Final drive motors are fairly small devices but tracked vehicles like mini excavators cannot run without them. Tracked vehicles usually operate in harsh and dusty conditions, which means their final drive motors tend to wear out quite quickly. When a final drive motor’s performance starts to slip, tracked vehicle operators can be left with a difficult decision. Should they replace a used final drive motor immediately, or should they keep using the used part until it fails completely? Let’s take a look at three reasons why replacing a final drive motor before it wears out is the best option.
Used Final Drive Motors Do Not Perform As Well
Tracked vehicles with worn or damaged final drive motors may still be able to operate, but they will not be able to perform as well as they should. Age and normal wear and tear can cause the parts inside a final drive motor to grind against each other, and the heat and friction this creates can accelerate the wearing process. If you do not replace a worn final drive motor promptly, it could fail without warning and leave a tracked vehicle stranded. Recovering an immobile tracked vehicle can take hours, even if the necessary equipment is on hand, and that will impact the bottom line a lot more than buying a new final drive motor.
Repairing a Final Drive Motor Could Cost More
Final drive motors are complex devices, and repairing or rebuilding them requires a great deal of time and skill. Time and skill both cost money, and they may make the cost of repairing a worn final drive higher than replacing it. Tracked vehicles sit idle when their final drive motors are removed for repair, which increases costs even further. If you choose to repair or rebuild rather than replace a worn or damaged final drive motor, you may end up spending more than the cost of a new part to get an extra few months of service out of a component that will eventually fail anyway.
Worn Final Drive Motors Are a Safety Hazard
Badly worn or damaged final drive motors can fail at any time and cause tracked vehicles to lose control. Even mini excavators weigh several tons, so they become serious safety hazards when their operators are no longer in command. This raises liability as well as health and safety issues. If a part that was known to be compromised causes an accident that results in serious injuries, an equipment operator could be sued or even prosecuted.
Turning a Problem Into an Opportunity
Worn final drive motors are usually seen as costly problems, but they also create opportunities to modernize machinery and improve performance. The latest final drive motors are more efficient and have fewer moving parts, which means they perform better and last longer. Replacing a worn or damaged final drive with an advanced modern unit could prevent breakdowns and make job sites safer, and it may also improve reliability and performance in the future.
Published by: Khy Talara
