When your work has come to a grinding halt because of a failed final drive, you need to get a replacement as soon as possible -- and you want to get the right final drive motor the first time. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to look at what information you should have on hand before you start shopping for a replacement drive motor.

The more information you have about your machine and your final drive, the easier it will be to start looking at your options when its time to replace your final drive. What follows is a summary of the most useful information to have on hand before you start looking for a replacement.

Basic Machine Information

Let's start with machine information. When you are ready to start shopping for a final drive, hydraulic motor, or track drive, it's important to have your basic machine information handy. At minimum you need the brand, model, and year, and it helps to have the serial number of your machine, too. This is going to be true whether it’s a CTL, SSL, excavator, or bulldozer.

Final Drive Motor Information

Next, you'll need the basic information about the drive motor you are replacing, starting with the manufacturer and model. You also need to count the number of hydraulic hose connections that you find and determine whether your drive motor is a 2-speed model.

Sometimes it's not quite so easy to determine if you have a single speed to dual speed motor. If your machine is a skid-steer, a compact track loader, or a multi-terrain loader, you should see either 4 or 5 hydraulic lines. If you have 4 hydraulic lines, then you need a single speed motor; if you have five hydraulic lines, then you need a two speed motor. In the image shown, you can see ports for 4 hydraulic lines: two case drain lines (C1 and C2) and the flow/return ports (A and B). This would be a single speed motor.

Next is a dual speed motor. You will see that there are four ports: 2 case drain ports (C1 and C2), the flow/return ports (A and B), and the 2-speed port. Again, this would be a dual speed motor.

Next you need to check the flange that attaches to the sprocket and record the number of holes and the screw size. Then look at the flange that attaches to the undercarriage and count the number of holes and the screw size there. Finally, record the dimensions shown in the figure (taken from our Final Drive Blank Spec Sheet). These will help to ensure that you receive the correct motor for your machine.

Check the drive identification plate or data tag for additional information, if you can locate it. Depending on the manufacturer, you might be able to find things like the displacement, reduction ratio, date of production, direction of rotation, etc. These are not necessary in tracking down the correct replacement drive motor, but they might help if you are missing some of the other necessary information.

Make It Easy to Find Your Final Drive

When you take the time to gather this information before you start shopping for a replacement final drive or track drive, you'll find the process goes more quickly and is far less painless.  And you'll be able to get the right motor for your equipment the first time, eliminating unnecessary delays and confusion.

Texas Final Drive is your partner in providing new or reman final drive hydraulic motors from a single mini-excavator to a fleet of heavy equipment.  Find your O.E.M. manufacturer brand motor now.