I have a new to me 2010 35d that I got a pretty good deal on. It has 1502 hours, and is in good general condition with the exception of the bucket pins and what seems to be excessive side to side play of the swing motor/swing gear. There is no noticeable play up and down, and it swings smoothly in both directions with no jerks or pops. From reading posts on this forum after hours of searching, the only possible problem I can see is maybe the gear on the swing motor is worn. Is there any adjustment in the mounting of the swing motor? I am hesitant to start pulling things apart on a new purchase as we have tons of work and I need the machine on jobs. Thanks for any help!
I don't know if the pinion is adjustable or not to take out the backlash, but can you quantify the amount of play?
Bucket all the way out its maybe a foot in either direction. You can move it with your hands easily.
2' of play ~16' from the point of rotation? That's huge, I would think something is assuredly wrong, plausibly well beyond any adjustment. That's something like 7* of slack.
Ok I measured today and I was WAAAAY off. It moves 6" at full reach. Is this normal? It feels "wiggly" while operating.
So your extending the boom and arm out, off ground, and with hydraulics disengaged you can hand push the arm left or right 6"? That is totally normal to me...every small machine I've rented and the one I own (small sample - 4 machines), does that. It isn't just the swing motor, but all the bushings between it and the bucket. I was told by a pro excavator dude (who has a fleet of ex's) that he feels slop is more prevalent in small machines because the pins are small, and prone to wear (as are the bushings).
Is it 6" total or 6" either way for a total of 12"?
6" total
That's not a big deal then.