, and signs of damage can help you keep your gears -- and your final drive -- in top operating condition.
Here at Texas Final Drive, our technicians have rebuilt and repaired thousands of final drives. Through the years, we’ve seen first hand the results of equipment owners following bad advice when it comes to gear oil. Here are three examples of the worst advice we’ve heard about gear oil and final drive hydraulic motors.
Is your final drive gear box overheating? Is it hot to the touch, or does it steam when water comes into contact with it? That could be the sign of some serious problems that you need to investigate. In this Shop Talk Blog post, you'll learn step by step how to properly troubleshoot problems with an overheating gear box on your final drive motor.
Why Gear Oil Is Important
Did you know that a general rule of thumb is that the life of your final drive gearbox is directly proportional to how frequently the gear oil is changed? That’s why one of the important maintenance tasks for a final drive is to regularly check the oil on the planetary side. Ideally, you should check the oil level about once every 100 hours of operation, and change the oil out at least once a year. In this article, we are going to talk about how to check the gear oil level in your final drive, and how to change it out when the time comes.
In this Shop Talk Blog post, you will learn how to troubleshoot problems with the gear oil in your final drive, focusing on leaks as well as having too much fluid in the planetary hub. We typically recommend checking the gear oil about once every 100 hours of operation and changing the oil at least once a year.
