Earthmoving equipment types, Construction site heavy machinery maintenance, Mining machines

Earthmoving Equipment: Common Types, Maintenance and Parts Advice

11 August 2025

Earthmoving machinery is essential in construction, mining, material handling and site preparation. Excavators, bulldozers, loaders, and skid steers provide the groundwork for building stability, efficiency and safety. These machines are fundamental in excavating unstable soils, levelling and grading surfaces, and soil compacting, providing stability for future structures. They are also an efficient solution when moving large volumes of materials, ensuring speed and safety to meet project deadlines and regulatory requirements.

The Importance of Regular Maintenance

Maintenance plays a significant role in ensuring all equipment performs according to expectations. Besides purchasing suitable earthmoving parts when problems arise, the following maintenance tips keep essential machines up and running:

Conduct regular inspections: Thorough inspections before and after use prolong the life of excavators, dozers and other equipment used on the worksite. Check for signs of wear, hydraulic fluid leaks, cracks or visible damage in crucial parts like booms, buckets, blades and arms and no signs of wear in the undercarriage, tracks, frame and cabin compartment.
Frequent cleaning: Removing accumulated dirt and debris reduces friction in moving parts, prevents clogging of filters, seals and hydraulics, and ensures consistent engine performance. A clean machine also uses less fuel, reducing operating costs. On that note, keeping machines clean prevents rust, minimises the need for repairs, and prolongs lifespans, with fewer malfunctions. Visibility and safety are also improved.
Ensure proper lubrication: All metal parts will fail if not properly lubricated. Excessive friction of metal-on-metal parts is the key cause of accelerated wear. Regularly check hydraulic fluid, engine oil, coolant and grease levels and top up to the recommended manufacturer requirements. This prevents common worksite issues such as overheated engines and unresponsive booms, arms and buckets.
Change replacement parts at prescribed intervals: Oil, air and fuel filters need replacing, just like cars. Replace engine oil filters after 250 work hours to ensure consistent engine performance, reduce noise and no leaks. Intervals for air and fuel filters range between 500 and 1000 hours, hydraulic filter can last up to 2000 hours, and diesel machines require a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) filter changed at 1000 to 2000 hours. Timely replacements prevent black exhaust smoke, hard starts, underperforming hydraulic parts and increased emissions, among other problems.

Other recommendations are maintaining servicing records, in-depth operator preparedness and training and monitoring tyre pressure. Observing these tips reduces downtime, helps meet deadlines, avoids procuring replacement equipment and reduces crippling repair bills.

Common Replacement Earthmoving Parts

Hydraulic Pumps

Hydraulic pumps are the heart of excavators and dozers. They circulate the hydraulic fluid that does the heavy lifting, providing the power to move parts like booms and buckets. And as one of the most stressed components, these pumps endure their fair share of wear.

Common issues with hydraulic pumps are leaks caused by worn valves and torn seals, grinding and knocking sounds pointing to air in the hydraulic lines (and reduced pressure and lifting capacity) and overheated fluid with higher viscosity. This rips seals and clogs valves, eventually causing contamination and damage in other parts.

Cylinders

Hydraulic cylinders convert pressure into kinetic energy, enabling machines to lift, lower, dig and carry loads. Cylinders are vital pivoting points for booms, arms and attachments such as buckets. If they fail, so does your earthmoving equipment.

Common problems are leaks, with reduced hydraulic pressure limiting or preventing movement, damaged seals due to high temperatures, damaged hoses and lines from abrasions and contamination from external factors (dirt, debris, water) and excessive pressures and overloading. Insufficient greasing and lubrication is another cause they fail. Inspect cylinders frequently to ensure no uneven movement, signs of leaks, possible downtime and costly repair bills.

Final Drives and Travel Motors

Final drives and track/travel motors are critical drivetrain parts in construction and earthmoving machinery. The parts provide the needed power to turn the tracks. Final drives are named as such because they are the last stage and transmission component that convert available engine or hydraulic system power into torque to turn sprockets and subsequently, the tracks.

The parts typically include hydraulic travel motors and planetary gearing connected by internal bearings, housed within the sprocket and track assembly. Final drives multiply the torque generated by the hydraulic motors to move heavy loads, evenly distribute power between the tracks and control speeds with lower gearing ratios.

The system often fails due to lower fluid levels that accelerate wear, as well as damaged seals, excessive fluid temperatures (under high loads) and bent and cracked gearing teeth. Problems can also arise from the tracks, with tight tracks often damaging the gearing bearings, resulting in reduced efficiency or power loss. Loose tracks, on the other hand, can come off or cause damage to pins, sprockets and other parts, compromising the machine’s structural integrity.

Undercarriage Parts

The undercarriage in tracked machines comprises sprockets, links, track chains, suspension parts, rollers, idlers and pins. Working together, they support the weight of the vehicle and ensure traction and controlled movement. Worn tracks with visible cracks and corrosion lead to reduced performance, complicating maneuvers, and increasing stress on other undercarriage parts. Ensure proper tensioning (as listed above), regular cleaning to remove abrasive debris, or replace tracks if wear is irreparable.

Idlers act as guide wheels, ensuring the tracks stay aligned and tensioned, while sprockets engage the chains to provide maneuverability. Both parts endure high wear. Idlers often develop flat spots, and sprockets develop rounded teeth. Inspect all undercarriage parts, ensure they are properly lubricated and in good condition. Clean excess dirt and debris before and after each use.

Swivel Bearings

Swivel or turntable bearings allow the upper structure of the excavator to rotate smoothly, allowing precise movement while digging, lifting and moving materials. Swing bearings often suffer from lubricant loss (caused by broken seals and contaminated grease filled with metal particles) as well as condensation and wear sustained in heavy loads. Other problems are loosening in the bolts that secure the swivel bearing to the undercarriage.

Other issues occur with cabin seating, electrics and controls; bucket links and pins and hydraulic control valves. Proper engine maintenance should also limit issues like clogged fuel injectors, piston wear, and damage to crankshafts and bearings.

When searching for earthmoving parts for sale, ensure parts are compatible with your excavator, dozer or backhoe; verify part numbers for proper fit, and assess brand quality, build, materials and reputation. For peace of mind (and where possible), also inquire about warranties in new replacement parts and working hours in used equipment.

Comments on this guide to Earthmoving equipment types, maintenance and parts article are welcome.