Potato harvester reliable again after conversion from freewheel

: Released: 12.07.2021; Last updated: 18.01.2023; Hits: 7099

Potato harvester collect the popular tuberous vegetables from the ground during the potato harvest and hand them over to the tractor in front. This automated process also does justice to the growing population and to a certain extent secures the global supply of food. A global manufacturer of such potato harvesters had problems with the technology and turned to it Tsubaki. The freewheel of the drive specialist provided the solution to the problem.

In 2017, an estimated 388.191.000 t of potatoes globally produced. Growers in Europe, Asia, America and Africa are constantly striving to maximize the yield of each harvest. Increasing yields lead to greater profitability for farmers. For the manufacturers of potato harvesters, this means that they have to deliver more reliable and efficient agricultural machinery. This is the only way to maximize the yield of the potato harvest.

Farm animals and hands instead of agricultural machinery

Potatoes were earlier by hand or harvested with the help of farm animals. After that, potato spinners came on the market as an early form of potato harvesters that were pulled by cattle or tractors. With the improvement in technology, more modern potato harvesters have been able to pick more potatoes from the ground across multiple rows. Today's potato harvesters are equipped with sieves (chain harvester) and separation units. In this way, the clods of earth are filtered out and fewer potatoes remain in the soil.

Welding in the open air for agricultural engineering

The advantages of today's agricultural machinery require reliable components and machines. Depending on the season, the potato harvesters are in relatively short periods of time intensive use. A breakdown during harvest is not only costly for the farmer because of the repair. He would also miss the potato harvester when harvesting the potatoes. Maintenance problems of the potato harvesters are further exacerbated because the harvesters stand still for long periods of time between use. A problem with the reliability of the potato harvester may not be recognized until it is too late.

Potato harvesters are burdened by inferior components

The robust nature of the potato harvest adds complexity. This causes the gathering of potatoes from the ground Shocks and mechanical loadsthat are transmitted through the drive train. These stresses often lead to the failure of inferior components. In addition, lifting the potatoes from the ground requires a high torque.

Therefore, the potato harvester manufacturer should use the Quality of Drive Elements Pay special attention to the drive train. Only a robust assembly with long-lasting components can guarantee the reliability of the harvesters.

Problems with freewheeling in the machine

An OEM had Reliability problems when a freewheel is used. So he wanted to improve the design. To find a solution, he turned to the leading developer and manufacturer of freewheels Tsubaki.

Sensor technology for precision farming, smart farming, agriculture

In close cooperation with the OEM's design department, the drive specialist's engineers tested two different freewheels on site and assessed their performance. After completing the experiments, they recommended taking one MDEU35-TK freewheel to use. It has a torque capacity of up to 460 Nm. It thus delivers the performance required for the potato fuller. During the test period, the freewheel ran very reliably - ideal for the needs of Agriculture.

New free-wheeling in potato harvester increases profitability

The potato harvesting specialist built the MDEU35-TK free wheel into the new potato harvesting machines. The freewheel turned out to be extremely robust in the field. The potato farmers were able to organize their potato harvest efficiently and maximize their yield. The maintenance-free freewheel in the drive train of the potato harvester also increased the operating time of the equipment and reduced repair costs. The productivity and profitability of the farmers with the new potato harvester could thus be improved.

Tsubaki is a global supplier of high quality powertrain components to leading OEMs in the Agricultural engineering. Other uses of the drive technology quality products are other harvesting machines, balers and seed drills. The products have been specially developed for the harsh conditions of agricultural technology such as dust, impact and seasonal use. The development engineers work closely with the R&D departments of the OEMs. This is the only way to develop tailor-made solutions and structured maintenance support.