Komatsu 930E Final Drive​

Over the past five years and into the foreseeable future, one consistent challenge has been the lack of OEM genuine components available for purchase from the incumbents. Valenhold’s mission is to ensure your operations run smoothly, even during these challenging times. What began as a fully interchangeable, alternate solution for the GDY106 (930) Final Drive, has evolved into a component that not only matches but arguably surpasses original OEM standards, extending the original service life expectancy. 

How has Valenhold achieved this? Several key enhancements have been made, leading to significant improvements. For starters, switching from cast iron to forged iron for the VALC 930E wheel hub has reduced surface porosity, resulting in a finer grain structure and higher tensile strength compared to the forged product. This enhancement means that Valenhold’s VALC hub boasts greater fatigue life and strength, as well as increased repairability reducing the through life costs. 

A closer examination of the gearing in a VALC 930E final drive, reveals that they are manufactured from proprietary alloy steel, developed for high-speed rail applications, and designed specifically for heavy-duty parts and components subjected to high pressures and highly variable speeds. These gears are manufactured to AGMA2000-A88 Grade 12 standards. Furthermore, increased boring tolerances have improved the overall bearing life. 

These enhancements are impressive, but how does the final drive perform in the field? 

During initial trials, two of Valenhold’s VALC 930E final drive units were installed in trucks at an established mine site, using the same tooling and protocols as the incumbent OEM final drives. These units underwent all the same initial checks and provided equal results in testing. As the trial progressed, it became evident that Valenhold’s VALC final drive was more than capable, consistently delivering the desired results. At the 12 month trial’s conclusion, the average effective hours of service for each truck on site were assessed, with Valenhold’s truck boasting 5,050 effective hours versus the incumbent OEMs average of 4,320 hours over a 12 month period, thus ranking the VALC unit as No. 1.

Upon completion of the 12-month trial period, it was agreed to visually inspect the internal components of both final drives to validate the condition of the sun pinion, planetary gears, axial bearings, and idlers. The inspection revealed that the internal components of both VALC final drives were in excellent condition, with no signs of accelerated wear on the axial bushing, sun pinion, gear teeth, races, or idlers. Additionally, the magnetic plugs showed no wear buildup. 

Since the initial trial stages, Valenhold’s VALC 930E final drive solution has been installed in over 100 haul trucks worldwide and furthermore, VALC products have been used in 1000+ additional wheel motor/final drive rebuilds, further confirming their performance and reliability.

If you would like more information on our 930E final drives, please contact a member of our team on contact@valenhold.com.au