Final drive motors, travel motors, and wheel motors are costly and vital to your equipment. When you run into problems with them, you might want to do what the professionals do. Here is some professional advice on how to handle problems with the hydraulic motors on your equipment.

Here are a few more blog posts you might find helpful ...

• 4 Key Maintenance Tasks for Final Drives
• What's Wrong With My Final Drive Motor?
• Eliminating External Problems

Eliminate External Causes

Unless the source of the problem is obvious, like hydraulic fluid leaking from the main seal or a missing cover plate, final drive experts know to make sure that the source of the problem really is the final drive itself. There are problems with external sources that can make it look like the final drive is the problem. And even if you buy a brand new final drive motor, you’ll still have the same problem while risking damage to the new drive.

If your charge pump is going out, it won’t have enough pressure to disengage the brakes. That makes your final drive seem weak, but isn’t a final drive problem unless you let it go on long enough. The charge pump is one of the first things you need to check when your final drive acts weak or quits turning altogether.

You also want to make sure that the correct amount of fluid flow is reaching your final drive. Remember that you can check the pressure on the final drive and then refer to your manual to see if your final drive is within performance guidelines. If your final drive isn’t receiving enough pressure or fluid flow, your problem is likely insufficient fluid in the hydraulic tank or a hydraulic fluid leak.

Sometimes a final drive can get caught in high-speed mode. This means that the drive can run at a higher speed but with lower torque. Because of the lower torque, it will seem weak.

A clogged case drain line with back pressure can initially cause your final drive to seem weak. As pressure builds up, though, it can quickly destroy your final drive beyond repair. Always take a few minutes to make sure the case drain filter is not clogged before you send your final drive in for repair.

Take Care of Leaks ASAP

If the problem is a leak, final drive professionals know not to ignore it. Leaks, as we have often said in these blog posts, allow key fluids to leak out and damaging contaminants to make their way inside. The last thing you want to do is run out of gear lube or bearing oil, and you don’t want hydraulic fluid leaking out on your machine. The longer you keep running a leaking final drive, the worse the damage is going to get.

Check the Warranty

If you are satisfied that your problem is with your final drive motor, then be sure to check the warranty on it. New final drives come with warranty, as do many rebuilds. It never hurts to see if your equipment is still under warranty. Just remember that failure to reasonably maintain your final drive can cause it to no longer be covered under warranty. A good technician can tell when a final drive has been neglected.

Repair or Replace

If the warranty still holds, you may be eligible for repairs or possibly a replacement. However, if you don’t have a warranty, it is expired, or you invalidated it by not keeping up the maintenance on your final drive, you still have some economical options left. Repairs, rebuilds, remans, and aftermarket final drives are available for most machines, as well as new replacements from your dealer or manufacturer.

Conclusion

Do what the professionals do:

• Make sure the problem really is with your final drive
• Don’t ignore leaks
• Check the warranty
• Evaluate your options

This can save you time, money, and frustration.

Texas Final Drive is your partner in providing new or remanufactured final drive hydraulic motors from a single mini-excavator to a fleet of heavy equipment. Call today so we can find the right final drive or hydraulic component for you, or check out our online store to find your O.E.M. manufacturer brand motor now.