Gearbox Repair Specialists

Lubrication. Either the wrong oil, a low level, or oil that has degraded or been contaminated with water and metal particles. Bearings then fail, and a failed bearing takes the gear teeth with it. Regular oil checks catch most of it long before that point.

It depends entirely on what is worn inside, which is only known once the unit is stripped. Bearings and seals are a modest job. Replacing gear sets costs considerably more. We strip, inspect and quote before any repair work is carried out.

Compared with replacing it, usually not. For large, obsolete or non standard industrial gearboxes a repair is normally a fraction of the replacement price and avoids the manufacturer lead time. Small standard units can go the other way, and we will say so.

Meshing gears of different sizes trade speed for torque. A small input gear driving a larger output gear reduces speed and multiplies torque by the same ratio. The housing holds the shafts in alignment and retains the oil that lubricates and cools the gear teeth.

Follow the manufacturer's stated interval, typically stated in running hours, and treat oil condition as the trigger in between. Discoloured, milky or gritty oil means change it now regardless of the hour meter. An annual oil sample analysis is a cheap early warning.

Well maintained industrial gearboxes commonly run for decades. What shortens that is shock loading, misalignment, overloading and neglected oil. Age on its own is rarely the reason a gearbox comes into the workshop.

Removal and refitting is the significant part, particularly on conveyor and process plant where access is tight. That is one reason a workshop repair often makes sense: if the unit has to come out anyway, rebuilding it costs less than buying new.

A worm gearbox uses a screw like worm driving a toothed wheel at right angles. It gives a high reduction ratio in a compact housing and a degree of self locking, which is why it is common on conveyors, hoists and mixers.

Lower efficiency than helical gearing, because of sliding contact between worm and wheel, which means more heat. They also need the correct oil specification and the wheel wears in service. Against that they are compact, quiet and often self locking.

Our Grantham and Peterborough workshops both rebuild industrial gearboxes, covering Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and the East Midlands. Collection can be arranged where the unit is heavy or awkward to move.

Reconditioning goes beyond a repair. The unit is stripped and cleaned, every component measured, bearings and seals replaced as standard, worn gears and shafts replaced or machined, then rebuilt, refilled and run tested to return it to as new condition.

Yes, and it usually makes sense. When a geared motor comes in with a failed gearbox we test the motor at the same time, so you are not back a month later with a burnt out winding on a freshly rebuilt unit.