Page 4 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 15th March 2021

CLUTCHES AND COUPLINGS...
CLUTCHES AND COUPLINGS...

Freewheel clutch chips in for

potato harvester reliability

To enhance its machinery, one global manufacturer approached Tsubaki to provide

their cam clutches or freewheels to support a new model potato harvester.
f you like chips, chances are that you owe your estimated 388,191,000 tonnes of potatoes were
dinner to a potato harvester. Towed behind produced globally1. Growers in Asia, the Americas,
tractors to automatically harvest potatoes from Africa and Europe support this large output, and are
Ithe soil, these machines are an important tool constantly looking to maximise the yield of each
for ensuring the world’s food security. Global crop. Increasing yield translates to increased
demand for potatoes grows with the expanding profitability for farmers, as more produce is sold to
population, which means potato harvester OEMs feed consumers or livestock.
need to deliver more reliable and efficient machines Maximising yield has led to the development of
to maximise the yield of the potato crop. the modern potato harvester. Initially, potato
The importance of potato harvesting for the harvests would be carried out by hand or with the
global food supply is undisputed. In 2017, an help of animals. Then, potato spinners, an early

March 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p4