The driven parts on a harvester can require up to a dozen belts at a time, according to CBC Product Manager for Power Transmission and Belt Drive Systems, Steve Hittmann. “Harvesting equipment is subject to a lot of rough and tumble, so they need to have high tensile strength under demanding conditions.”
“Belts on harvesters are the most common replacement part we sell during peak harvesting season, which is why I often suggest starting the season with belts that have been designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the field.”
For the most demanding conditions, Steve recommends the Timken® Super Ag-Drive®️ Belt. Formerly known as the Carlisle belt, it was originally designed as an OEM equivalent, according to Steve.
When it comes to supplying belt solutions for harvesting equipment, Australian Timken cuts down the competition by going straight to the source. The company has become widely recognised for their work with original equipment manufacturers to develop tailored engineered belt solutions that are in line with the specific requirements of their design.
Timken expanded their reach in the ag sector when they acquired the Carlisle company back in 2015, bringing with it more than 100 years of accumulated knowledge and experience in developing reliable belt drive solutions.
“The Timken® Super Ag-Drive®️ belts were originally designed to match and, in some cases, exceed OEM belt performance,” says Sean Young, Regional General Manager at Australian Timken.
“The Super Ag-Drive® Belts have been engineered for performance and reliability on harvesting equipment and that’s why they are the preferred belt of OEMs. But we don’t just work with OEMs—we also work with the end users to see how the product is performing. Based on those findings, we will look to make further improvements.”
According to Sean, propriety belt construction is a unique point of difference for Australian Timken. “We at Timken have always been very active in developing tailored belt solutions that work for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and that has been to our advantage.”
However, the key to winning customers he says, is twofold—offering reliable customised belting solutions and combining that with reliable customer service.
An example of this was when a major manufacturer of high quality, high performance agricultural equipment including windrowers, headers and other harvesting equipment was experiencing problems with one of the core belts on their largest harvesting unit.
“The belt they were using was delaminating,” says Sean. “And the customer was not receiving the support they needed from their current belt supplier.”
A Timken engineer was quick to respond and visit the site to examine the issue on the application and gather critical information. What they discovered was that the belts that were being supplied to them were not in line with the OEM requirements as defined by the specs the customer had provided to the supplier.
After examining the application and specifications, and gathering critical information requirements, their choice of course was the Super Ag-Drive® Belt.
As a result, the issue with belt delamination was eliminated and Timken gained $150K in annual business with the customer.
“Timken engineers are first responders when there is an issue with a harvester on site,” concludes Sean. “And we work closely with CBC to ensure that stock is readily available, our supply chain is streamlined, so our customers are guaranteed to get what they need when they need it.”
