Another Udor gearbox that craps out on me, one of the 4 bolts actually snapped (this one lasted about 18 months, started leaking gear oil about 9 months in, very common issue for Udor gearboxes). This would be my 4th gearbox change in the last 4 years. Some might say it is unwise for me to continue using gearboxes, but I like the simple swaps/installs and smaller footprints.
4 gearbox failures in just four years seems excessive. I hate to say it, but at that point, it might be due to user error. How many hours and what engine did you have them on? Personally, I have two Udor gearboxes—one I’ve had for over four years with zero issues. The only reason I bought the second one was because it was actually cheaper to buy a complete gearbox than to purchase individual parts to upgrade the shaft size.
It certainly could be on me. But I’ve spoken with udor reps numerous times and followed all their advice. Running them with predators 670s. K1 unloaders. They do run 8-10 hours per day Monday-Friday and sometimes Saturday’s.
Im assuming you are using the RBC gearbox? Those predators are torque monsters with a claimed 22hp… Might be worth moving up to the 32hp rated gearbox (rbc122x) if you aren’t using those already.
1 Like
Gotcha! Thanks for the input, I’ll check with to see which ones we are running (ordered from sprayer depot, CKC 30/24s for all my pumps). Im ordering a few spares today so I’ll upgrade them if they aren’t the 32hp rated ones.
On the bright side the predators, despite their reputations have ran like champs for the past 3 years. Only changed fuel pumps, filters, and one carb.
I order all my pumps from them as well. Since that pump requires 24hp, to run at spec, I would guess that they are using the 32HP gearbox since 22hp is what the other gearboxes are rated for… but still worth double checking.
1 Like
Where was it leaking from? It seems mine is leaking somewhere between the pump and the gear box. it’s been making an unsightly mess.
It’s hard to pin point the leak, but we basically narrowed it down to the gasket in that exact same spot. they did a redesign on the gear boxes and the leaks should be fixed on the new ones. I guess I’m getting ready to find out of thats true
There’s a paper gasket and an o-ring between the pump and gearbox, and the leak could be coming from either of those. However, more often than not, I hear about the pump shaft or key wearing through the back of the gearbox housing, which gets mistaken for a leaking seal. Either way, you’ll need to remove the gearbox from the engine to access any of the possible sources of the leak.
2 Likes
This looks like vibration damage to me. Do you have rubber feet or vibration dampers on your skid or engine. The broken areas would be the weakest point or if bolts started to loosen, it could cause stress in the other bolted area and eventually crack the gear reducer. I put a dab of locktite on my General Pump gear reducers to prevent this. If you want to try a General, the best deal I’ve found is from Envirospec at under $300. Good luck
yeah, rubber feet on all machines. Also have rubber foot support mounts for the actual pump. We put blue loctite on all our mountings too. Maybe I’ll try a general down the road. For some odd reason I like everything to match. We still have one hannay reel on a truck (all others KINGS) and it drives me nuts… but I can’t justify changing it because it only holds extra hose and WFP hose.
I recommend installing a minimum of .015 from bottom out, I machine my own spacers to fit the application. I can tell you they vary a good bit depending on engine manufacture etc., so excessive strain on those cast “ears” was probably the culprit.
After using predators would you ever switch to Honda for increased cost or stick with predator?
I can’t really justify the switch to the Hondas at this point. I know how to work on the predators and I know what to change and when to change it to make them run without issues. However, if I didn’t have tools, space, time, and ability to work on small engines; I would 100% buy the Honda for it’s reliability.
1 Like
