$350 Hydraulic Shop Service on Drive Motor & Still Leaking

[compostcowmanure]

Case 1835B Uniloader. Several months back I diagnosed a leaking wheel drive motor. Ordered & installed new seals from Coleman & reinstalled, still leaking. Removed & took to hydro shop- $900 estimate to repair. After hesitation the price dropped to $600. I said no thanks & reluctantly took it to another Hydro shop who's office looks like the county dump. This guy does great hose work for my brother so I gave him a try. He said the shaft needs machining, ok let's do it, should be less than $400. 3 weeks later & it's ready to pick-up. 2.5 hours to install & it's back in the machine. You guessed it, still leaks from the same place at the shaft filling up the chain reservoir. $350 later & the leaky motor is back in the machine. What would you do? Only consolation is I'm getting faster at removal but the big hose fittings are always a slow process.

[Brad_Blazer]

In my experience a problem shaft seal is usually due to a bad bearing.

New motor price point:
Case 1825,1835, and 1835B Drive Motor

[wdchyd]

I'd be reluctant with the "shaft needs machining" statement......either the shaft is good or worn.......if it's worn then it needs a new one or a weld/machine (makeshift repair).....along with a new bearing too

when they are welded and machined they lose hardness/strength

It's very hard to compare prices when comparing different shops cuz some places will change more parts out or use OEM seal kits vs generic seals

I'd say if it leaked right away then they did not bench test it after the repair....

[CJONE]

Agree 100% on the bench test, but just food for thought does it have a case drain? Is it open to tank? CJ

[CJONE]

Looking at brads info it looks like a TRW Ross. It also appears to have a case drain. A seal repair on similar motors $200.00 + hard parts like shaft, bearing ect. And that includes bench test. Check your case drain if hooked up. Also if the motor is beyond the service limit for the internals it will keep blowing seals. CJ

[compostcowmanure]

Almost 3 weeks after posting this question & im still stumped. Do I end up shelling out the $1225 for a new wheel chain drive motor or what to get it going again? My brother suggest I only install a little pump to return the hydraulic fluid back up to the reservoir fill spout continually. Not sure what to do. Maybe $40 to ship my old one to L.P.S. for a benchtest?

[tom4018]

If everything is not in tolerance they will leak. We don't warranty seal kits installed in motors. double any case drain.

[compostcowmanure]

What does-"double any case drain" mean?

[wdchyd]

Basically Compost you are between a rock and a hard place......If a new motor is avail it may be worth the extra to just buy it and be done with your troubles.....

Just because some other guy said it was rebuilt, does not mean it was done properly or it just could be too far worn out.....hyd motors are not an easy part to rebuild if too much wear internally......most guys don't know what to look for even though they may be used to working on other hyd components

Consider yourself lucky a new replacement is avail and suck it up.....

[chad22]

If a new motor is avail it may be worth the extra to just buy it and be done with your troubles.....

I agree. If you can lay out the cash for the replacement motor. Then I would just replace and be done with it. You might wind up throwing more money into the motor on repairs, than you would just buying a new one.

Wish you luck.

Chad