Vermeer 725tx help drive motor!!

[evo]

When it rains it pours, right? My mini has been acting up a little lately, I'm guessing the glow plugs are shot, it doesn't want to start at all in the mornings unless I plug in the block heater then it fires right off! But that isn't why I'm posting

I noticed some weeping of hydraulic fluid coming from the left hand sprocket, that track also 'feels weak'. I have yet to replace a set of tracks on this machine so I havent been too deep into it other than filter and fluid changes. I'm curious on how much of a issue a little weeping is, could it be as simple as a seal or is this a good sign the drive motor on that side is shot. It could be a hydraulic line going to the motor but I doubt I would be this lucky. I'm the second owner, and the first owner was a rental company. They had to replace both drive motors! The mini only has about 450 hours on it total, and I bought it at about 275 hours.. Do the drive motors just fail like that? Is there some specific maintance on them that I should know about?

 

[Jehinten]

When it rains it pours, right? My mini has been acting up a little lately, I'm guessing the glow plugs are shot, it doesn't want to start at all in the mornings unless I plug in the block heater then it fires right off! But that isn't why I'm posting

I noticed some weeping of hydraulic fluid coming from the left hand sprocket, that track also 'feels weak'. I have yet to replace a set of tracks on this machine so I havent been too deep into it other than filter and fluid changes. I'm curious on how much of a issue a little weeping is, could it be as simple as a seal or is this a good sign the drive motor on that side is shot. It could be a hydraulic line going to the motor but I doubt I would be this lucky. I'm the second owner, and the first owner was a rental company. They had to replace both drive motors! The mini only has about 450 hours on it total, and I bought it at about 275 hours.. Do the drive motors just fail like that? Is there some specific maintance on them that I should know about?

I've rebuilt a couple of drive motors on my vermeer s600. From what I saw on my motors, if your leaking externally it should be a o-ring or seal, or possibly one or two bolts on the motor have backed loose. Rebuilding is fairly easy, you can buy a kit to replace all essentials; or tear it down and find the torn component, sourced at a local store.

The best tip I can give you on rebuilding it, is to have a clean work space for parts and to set down each part exactly the same way (either don't flip any of them, or flip every one of them) also, before taking the drove motor apart, mark all of the "plates" in a way that you can line them back up exactly how they go. I use two marks like this /\ the length of the drive motor. This prevents putting any piece of it back together incorrectly. Personally I prefer to mark it with a shallow groove from an angle grinder. I believe some people use marker, but I wanted to ensure that hydro oil would not erase the mark.



One other note, double check your torque specs. All of my rebuilds were due to an operator error on my part. I was trying to repair my parking brake and did not check the specs on the spindle nut of 385 ftlbs. My 1/2" drive tools could not get it tight enough. This meant that over time it would work loose and damage the motor shaft until I figured out my error. I ended up having Vermeer torque it for me with their 3/4" torque wrench, yours being a different model may not require anything to be that tight.

 

[evo]

385
Is more than a little bit of ftlbs

 

[southsoundtree]

you could easily have a loose fitting if all you are seeing is oil on the ground.

 

[Jehinten]

385
Is more than a little bit of ftlbs

Yea, I never would have guessed it'd be that tight. The Vermeer tech told me that the wheel hub relied on a friction fit between the hub and drive motor to transfer the drive power, despite the keyway that was in there. Hence the reason for the high torque.

Before learning the spec I snapped two 1/2" drive extensions trying to get it tight, just to have the wheel fall off later on the job.

 

[Jehinten]

you could easily have a loose fitting if all you are seeing is oil on the ground.

Definitely the first thing to check for, could be an easy fix. I like to clean it with a degreaser, then run it and check for leaks. Then de-grease it again to make it easier to work on.

 

[Jehinten]

@evo This is the video I watched when I first tore mine down. A couple of good tips. My only issue with the single line on the outside of the motor like he did, is that although it'll be lined up it does not prevent a plate from being installed upside down like the two angled lines or a V mark would.

 

[evo]

Well I’m this far in it. It’s a Eaton motor, and turns out it doesn’t slip right out and the whole track assembly has to come off.

 

[evo]

The saga continues…. For anyone venturing the same task on a Vermeer 725 tx the huge two inch bolt is nothing more than a keyed spacer (waisted time and money buying a 2” wrench!)..
set up some “skids” and find a anchor to pull it off the mounting shaft. BUT PLEASE take the motor mounting bolts off soon as possible as someone might have crossed up the fuel lines with the hydraulic lines causing to rip the fuel line in the process of removal..

 

[flushcut]

I had both drive motors out on my s800tx. Fearing the worst but it was just a loose hydro fitting knocked loose by a stick going through one of three small holes on the underside. Yes you have to pull the whole track assembly but it’s bull work because it’s heavy. I used a floor jack and it is much easier to slide the carriage on and off.