Weak Final Drives or Travel Motors

There can be quite a few reasons why the final drive motor seems weak or even locked up, and not all of them are the fault of your final drive. Sometimes the problem lies elsewhere — even if there is damage to your final drive, it could be caused by failure somewhere else in the system. In this post, we are going to look at what you need to check in order to find out why your final drive or travel motor seems to be weak.

Excavator Tracks

The tightness and condition of your excavator's  tracks can impact the behavior of your final drive or travel motor. If the tracks are too tight, this causes high friction which can impede the torque generated by the travel motor. If the tracks aren’t too tight, then check that the track, track idlers, and track rollers are in good shape.

Final Drive Case Drain Filter

A blockage due to a nasty case drain filter will cause a build-up of pressure in the case drain line, which can cause some major problems. Check the case drain filter to see if it might need to be cleaned or replaced.

Final Drive Hydraulics System

The problem might lie in the hydraulics system. One of the first things you can check is whether or not there is sufficient oil in the hydraulic oil tank. Also, check the charge pump pressure on the travel drive to make sure the machine is providing the correct oil pressure and flow. If the hydraulic oil is low, or if there isn't enough pressure at the travel drive, your travel motor won't have enough torque or power.

Excavator Swivel Joint

A leak in the swivel joint can severely impact the performance of your final drive or travel motor. This is another key component to check before you decide that there is something wrong with your final drive.

Excavator Speed Control

Sometimes, the final drive gets stuck in high-speed mode, which causes it to seem week. Because of this, it’s a good idea to check the speed control system as well.

Conclusion: Keep Your Entire Excavator Running Well

Once you’ve eliminated these other possibilities — the tracks, case drain filter, hydraulics system, swivel joint, and speed control — then you may need to have your final drive or travel motor checked.

Keep in mind that if you don’t make sure the rest of the machine is running well, replacing the final drive with a new (or repaired) one will only result in more damages. That’s why it’s important to look at the big picture when tracking down the reason why your final drive motor is acting weak.