Bushing and wear parts manufacturer Vesconite Bearings, which produces Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube at its Virginia-based factory, has manufactured a Vesconite Hilube U-shaped liner to assist with soil-erosion protection on a farm in Petrus Steyn, in the Free State.

Vesconite is aimed at improving the quality and the lifespan of consumable parts used in the earthmoving industry.

The liner has been used successfully on a Komatsu 675-5 motor grader thanks to an engineering innovation by Novo Farms soil conservationist Hans Bester.

The U-shaped wear pad is fitted on the moldboard's side shift and acts as a guide on the grader's blade assembly.

The grader is used to construct water ways, embankments and contours, and generally protect against soil erosion at the farm.

Development engineer and consultant Juan van Wyk explains that the Vesconite Hilube liner was installed on a prototype part. It lasted 600 hours compared with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) bronze part, which lasted 500 hours.

“After the prototype testing was concluded and the product was proven to work, the customer installed a fully machined precision wear part,” he enthuses.

This was much easier to install.

Vesconite Bearings also supplied similar wear pads to a civil works contractor, which has also observed that the Vesconite Hilube wear material outperforms the grader manufacturer's original bronze parts.

After adjusting the design in-house to reduce the pricing of these wear pads to make the commercial aspects even more attractive, a purchase order was placed for several sets to be installed soon.

“The wear-resistant properties of Vesconite improve the overall service life of consumable wear parts, resulting in less downtime because of maintenance. Greasing is also a big contributing factor. In many cases, we can reduce or even completely eliminate greasing due to Vesconite's self-lubricating properties,” van Wyk explains.

Bronze parts require regular greasing, but grease acts as a dirt trap and eventually forms an abrasive paste when it combines with the soil and dirt when the grader moves, which accelerates the wear. Eliminating greasing combats this issue altogether.

Further, certain applications see damage to mating parts such as shafts and pins. Vesconite is forgiving in nature owing to its low coefficient of friction and, as a result, extends the life of these mating parts.

“The reduction in greasing and the improvement in the service life compared with the OEM part is the biggest motivator to change to Vesconite Hilube slides,” he notes.

Bester, who has worked in soil protection for 40 years, notes that there was a need for Vesconite Hilube since the bearing material protects the grader assembly from wear and aids hard-working graders that are busy for eight hours a day in the most arduous grit-filled conditions.

Vesconite Hilube liner bearings are 70% cheaper than bronze liner bearings, he says.

Van Wyk reiterates that the main benefits of using Vesconite over traditional bronze parts in these applications is the overall improvement in the service life. Reducing or eliminating greasing in the process is also a big advantage from a cost point of view for the customer.

Further, there are environmental benefits in eliminating greasing.

Vesconite Bearings CEO Dr Jean-Patrick Leger says he gets excited seeing customers testing prototypes and trying new applications while the elimination of greasing means there are no harmful substances dripping onto the soil or making a mess on the factory floor.

“There's an environmental advantage as well as the benefit of equipment running more smoothly and more efficiently. I feel we are contributing to a better world in a small way,” he says.

Meanwhile, Vesconite Bearings can offer quick supply and turnaround times owing to an extensive stock range as well as advanced CNC manufacturing capabilities.

“We are able to offer the option of custom parts regardless of the complexity,” Leger concludes.

https://www.vesconite.com/