Every business wants to get the most life and wear out of their equipment. Higher production rates and reliability lead to a sound return on investment, meaning less expense in the long term thanks to fewer breakdowns or replacements. This is where preventative maintenance comes in – a scheduled program to assess and fix any potential issues before they cause irreversible damage.
Depending on the machine or component, preventative maintenance can be carried out prior to installation, and at regular intervals throughout the service life. Systemising equipment performance like this, rather than only carrying out ‘reactive’ maintenance, has offered industrial businesses a way to assess risk on an ongoing basis. This understanding is what led the team at Walterscheid to develop a newly designed torque testing rig for overload clutches.
Walterscheid has been dedicated to servicing Australia’s agricultural market since 1983, specialising in premium driveline systems and tractor attachments. As a Motion Australia owned business, they are pleased to offer diverse, thorough, and relevant services in tandem with a broad product range.
Their newly developed torque testing rig has been made available, to eliminate uncertainty and the risk of premature failure. Walterscheid can now carry out detailed assessment on any overload clutch prior to leaving the factory or during maintenance servicing. Correct clutch fitting is a critical safety measure, and this testing procedure can ensure that the equipment is working correctly before use.
Andrew Sawyer, Business Manager at Walterscheid describes how this thorough approach to preventative care ultimately leads to higher performance and necessary reliability in the field.
“We received a friction clutch from a primary producer, who urgently required the unit to be rebuilt. He thought there may have been an easy way to repair and save money but once it was stripped down and we added all the parts he requested, the clutch was still not coming up to specification on the clutch tester.”
“After explaining this to the customer we advised what was actually required to be done, eliminating all shortcuts to make it right and bring the clutch back to the correct specification and safety limits. The repairs were all completed, and the clutch was tested correct to specification and returned promptly back into service. He was very thankful for the honesty and service turn around to get him back in the paddock.”
If a clutch installed on a PTO drive trips too soon, operators are likely to see repeated unit failure and subsequent production downtime. An incorrectly adjusted overload clutch on Round Baler, Rotary Hoe or Power Harrow systems can be both a safety and financial concern, so the opportunity to carry out thorough testing is an incredibly useful resource.
This example of Walterscheid’s transparency and alignment with authentic customer service shows that experiential knowledge is critical in providing effective aftercare advice. Equipment such as the new torque testing rig can allow customers faster turnaround on PTO drive assessment, giving Walterscheid faster leads on the necessary maintenance or replacement requirements.
Walterscheid’s ethos of ‘offering new solutions to old problems’ rings true with this introduction of this new solution. Overhauling units is often crucial to achieving longer product lifecyle, but misaligned parts upon reassembly is not an uncommon issue. Having the ability to run thorough testing before a clutch is re-issued can give both the supplier and customer an added level of trust going forward.
