How to Remove a Final Drive or Travel Motor

Travel motors and final drives aren’t known for being light weight and easy to remove. Here are some suggested steps to guide you in quickly and easily removing your final drive.

Tracks and Sprocket Bolts

The first step is to remove the track (if it’s a track driven machine, of course). Next, loosen (but don’t remove) the sprocket bolts. It is actually much easier to loosen the bolts before you remove the final drive. Then, from inside the undercarriage, remove the motor cover plate.

Supporting the Weight

You will need a sling or something similar to support the weight of the final drive as it is being removed. The weight of final drives can vary significantly, but they are usually quite heavy. Position the sling so that it will safely support the weight of the final drive.

Hydraulics

Next, clearly mark the hydraulic hoses. When taking the final drive off, a lot of our customers actually put color-coordinated zip ties on the hoses and on the fittings to insure correct placement of the hydraulic lines later. This makes it much easier to identify them when you are ready to re-install the final drive.

The next step is to remove the hoses, carefully cap them, and then plug the ports on the final drive motor. You want to avoid getting any kind of contamination in the hoses or the ports. All of these openings should be sealed before you move forward with the rest of the procedure!

Detach from the Frame

Remove the bolts that attach the final drive to the frame. This is done from inside the track frame. You can now swing the final drive out. If it seems to be stuck, lever it from outside the track frame. Don’t hit the travel motor to try to break it free because this can damage the travel motor.

Putting the Final Drive Back On

When you are ready to fit a new final drive, the steps are reversed. Be especially careful to reattach the hoses correctly, and don’t forget to be careful with the hoses and ports to avoid contamination of the hydraulic system.