A final drive motor is one that propels the tracks on a vehicle. Generally, the motor itself is separate from the motor that drives the vehicle’s attachments. By combining a huge torque output with a succession of gears of progressively smaller sizes, the small final drive motor can move your vehicle even though it weighs many tons. Many types of vehicles use final drive motors. Three of them include:
1. Backhoe
Some backhoes have wheels, but the heavy-duty models have tracks. A backhoe has a digging bucket on the end of an articulated arm and a blade similar to that of a bulldozer on the other end. Unlike a wheeled model, the models with tracks are more stable on soft earth and hills because their tracks have more grip than the tires of a wheeled variant. Larger backhoes are called excavators, and it is these that often have tracks. Both these machines are versatile because they can both dig into the ground and move the earth that has been dug up.
2. Skid-Steer
A skid-steer is a wheeled or tracked machine that is designed for lifting and moving rather than digging. They can generally be fitted with different kinds of modular tools at the end of their arms, and these include earth-moving buckets, forks for lifting, or even small snowplows. They have no steering mechanism and must rely on what’s known as “differential speed” in either the wheels or the tracks. That means that the operator makes one set of wheels or one track go faster than the other, often immobilizing the other set of wheels or tracks. It is the tracked version that uses a final drive motor.
3. Bulldozer
A bulldozer is similar to an excavator in that it uses a front-end bucket and is propelled by tracks. But, unlike an excavator, it’s not good at climbing up hills or down into trenches. It’s designed for level ground instead. Bulldozers can be fitted with one of three blades: the S-Blade, the U-Blade, and the S-U-Blade. The “U” in U-Blade is for universal. It’s a tall, curved blade that the operator can use to push almost any kind of material, hence the term universal. The “S” in S-Blade stands for straight. It’s a blade designed to do grading after the operator moves the big stuff out of the way with the U-Blade. The “S-U” in S-U-Blade stands for straight/universal, meaning that it’s a combination blade that is decent at both jobs without being great at either. In some cases, the operator will use it specifically for rocks. Being outfitted exclusively with tracks, bulldozers all have final drive motors.
It’s interesting to note, as well, the advent of remote-controlled heavy equipment, such as these vehicles. Modern technology has made it possible to control these machines from several hundred yards away, which contributes to the overall safety of job sites all around the country. These machines may have final drive motors in them, but they’re moving into the future.
Published by: Nelly Chavez
