Repair Tips

If your hydraulic excavator has weak track drive power, especially when turning, it may not be as bad as you think. We’ve often found that the seals in the swivel joint are worn and allowing oil to bypass. This reduces pressure and volume to the track drive motors, causing low power and speed. The swivel joint is the assembly that conducts oil from the upper, swinging part of the machine, to the lower and the track drives. This repair has often cost us $500 to $1200 on 14,000 to 60,000 lb. machines. If you don’t know the machine’s history, be sure to check the relief valve pressure settings to be sure that someone hasn’t tried to cure the problem by setting the pressures too high.