JSG Industrial Systems has the products and know-how to take the stress out of machinery lubrication for all Australian farmers
Farmers know that any machinery downtime is costly, particularly at harvest time, but also at any point of the year.
While not every possible scenario can be planned for, ensuring machinery is correctly and adequately lubricated is one way of avoiding unnecessary and costly breakdowns.
For smaller farms, where there may only be one tractor or other type of machinery, these stoppages can sometimes mean a total shutdown of operations until the problem is fixed.
JSG Industrial Systems has the products to ensure farmers can avoid these issues, with much of its range also being automated to ensure the greasing largely takes care of itself.
One example of this is through the SKF Lincoln Automatic Electric Cartridge Pump (AECP).
Designed for smaller tractors and telehandlers, it is described as a simple and compact unit which can be placed directly on to the machine.
It automatically does what JSG describes as the most important element for farmers to consider with any lubrication system – providing small but progressive amounts of grease throughout the day to ensure ongoing lubrication.
“We’re trying to introduce is the idea that regular greasing or periodically greasing a machine is better than doing it once a day, because when the machine isn’t working it doesn’t really need grease,” JSG lubrication sales manager Branco Zivic says.
“When the machine is working and you apply the grease, that’s when it is more effective than anything else.”
The AECP works with standard 400g grease cartridges, meaning the only regular requirement for a farmer is to replace the cartridge when it is empty.
A built-in visual, low-level sensor provides an early warning of this, while a small footprint of the actual unit makes it ideal for compact machine applications.
It operates for one minute every hour, therefore providing ongoing lubrication, and has an estimated lifespan of 5,000 machine operation hours.
Getting it right
Machinery lubrication can often be an area neglected by farmers amid the array of daily tasks that need to be completed.
Pushing the problem down the line or only applying some grease at the beginning of the day are both scenarios which JSG says can cause long-term issues.
Both undergreasing and overgreasing are not desirable, Zivic adds, with either of these likely to lead to difficulties.
Undergreasing can cause increased wear and tear – plus potentially complete operation failure – with a one-off greasing before a long day of machinery use often creating similar problems as the grease runs out later in the day.
Overgreasing can lead to issues where much of the product is wasted, which also means more money has been spent than needed.
JSG also says farmers who manually grease their machinery often do so until they can see grease coming through the cavities, which is a telltale sign of overgreasing and can result in those parts of the machine overheating within a couple of hours and damaging the bearings.
Recognising the challenges around getting the right amount of grease to all necessary parts of a machine – including those which can be tricky to physically access – and also doing so without taking a considerable amount of time out of every day, JSG says the modern systems which automate the lubrication process have proven to be a winner.
Wide variety
The AECP is one example of an automatic system which takes the daily work out of machinery lubrication, however JSG Industrial Systems’ range extends beyond this.
Lincoln and Faicom are two well-known brands which JSG stocks, with Faicom’s offering including compact and portable grease dispensing kits.
These are available as either carry or trolley kits, where the handle is directly fixed to either the pump or to a stable trolley.
Designed to be combined with hose reels up to 15m long, the double-effect pumping system allows regular distribution and greater flow, along with improved efficiency.
The Lincoln lubrication range includes the P502 system, which is a small, simple and compact pump that can handle several lubrication points while not requiring much room.
Economical operation is at the forefront with the P502, which also has progressive divider valves to distribute grease to the required areas such as bushes, pins and bearings.
Another SKF Lincoln product is the Compact Lubrication Pump (CLP), which is another automated system designed to be reliable and affordable for simple lubrication tasks.
Lincoln also offers the Quicklub system, which is an advanced and customisable offering for machinery including large combine harvesters.
One Queensland customer who installed a Quicklub system had the harvester serviced after a full year of operation, with the ongoing greasing revealing that most of its bushes and bearings were in “perfect condition” and did not need replacing.
This factor, along with the reduced time spent on lubrication every day, is why JSG recommends farmers consider automatic systems for their machinery.
Pre-assembled kits help to minimise installation time, while the wide range of temperatures which they can handle mean that even the hardest-working machine in the toughest of Australian conditions will not be compromised.
The full range of lubrication products available can be viewed at www.jsgindustrial.com
