Final Drive Spinning in the Wrong Direction

Imagine this scenario: you just got your new final drives installed and realize that one or both of your final drives are spinning backwards. You push forward on your control lever and the machine goes backward … what do you do? This issue is more common than you might think, and we have a very simple answer for you.

It’s All Relative

Final drives and travel motors are capable of spinning in either direction, which makes sense because sometimes you need to go forward and sometimes you need to go reverse. So the fact that the drives are spinning forward when they need to be spinning backward doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your final drive. It means the high pressure hydraulic lines are hooked up in reverse.

Flow and Return Hydraulic Lines

Every final drive has two large hydraulic ports that connect to two high pressure lines. One of these ports is for flow and the other is for return. When the lines are hooked up in reverse of what they should be, your drive will run in the wrong direction. Believe it or not, it is that simple.

Fixing the Problem

So, to fix the problem all you need to do is flip the flow and return hydraulic lines. You can see in the image below where Heath is indicating the high pressure lines that need to be flipped on a mini-excavator final drive.

And here’s a tip on preventing the problem: when you remove your final drive, try putting colored coordinated zip ties on the hydraulic fittings and hoses to make sure you don’t get them reversed when you reinstall the drive.

Conclusion: Common Final Drive Problem

This problem is much more common that you might think, and we receive quite a few calls on this issue. Fortunately, it is an easy fix and doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your final drive. So if this ever happens to you, just remember to flip the high pressure lines and you should be back to work right away.