Travel Motors What they are, Possible Problems and Maintenance Tips

Heavy equipment is a huge investment for any company, but you can quickly see how necessary they are. Completing jobs with equipment needed could be the difference between maintaining a schedule or blowing your completion date. While heavy equipment helps complete the job, it is necessary to keep them optimally running in order for them to work for you. Proper maintenance and knowing when something is wrong can help you spot and fix smaller problems before they become larger and more expensive problems. Read below to see what travel motors are, why are useful and some tips when it comes to maintaining them and keeping them in good working condition.

What they are

You will typically see final drives and travel motors in machines and equipment which are responsible for earth moving and excavation activities. Some popular name brands of this equipment include John Deere, caterpillar and bobcat. Equipment includes bull dozers, crawler loaders excavators and trucks designed for off road activities. Some equipment such as excavators are extremely helpful with job site duties as they can dig up to 32 feet, their power ranges from 14 to 512 horsepower and they weigh between 3,000 and 188,000 pounds making them extremely durable. Travel motors in these pieces of equipment are responsible for ensuring the machine goes in the desired direction. Without travel motors, these machines will malfunction and possibly not move at all.

Other Problems

Sometimes an issue can present itself as a problem with your travel motor and cause you to panic at just the thought of having to replace a travel motor. Thorough inspection can sometimes reveal the problem is not with the travel motor itself, but rather another part which directly affects the performance of your machine. Sometimes swivel joint seals can affect how much hydraulic fluid motors are getting. This can make it seem as though the motor is going out, when in reality it is a simpler less expensive fix. Friction can affect the power that your motor is getting, so checking a track train could be a quick fix for this issue. Determining what the exact problem is can save time, money and frustration.

Maintenance

With proper maintenance and sticking to maintenance schedules you can ensure a long life of your travel motor and equipment without making unnecessary expensive repairs that are totally avoidable. Checking the oil at regular intervals and changing it when required can help extend the life of your motor and your equipment. Keeping your equipment clean means that you can spot and remedy leaks quickly. When equipment is dirty it can be harder to determine leaks, but clean equipment will show leaks so they can addressed as quickly as possible. Consider a routine maintenance schedule for your equipment. This schedule should include do-it-yourself maintenance as well as professional maintenance. Regularly scheduled maintenance extends the life of your machine and helps to spot problems early.

Your equipment is just as important as the job that it does, and properly running equipment is vital. Keeping these simple tips in mind can help extend the life of your equipment, and help address small problems early on. This means more time can be spend completing the task at hand and less time will be spent repairing broken down equipment. Damaged equipment can interfere with the completion of a job which directly affects payment, therefore keeping equipment operating effectively is vital.