Everyone likes to keep their excavators running without putting a great deal of maintenance work into them. Replacing motors is difficult and costly. Worst of all, it removes otherwise good equipment from your company’s roster. However, as these examples show putting in a new final drive motor can actually contribute to your organization’s safety record. Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself drawing up a service schedule.
1. Stops Oil Leaks From Happening
Gear oil is vital for final drive motors, but you have a problem when it starts to leak out of the gearbox plate cover. This is a clear sign something is wrong with the motor. Pressure could be building up inside of the motor. Once it reaches a critical state, the motor itself could rupture and cause a serious accident. You don’t want to risk this happening on the job because oil exposure could cause harm to your employees in addition to tearing up the final drive motor.
Replacing the motor is a great way to cut down on the chances of developing an oil leak while simultaneously putting a stop to cover plate-related problems. Leaks will sometimes happen because the plate itself starts to bend. Swapping out any worn components will fix this issue.
2. Prevent Sudden Failures
Ordering a new final drive motor can ensure that your mini excavator won’t suddenly fail even if it’s faced with a particularly tough job. Even the best equipment will sometimes run into material that’s hard for it to deal with. If the final drive motor isn’t up to the task, then it might suddenly break down.
Operating engineers can lose control of a vehicle when this happens. Aggregate or moved earth could end up going in every which direction. Either case could potentially cause serious injuries if your crews didn’t expect them to happen. Keeping a properly functioning motor in each device is the best way to guard against this kind of problem.
3. Keep Parts From Flying Off The Motor
If you ever hear a strong grinding noise coming out of your final drive motor, then there’s a good possibility that something is rubbing up against the housing. Motors that suffer from that problem will eventually begin to crack. Compromised motor cases tend to shed pieces of metal, which are very dangerous for workers to be around. Imagine what it might feel like if a mounting bracket decided to fly off and suddenly hit something at full speed. The picture you have in your head is precisely why you need to make sure that the final drive motor installed on your organization’s excavators is in good condition.
Unless you’ve had all of your equipment serviced in the last few months, there’s a good possibility that at least one of your excavators needs a new final drive motor. You may want to take the opportunity now to look them over. While it might seem like it’s an unnecessary burden for your crews, taking the time to get everything squared away now can help to reduce the risk of far worse situations in the future.