Page 5 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 15th March 2021

form of harvester, would be drawn along by
livestock or tractors. As technology improved,
modern potato harvesters entered the market, with
the ability to collect more potatoes from the ground
over multiple rows. Modern designs feature sieves
for removing clods of earth and separation units.
This transition has improved the speed of the
harvest while maximising its yield, as less potatoes
remain in the ground.

High cost of breakdowns
Modern farm machinery offers multiple advantages
but must be highly reliable to capitalise on them.
Harvests are seasonal, so equipment is required to
operate intensively over relatively short periods. A
breakdown during harvesting is very costly to a
farmer, as not only will maintenance be required,
but the time lost gathering produce can adversely
affect the yield. Maintenance issues can be clutches, to provide a solution. The OEM had
exacerbated by the fact that farm machinery can be experienced reliability issues with a previously
in storage for long periods between usage. This utilised clutch and wanted to improve this aspect of
means a reliability issue may not be identified until the design.
it is too late. Working closely with the OEM engineering
The very nature of potato harvesting adds department, Tsubaki engineers tested two different
further complexity. Collecting potatoes directly from clutches in the field to assess performance. Upon
the soil entails shocks and mechanical stresses that completion of the trials, Tsubaki recommended the
are transmitted through the powertrain, which can MDEU35-TK Cam Clutch. Offering a torque
cause inferior components to fail. Furthermore, capacity up to 460 Nm, it provided the required
lifting potatoes from the ground requires high performance to suit the application. Furthermore, it
torque. was highly reliable during the test period, ideal for
An area where OEMs devote attention is the the needs of farm equipment.
powertrain of the potato harvester. Ultimately, the The OEM fitted the MDEU35-TK to the new
goal is to design a highly robust assembly featuring model potato harvesters, which proved to be highly
long-life components to maximise reliability. This robust in the field. This ensured that potato farmers
reduces maintenance costs and provides increased could carry out the harvest in most efficient manner,
security when it comes to intensive harvesting. With maximising yield. The zero maintenance Cam
such a powertrain, farmers can maximise their Clutch also contributed to increased equipment
machinery uptime, enhancing yield and profitability. uptime, reducing repair costs. Both of these factors
When it came to upgrading the clutch on a new conspired to improve productivity and profitability
model potato harvester, an OEM contacted Tsubaki, for the farmers using the new harvester.
a leading designer and manufacturer of cam www.tsubaki.eu

March 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p5