How To Replacing your Excavator Swing Bearing?
Excavator swing bearings are one of the most important parts of an excavator. It is present below the excavator cabin. The function of the excavator swing bearing is to allow the upper carriage to move 360 degrees.
The upper excavator carriage includes an excavator boom, arm, excavator attachments. The bearings help control the movement of the swing system so that it moves smoothly and rotates smoothly. This will prevent the movement of the Excavator from place to place.

Excavator swing bearing has a teethe on the inner and outer side of the bearing depending on the installed type. These teeth mesh with the gears with the help of the swing drive.
Swing drive is the main power source of driving excavator swing bearing. Swing motors have several gears and shafts which obtain their power from the excavator engine. Without the excavator swing drive, you cannot work with your excavator swing bearing.
You can control the motion of your excavator swing bearing directly from the inside of the cabin with the help of control levers. This will also help you adjust the position of your excavator bucket or other attachments according to the onsite work conditions.
Built to withstand thousands of operation cycles, excavator swing bearings are a critical part of an excavator’s system. If they are faulty, it will not be possible for the operator to carry out any functions with the Excavator.
Symptoms That Indicates A Bad Excavator Swing Bearing
When you know, it is time to replace the old ones, and it is important to know about the signs of a bad excavator swing bearing. Several symptoms indicate a bad excavator swing bearing. Some of the main symptoms include:
- If you’re experiencing vibration in your excavator swing bearing, it may be a sign that the excavator swing bearing is bad.
- Bearing failure can be caused by high loads on the shaft, low-quality lubricants, impurities or water in the lubricant, or overload or mechanical damage to the gear system.
- If you hear a grinding or rattling sound when moving the boom or trying to rotate it, it indicates a faulty swing bearing and should be replaced immediately.
- After using your Excavator to move heavy materials for a long time, the excavator swing bearing will show some damages, such as cracks and other imperfections.
- Wear and tear on the outer or inner teeth on the periphery, resulting in reduced motion or slippage. This will ultimately result in reduced efficiency in excavator swing bearing.
- Loss of your excavator cabin to swing effectively will lead to increased downtimes of your Excavator.
Timely replacement of the swing bearing is an effective measure to keep your Excavator in operation.
Trouble Shooting Your Excavator Swing Bearing
Troubleshooting your excavator swing bearing is done to replace the damaged or faulty parts of your excavator swing bearing.
Excavator swing bearing replacement and troubleshooting is a simple task that can be done very easily. You need to check the bearing first and use the best Excavator swing bearings available in the market to replace your old one. This is very important because you should always do this type of checkup before using your Excavator.
How to Replace Your Excavator Swing Bearing
The replacement of your excavator swing bearing is a very critical task. The following things you need to do to replace your excavator swing bearing.
First, you need to arrange a tool kit if you will do it yourself and an additional excavator for a successful replacement.
You can get it replaced at the workshop without having any tool kit or an additional excavator.
Once you detect a bad excavator swing bearing, then you need to access it for replacement. To do this, you need to unscrew the bolts or fixtures to your Excavator upper carriage and then lift it through another hydraulic lifter or an additional excavator.
This will help you access the excavator swing bearing. Once you get access to it, you need to uninstall the excavator swing bearing. To do this, you have to use your tool kit.
Unscrew each bolt and fixture carefully and unmount it. Then place a new excavator swing bearing in place. Now attach the upper carriage and operate it to make sure it is working effectively.
Precautions You Need to Follow While Replacing Your Excavator Swing Bearing
Several precautions you need to follow while replacing your excavator swing bearing. Some of the main precautions are as follows:
Be careful while unmounting your excavator swing bearing; mark all the components to ensure each gets installed in the right place during replacement.
Make sure to grease and oil each component before installing them in the right place.
Wear gloves, goggles, and a suit to avoid stains of grease, dirt, and oil.
Do not touch anything hot wait and make sure everything is cool down.
How to Avoid Swing Bearing Replacement?
You can avoid swing bearing by adopting proper maintenance measures. The maintenance of the excavator swing bearing is very important. Because if the failure occurs in this part, it will affect the performance of the whole machine and endanger human life.
Excavators need to be frequently checked and maintained during their working hours. It is necessary to do a routine inspection of the Excavator swing bearing for any sign of damage or abnormalities. This will help in getting rid of defects.
The maintenance requirements are regular cleaning, prompt repair of damages detected, timely replacement of wearing parts.
Ensure the level of grease and oil in your excavator swing bearing and ensure the optimum level to avoid increased friction or heat development.
Conclusion
Nothing is better than preventing the cause of failure. If you never replace small parts like Excavator Swing Bearing, it will eventually cause big problems.
When not replaced on time, your Excavator Swing Bearing may cause the inefficient performance of your Excavator, which will divert your attention to other safety issues.
A worn-out Excavator Swing Bearing can lead to an axel housing collapse, axle misalignment, and expensive transmission repairs. But, you can save money and expensive repairs by replacing your Excavator Swing Bearing before it fails.
Excavator swing bearing replacement results in increased efficiency and effectiveness of your Excavator.