Can Excavators Unscrew Themselves?

Victor Johnsen

Victor Johnsen

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Hey everyone, I came across a wild discussion the other day—someone claimed that excavators can unscrew themselves over time. It got me thinking… is there any truth to this?

I get that the upper structure (house) of an excavator rotates on a swing bearing, but could continuous counterclockwise movements somehow loosen things over time? Or is this just a myth?

Would love to hear from operators or mechanics—have you ever seen or heard of this happening?

Let’s discuss.
 
Haha, I’ve heard that one too! While an excavator isn’t going to just spin itself loose and roll away, excessive counterclockwise rotations could technically cause some wear on the swing bearing over time. But manufacturers design them to handle it, so unless something is seriously wrong (like lack of maintenance or a loose bearing), you won’t wake up to find your excavator has unscrewed itself overnight. Has anyone actually seen an issue like this in the field?
 
Yeah, I’ve heard that myth too! While constant counterclockwise rotations might cause some wear, excavators are built to handle it. If one actually ‘unscrewed’ itself, I think we’d all be seeing some wild job site videos by now! 😂 @Victor Johnsen, where did you hear this debate?
 
Haha, if excavators could actually unscrew themselves, we’d have some hilarious job site disasters! 😂 But yeah, regular maintenance should keep everything tight, never seen one come loose in real life.
 
Haha, yeah, if this were a real issue, we’d probably see viral videos of excavators just spinning off into the sunset! 😂 But seriously, I wonder if extreme wear on a neglected swing bearing could cause some noticeable play over time. Anyone ever had to deal with a loose turntable or weird movement?
 
Funny myth, but sounds like regular maintenance prevents any real issues. Has anyone actually seen excessive wear on a swing bearing cause noticeable movement over time?
 
Haha, if excavators could actually unscrew themselves, we’d probably have a whole new category of ‘runaway equipment’ videos! 😂 But yeah, in reality, as long as the swing bearing is maintained properly, there’s no way it’s just going to loosen up and fall apart. I guess extreme neglect could cause some play over time, but I’ve never seen one actually ‘unscrew’ itself. Anyone ever dealt with a seriously worn-out swing bearing?
 
yeah, as long as the swing bearing gets regular maintenance, there’s no real risk of it just spinning loose. I can see how excessive wear might cause some play, but never seen one completely come apart. Anyone here had to deal with a really worn-out bearing?
 
Haha, love this topic! Definitely more myth than reality. Like others said, unless you're seriously neglecting maintenance, an excavator isn’t going to unscrew itself. But I guess enough wear on a swing bearing could make things feel a bit loose over time. Anyone actually had to deal with one getting that bad?
 
Haha :D, if they could really unscrew themselves, job sites would look like a blooper reel-definitely more myth than reality.
 
Victor Johnsen said:
Hey everyone, I came across a wild discussion the other day—someone claimed that excavators can unscrew themselves over time. It got me thinking… is there any truth to this?

I get that the upper structure (house) of an excavator rotates on a swing bearing, but could continuous counterclockwise movements somehow loosen things over time? Or is this just a myth?

Would love to hear from operators or mechanics—have you ever seen or heard of this happening?

Let’s discuss.
Click to expand...
Digging into this myth - I reckon if excavators were prone to 'unscrewing themselves', we'd hear about it big time from the folks running them daily! Swing bearing preload and regular checks are key IMO. Anyone have experiecne with slew system failures or is this more of a theoretical concern someone threw out?
 
That's a wild question-but surprisingly relevant! While excavators can't literally "unscrew themselves," what you might be referring to is the slew ring bolts loosening over time due to vibration and poor maintenance. If the slew bearing isn't regularly inspected and torqued to spec, it can lead to serious mechanical issues. Some operators have reported hearing clunking or noticing uneven rotation before realizing bolts were backing out.

Best practice: schedule regular inspections, use thread-locking compounds where appropriate, and always follow the manufacturer's torque settings. Curious-was this based on something you saw on-site?
 
Victor Johnsen said:
Hey everyone, I came across a wild discussion the other day—someone claimed that excavators can unscrew themselves over time. It got me thinking… is there any truth to this?

I get that the upper structure (house) of an excavator rotates on a swing bearing, but could continuous counterclockwise movements somehow loosen things over time? Or is this just a myth?

Would love to hear from operators or mechanics—have you ever seen or heard of this happening?

Let’s discuss.
Click to expand...
The upper part of an excavator (the "house" with the cab, engine, and boom) can spin round and round like a kid on a merry-go-round. You might think if it keeps spinning in one direction it would unscrew itself and pop off like a bottle cap - but nope!

Excavators have a special giant "lazy Susan" (called a slew ring and swivel joint) that lets them turn forever without twisting off their own bolts or hoses. So it can just unscrewed but not unscrew itself at work 😄
 
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