Final Drive Down? FAQs About Repairs, Remanufacture And Rebuild

A defective final drive/gearbox will not be in a position to power an excavator working at maximum efficiency. Many times when the gearbox in an excavator fails, business owners rush to call in a technician for repairs.

However, undertaking repairs is not the only option to get such equipment back into excavation mode. This article provides answers to a few questions about dealing with the problem of defective gearboxes in excavation equipment. This information is beneficial for business owners who use the said equipment in their day-to-day activities.

Why Are Business Owners Quick To Go For Repairs On Defective Gearboxes?

Gearbox repairs are often undertaken with the aim of identifying and correcting the immediate cause of gearbox failure so as to get the excavator working again. As such, repairs are often seen as the most cost-effective way around this problem.

In a large number of cases, repairs to a defective excavator gearbox will take a shorter time than other options that would have been explored in a bid to salvage the situation (i.e. replacement and rebuilding the gearbox). For business entities, this translates to reduced down time resulting from equipment-related problems. Cost-effectiveness and the advantage of reduced downtime often influence the decision by many business owners to opt for repairs.

When Should An Excavator Gearbox Be Re-built?

Rebuilding of heavy machinery gearboxes is different from repairs in the sense that it is aimed at correcting the immediate cause of failure as well as preventing future problems with the gearbox.  Once the cause failure is diagnosed and corrected, a gearbox repair/rebuilding specialist will replace other worn out components of the gearbox with new ones. These include seals and gaskets. Thus, a large number of future gearbox-related problems are avoided.

Common reasons for re-building a gearbox include the need to adjust gearbox components in accordance with the increased operational demands of excavation equipment. A rebuild may also be necessary to adapt the gearbox to a work environment that is significantly different (e.g. when an excavator is to be used in pre-dominantly snowy conditions when it was previously used in a pre-dominantly hot work environment).

How About Replacing The Gearbox With A Remanufactured One?

A defective gearbox can be replaced with one that has been remanufactured.

Remanufactured gearboxes will have undergone previous use at one point or the other. The remanufacturing process replaces major internal components of the (used) gearbox with new parts. However, the same gearbox housing is used.

Many times when excavator gearboxes are remanufactured, the used parts are replaced with similar but more advanced parts that have since been developed for use with newer model gearboxes.

The remanufacturing process for gearboxes is less energy consuming and uses fewer raw materials than the process involved in the production of new gearboxes. As such, remanufactured gearboxes are a viable alternative for an eco-friendly business owner.

For more information on gearbox repairs, talk to a professional.