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A manufacturer of agricultural machinery replaced bronze bearings with iglide® J plastic plain bearings from igus® to eliminate corrosion and increase lifespan on its potato planter. As a result, the company was able to increase service life by 500-600% and reduce costs by up to 80%.

A planter pick arm was encountering several problems due to the oil-impregnated bronze bearings with graphite plugs used. The pick arm rotates through an arc of 15% at a rate of 12-20 cycles per minute. On the West coast, the bronze bearings were experiencing high wear and premature failure due to very abrasive conditions caused by high levels of volcanic ash in the soil. On the East coast, high salt content in the air caused corrosion and seizure.

The six-row machine uses 144 bearings, all of which were replaced with iglide® J plastic bearings. By switching to iglide® J, the company was able to avoid replacing the bearings two or three times a season as it had to do with the bronze. With iglide® J, the planter also has a longer service life, increased reliability, an enhanced technical performance and reduced maintenance costs.

An R&D Specialist at the company confirmed the savings made:

“By replacing the bronze with iglide® J plastic bearings, we increased the lifespan by 500-600% and eliminated the seizing and corrosion issues. iglide® J also costs 70%-80% less than the bronze, has substantially increased reliability and reduced cost downtime. After two years of use, I have yet to find a bearing comparable to it.”

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