14/08/2020
Imagine that you are working with your excavator and suddenly it stops working because the final drive malfunctioned. Let’s agree, the final drive is very costly and if it goes down, that will surely impact your work. However, there are a few things that you can do from your end and one of them is troubleshooting the final drive. Don’t forget that the below points are some common problems of the final drive, which means that your excavator’s final drive might have one of the below problems.
Troubleshooting Your Excavator’s Final Drive
One of the biggest reasons which can cause these problems is the quality of the final drive. Suppose that your excavator is working under intense conditions. At these moments, there is a lot of load on the final drive and this can cause a breakdown. That is why you should choose the best quality final drive which will last long. If your excavator’s final drive is not working properly then here are some things that you can do.
Machine-based Problems
One of the most common problems is that your excavator works strangely. For example, you accelerate your excavator in the forward direction, however, it goes backward. You can fix this problem by swapping the input and return lines on the hydraulic motor. Although, if your excavator keeps veering off to one side, that means the problem is on the final drive side.
When your excavator is carrying a heavy load or going uphill and you will feel as if the excavator isn’t giving its 100% efficiency, this means that the final drive is lacking power. This problem occurs mostly because of a low-quality final drive. On the other hand, not every time the final drive is faulty in this condition. There is a chance that the brakes might have a problem or due to high friction. There is a small probability that the swivel joint might have an issue and that is why your excavator is working sluggishly.
Another thing to remember is to check the health of the hydraulic hoses. If the hose and the final drive are in contact, there is a chance of leak which will ultimately affect the overall performance. Be careful while checking the leak when the machine is running, if you got the leak on your hands, it can cause hydraulic fluid injection injury.
Quick Troubleshooting
Sometimes, because of the external causes, your excavator doesn’t work properly. In simple words, it is not always the defect of your final drive. To eliminate all kinds of external causes, you need to do a quick troubleshoot. Below is a check-list that you should consider before even thinking about the final drive.
- Check the pump, is it working properly?
- Maybe the final drive is trapped in high-speed mode.
- Is the hydraulic pressure reaching the final drive?
- Check the drain line, there might be a blockage.
- Check the drive sprocket.
- Make sure that the tracks are not too tight.
You can’t fix the above problems by replacing a new final drive. It will be a waste of time and money.
Overheating Gear Box
There are many causes of overheating of the gearbox such as hot hydraulic fluid, brake issue, insufficient gear oil, and a few more. The problem is that if the gearbox is overheating that means the final drive is also overheating. You should check the gear oil and if there is insufficient gear oil then you need to find where is the gear oil going? This occurs because of leakage in your gearbox. You can either find where is the leakage is happening or get it replaced as soon as possible.
Lubricant Problem
Like every other machine, final drives can also have a lubricant problem. In case, if your final drive is vibrating excessively or it has a high temperature than usual this could mean that there is a problem with the lubricant oil. Gear oil should be filled to a limit. Too much gear oil can cause clogging and too little gear oil can cause engine seal. Always check whether there is a leakage or not. If the fluid is leaking and it is thin in consistency that means your excavator might have a hydraulic leak. It can also result in the main seal.
Damaged Cover Plate
If the cover plate is damaged, that is a very bad sign. In all likelihood, your excavator’s final drive motor is worn out. The source of this problem is the clogging of the drain filter. When this happens, it increases the hydraulic pressure. The pressure keeps increasing and this can result in massive damage.
Contamination
You must be wondering how come a final drive has contamination? The contamination makes its way to the final drive because of the seal. If the seal is weak, the outside particles can easily enter inside the final drive. To avoid this, you need to check whether the seal is in perfect condition or not. If it isn’t then you must change it as soon as possible.
Although, the hydraulic filters are there to remove the contamination they have a limit. When the seal is broken, the debris and dust make its way inside the final drive in a high amount which can’t be handle by the hydraulic filters. In short, don’t rely on your hydraulic filters otherwise these particles can do some serious damage.
How Can I Avoid These Problems?
Like we said above, the best way to avoid these problems, you should get a good quality final drive. Buying a cheap and low-quality final drive will breakdown in months, however, a high-quality final drive can run for ages before it stops working.
So, if you have decided to get a high-quality final drive, then you are standing in the right place because at XUGONG, we provide a high-quality final drive for your excavator. We know that you might be thinking it will cost you a lot, as a matter of fact, our final drives are at reasonable rates. Our final drives cover different brands from KOMATSU, HITACHI, CAT, VOLVO, HYUNDAI, JCB, and so on. We can supply a high-quality final drive at a price you are affordable. what is more, we have a professional team here to assist you if you have any queries and problems.
In case, if you are not looking for a whole final drive, just the parts then we have good news for you. We provide high-quality final drive parts for your excavator as well. These parts include travel motors, gears, swing motor, and bearing, and travel gearbox. High-quality materials are used to make these long-lasting parts. If you are looking for more information then click here and find everything about XUGONG’s final drive and its parts.