Robust plain bearings for heavy duty use in cultivators in agriculture

• What was needed: iglidur plain bearings
• Requirements: Lubrication and maintenance-free as well as robust plain bearings, which must withstand high loads during swivelling movements
• Industry: Agriculture, agricultural machinery construction
• Success for the customer: Major time and cost savings, as no lubrication of the iglidur bearings used is necessary and these are particularly durable

Lemken GmbH und Co KG is a family-run company that specialises in the manufacture of agricultural equipment for soil cultivation, sowing and plant protection. One of the manufacturer's product areas is stubble working appliances, so-called cultivators and short disc harrows. Today, these are primarily used for conservation tillage and stubble working. With the "Karat 9", Lemken offers an intensive cultivator that penetrates between five and 30 centimetres deep into the soil and thus optimally incorporates organic matter. During operation, there may be large stones in the ground in the path of the tractor and its soil tillage implement, which must not hinder the work process. For this reason, the Karat 9 is equipped with overload elements, whereby the tines, which work in the soil during normal operation, automatically move backwards and upwards and then automatically return to the working position. Depending on the size of the cultivator, the metal bearing solution used to move the tines had to be lubricated for up to 1 hour a day in order for the bearings to work properly. If the numerous lubrication points, depending on the working width, were not sufficiently lubricated, the resulting lack of lubrication led to considerable problems with corrosion and greatly increased wear of the bearing point, which ultimately resulted in damage to shafts and housing bores.

Thanks to the use of lubrication-free igus plastic plain bearings, the overload element is now maintenance-free. With the iglidur high-performance materials, there is no need for subsequent lubrication, as the bearings contain self-lubricating solid lubricants. This saves the farmer valuable time. Unlike metal bearings, where the lubricants cannot be distributed evenly and only the same points on the bearing are stressed, plain bearings made of plastic can utilise their advantages here. The swivelling movements cannot affect them as much and no lubricant can be displaced. Another advantage is the dry operation of the bearing, as no dirt can adhere to it. Together with the high stability of the plain bearings, which can easily withstand the high forces in the overload element of the cultivator, this results in significantly increased reliability. Lemken also saved costs thanks to the more favourable procurement costs and the increased service life of the plain bearings.
igus can draw on 47 catalogue materials for a wide range of requirements, including for heavy-duty applications such as those found in the agricultural sector. However, the Karat 9 cultivator already features plain bearings made from the all-rounder iglidur G, which can withstand a compressive strength of 80MPa.