Has anyone in this forum ever replaced the swing motor on one of these Link-Belt LS4300 CII excavator beasts? We've had very poor operation and lag with swing on ours since reselecting it after being abandoned for about 11 years. We've had to rebuild the pump, replace both of the travel motors and a few other significant problems after the original owner was running it very low on hydraulic oil because of major leaks. The original computer controls had been taken out long before we got it, so we've been running solely in by-pass mode with a custom switch panel that allows individual activation of the 10 control solenoids. Also, did the swing motor originally release the swing brake internally when activated like the travel motors? We've had to use the swing brake solenoid release to lock and unlock swing operation. There are a number of pressure switches on the pilot control lines under the house floor plate and I suspect that swing brake release might have been computer controlled. The original travel motors were severely by-passing and would not even release the internal brakes, thus requiring replacement with a good pair of used motors. Cause was most likely from running with very low hydraulic fluid caused by a number of leaks from a bad oil cooler with corroded cooling fins, as well as bad hoses and fittings. After continuing issues of overheating we first replaced the obvious leaking oil cooler, then later had a new radiator core made for it. After almost two years of work and many thousands of dollars, the machine has since been at least useable other than an obvious issue with swing, so I'm considering replacing the swing motor with another used one. So it obviously looks like a major job and I would like to hear from anyone who has done it before to size the job up. "In for a penny, in for a pound" has been our credo, but keeping it running rather than major issues with abandoning it for salvage is the best choice for now, at least until its final days when it could still dig a big enough trench to drive it into for final burial! Thanks, -Tom
No replies yet.