When an excavator final drive fails, most people ask the wrong question: “Can it be fixed?” The right question is: “Why did it fail in the first place?” Because a failed final drive isn’t just a broken component—it’s a crime scene . And if you know how to read the evidence left behind in the gears, bearings, and oil, the final drive will tell you exactly  what killed it. At Vikfin, we strip failed final drives weekly. And trust us—these things talk. What a Final Drive Actuall

Howzit, legends. Ralph here from the Benoni yard. Right now I’ve got three final drives on the bench: one that came in yesterday completely seized, one that’s leaking like a politician’s promise, and one that’s perfect inside despite 14 000 hours. All three are from 30–40 tonne machines. All three could have been saved for pocket money. In the last 18 months we’ve sold 87 final drives out of these two yards. Every single failure story starts with one (or more) of the same sev

There’s one sound every excavator operator dreads — the grinding, groaning death rattle of a failing final drive. It’s like your machine is screaming for mercy while your wallet quietly cries in the corner. The final drive is the powerhouse of your excavator’s movement system. It transfers hydraulic power into track rotation — which means when it goes, your entire machine goes with it. No tracks, no work, no profit. And yet, it’s one of the most commonly neglected — and most

Buying used excavator parts can be like walking through a scrapyard minefield — full of hidden gems and total junk, often side by side. One part could save your project thousands; the next could cost you your machine. In South Africa’s tough construction scene — where margins are tight and downtime kills — knowing how to tell a high-quality used OEM excavator part  from a worn-out dud isn’t just good business sense. It’s survival. This guide from Vikfin , South Africa’s leadi

In the world of heavy machinery, parts are often as valuable — sometimes more so — than the machine itself. At Vikfin , we understand that even as a Komatsu PC350-8 comes to the end of its working life, its components still hold tremendous value. That’s why we’ve decided to strip and harvest every viable part from our PC350-8, ensuring each item is inspected, refurbished (where needed), and offered to buyers seeking reliability, performance, and value. In this blog, we’ll wal

"It was working fine yesterday." If we had a rand for every time an excavator owner said that before calling us about a dead final drive,...

You can have the biggest bucket, the toughest boom, and an engine that roars like a lion… but without a working final drive , your...

When it comes to excavator performance, one of the most critical components is the final drive . This powerhouse of an excavator's...

The final drive is the powerhouse of an excavator’s undercarriage, responsible for transmitting hydraulic power to the tracks and...

The final drive is one of the most critical components of an excavator. It is responsible for transmitting power from the hydraulic motor...

In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of construction and heavy machinery, the excavator stands as a paragon of engineering ingenuity...