ABSTRACT
Proper installation of the geared system is essential to achieve good performance. The gearbox must be rigidly connected to the foundation, which must also be rigid and have a flat mounting surface. Most gearboxes are foot mounted. A flange on the bottom of the unit is doweled and bolted to a base. The doweling is important to ensure that the gearbox does not move during operation. Stability of the foundation is extremely important. Once installed, the base must not deform. One major cause of difficulty is thermal expansion, which can be due either to ambient conditions such as partial sunshine unevenly heating the structure or proximity to hot operating equipment. When handling the unit at installation, care must be taken not to stress parts which are not meant to support the gearbox weight. Gearboxes should be lifted only by the means provided by the manufacturers, such as lifting holes in the casing.
