On newer Bobcat models that share a common brake circuit, we've been seeing a failure pattern that starts small but takes out both final drives. And it might be affecting you! Read on to learn what it does and how to diagnose it on your equipment.
It starts with noticing a small oil spot under your skid steer. You think, 鈥淚 can deal with that later,鈥� and before you know it, a week has turned into a month, and then, mid-job, your final drive motor seizes. Even the biggest leaks start small and always lead to expensive repairs or replacements.
Final drive leaks, whether it's your gear oil or hydraulic fluid, affect more than just fluid levels. If they aren鈥檛 addressed, they will lead to wasted money, lost productivity, and even totaled drive motors.
In this Shop Talk Blog post, let鈥檚 break down why ignoring a final drive leak drains your wallet as well.
Here's a few Shop Talk Blog posts you might be interested in:
Did you know that a single leak, dripping one drop per second, can result in the loss of ? And that over 100 million gallons of fluids could be saved every year in North America if. And a small leak in your final drive is not just a nuisance鈥攊t鈥檚 an early warning sign of bigger trouble. Leaks mean critical fluids are seeping out, and damaging contaminants can make their way inside.
In this Shop Talk Blog post, we鈥檒l discuss the causes of leaks, the symptoms to look out for, and why it's essential to address leaks as soon as possible.
Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts to take a look at:
If there鈥檚 one thing we know here at Texas Final Drive, it鈥檚 how we wish people would maintain their final drive motors. That鈥檚 why we鈥檝e come up with this comprehensive guide to final drive motor maintenance. It touches on more than just the final drives, though, because issues such as track tension and even a dirty undercarriage can impact the performance of your final drives and cause premature wear.
We know that it鈥檚 vital to keep your skid steers rolling year-round and that the key to their reliability and performance lies in maintenance.
In this Shop Talk blog post, we鈥檒l discuss the that will increase their uptime, reduce repair costs, and extend their lifespan.
Here are some additional blog posts you might be interested in:
Here are some final drive motor horrors from our own shop -- with some explanations of what caused them and how you can prevent them.
And while you're here, check out these terrifying Shop Talk Blog posts from the past ...
When we hear the word 鈥渓eak鈥� or 鈥渓eakage鈥� in reference to a final drive motor, our knee-jerk reaction is to assume it's something bad. In a hydraulic system, though, internal leakage is good -- up to a certain point.
Here are some other blog posts you might find interesting:
In our last blog post, we talked about the three different categories of hydraulic fluid: petroleum-based, synthetic, and water-based. Our focus for this post will be an overview of synthetic hydraulic fluid.
Here are the other Shop Talk Blog posts in this series:
Not all final drive motor failures are equal! Some are just horrifying ...
Here are a few other Shop Talk Blog posts you might be interested in:
It's suddenly gotten pretty cold here in Texas where we are located, but we have customers from all of the country that have to deal with cold weather issues at temperatures far lower than what we ever get. In this Shop Talk Blog post, we are going to take a look at how to keep your equipment running in genuinely cold weather.
Here are a few other posts you might find useful:
