Lubrication management boosts agricultural equipment reliability

A range of lubricants and application systems have been developed to address increased component wear in agricultural (agri) equipment, which is subject to harsh conditions and working environments where the ingress of dust, dirt, stones, mud, plant material and water cause excessive wear and tear on critical components.

A proactive maintenance strategy involving the systematic application and control of lubricants to reduce friction, heat and wear between moving parts can reduce the risk of failures and subsequent costly downtime. 

“Taking into account that 56% of bearing failures are caused by contamination and inadequate lubrication, the importance of farm machinery lubrication must never be underestimated,” says SKF key accounts manager: agriculture Charl Engelbrecht. “Add to this the fact that, while lubricants amount to between 2% and 3% of running costs in agricultural machines, 40% to 60% of maintenance costs are as a result of poor lubrication.”

SKF offers holistic lubrication solutions for tractors, implements, trailers, combine harvesters, special harvesting machines, balers, sprayers, slurry tankers, among other equipment. The product range includes lubrication delivery products and systems as well as a range of lubricants.

“It starts with the correct choice of lubricant because this carries as much importance as applying the correct lubrication methods,” stresses Engelbrecht. SKF says it has developed the right lubricants specifically suited for agri equipment. It notes that the special formulation of SKF LGGB 2 biodegradable, low toxicity, synthetic ester oil-based grease, using a lithium-calcium thickener, makes it most suitable for agri applications where environmental contamination is commonplace.

“Our LFFM 100 high-performance synthetic chain oil is specially formulated for the lubrication of chains operating in agriculture industries,” adds Engelbrecht.

The company offers manual, semi-automated and fully automated lubrication delivery systems that can assist farmers with correct and accurate lubrication. Products include compact electric cartridge pumps, grease nipples, grease guns, lubricant hoses, progressive metering devices as well as a range of accessories.

“Failure to properly lubricate each lubrication point on every machine can negatively impact schedules, maintenance costs and running time performance. For this reason, we do recommend automatic lubrication of agri equipment as farmers will benefit from increased equipment availability and improved uptime,” explains Engelbrecht.

The company has also developed two apps to add value to its lubrication portfolio, namely the SKF LubeSelect app that can assist farmers to select an appropriate lubricant for a particular application. The SKF eLube app enables users to determine lubricant levels and pump functions remotely.