We understand that fleet managers face the challenge of reducing costs as much as possible. Premature repair costs can pack a huge punch, especially when you're in the middle of a job. The point that we always try to hammer home is that maintenance should not be ignored. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss six shop policies that you can put in place to aid in minimizing your maintenance costs.
We’ve talked before about how 50% of your O&O costs are tied to the undercarriage of your CTL / MTL. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss the impact of underfoot conditions, operating techniques, and typical applications on the undercarriage. We also talk about how a little bit of job site planning can go a long way in helping to reduce wear and tear on your heavy equipment.
Bearings, axles, and gears inside a hydraulic final drive motor can be seriously damaged by abrasive contaminants in the lubrication or hydraulic fluid. However, many people don’t realize that all final drives generate contaminants as part of their regular use. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to discuss generated contamination in your final drive motor, as well as how to keep that contamination to a minimum.
Skid steers have become a fixture on modern farms. With the attachments available today, skid steer loaders have become very versatile and are used for all kinds of different tasks. With their compact size, maneuverability, and power, they have become invaluable for the day-to-day operations of running a farm. When used in an agricultural setting, however, there are some special maintenance challenges that need to be addressed.
We know that some of our readers like to work on their own final drives, and some of you may work in a hydraulics or heavy equipment maintenance shop where you encounter final drives on a regular basis. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we present four tips from final drive motor pros that you can put into practice the next time you have to work on a final drive hydraulic motor.
Hydraulic motors keep your fleet running -- whether you've got a full-size excavator with a track drive motor, a compact track loader with a final drive motor, or a skid steer loader with a propel motor. When any hydraulic motor fails, the rest of the machine won’t move. Here are three major things that fleet owners need to know regarding hydraulic motor failure.
Although hydraulic filters are not a common topic, they are an important part of your hydraulic system. Failure to use them correctly can impact every component of your machine, right down to your final drive motors. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to talk about some important things to remember about filters in a hydraulic system.
With all the flooding that took place in the Houston area this year (as well as many other places around the world), flood damage is at the forefront of many people's minds. With that in mind, here are some general guidelines to help with assessing your equipment after it has been subjected to flood waters.
It’s important that your excavator is ready to work when the deadlines are looming ever nearer -- but there are some bad habits and patterns that all too many owners and operators fall into that compromise the performance and useful life of their excavator. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to talk about four bad habits that compact excavator owners and operators need to quit.
Final drives need scheduled maintenance if you want them to keep running when you need them the most. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to provide you with the anatomy of a good final drive maintenance plan for CTLs, MTLs, and mini-excavators. These are basic maintenance tasks that can literally save you thousands of dollars in repairs and down time.
