AGRITECHNICA DRIVETRAIN
HORTON EUROPE
85
November 10-16, 2019
Horton Europe
Hall 16, Stand C18
RECENT INNOVATIONS IN FAN DRIVES COULD DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE
PERFORMANCE IN FARMING MACHINERY
iVTInternational.com September 2019
Today, somewhere in the European Union, there
will be a farmer tending to his crops in the
shadow of the nearest city skyline, hoping his tractor
keeps humming without creating any loud disturbances
for the neighbors. There’s a forestry worker clearing trees,
wondering why his swing boom’s radiator keeps sucking
in heavy amounts of debris. There’s a government official
making sure Stage V emission regulations are being met
as new machines go out the door. There’s a design
engineer trying to figure out how it all fits together.
Evolving customer demands and government
regulations are just two factors that have contributed
to fragmentation and increased constraints in the
international off-highway equipment market. But
even small components in a robust engine cooling
system can help commercial vehicle and engine
manufacturers solve a variety of current challenges.
Variable-speed fan drives, for example, can help
reduce fuel consumption and emissions, decrease noise
and produce less parasitic draw on the engine. Released
last year, Horton’s LCX series of clutches enhances these
benefits even further with three features that include
cold-start disengagement (CSD), extremely low
off-speed and superior low-speed controllability.
Other fan drives can remain engaged longer than is
mechanically necessary, creating excess noise, reducing
fuel efficiency and affecting engine reliability, especially
in cold weather conditions. The proprietary, best-in-class
technology of CSD, however, disengages the LCX series
fan drive quickly after start-up. Once disengaged, the
fan runs at the minimal speed required to keep the
engine operating at maximum efficiency.
Combined with the benefits of variable-speed
operation, these new features remove additional
burdens from the engine, save even more fuel and
further reduce associated emissions and noise.
A focus on noise reduction
Lowering decibels has become a central issue in
Europe’s growing number of urban areas. Farmers in
these regions must protect residents from loud noises
while they work early in the morning, late in the evening
or on weekends.
Equipment uptime is another issue for agricultural
operators. A fan that runs too frequently or too fast can
have a negative impact because the more airflow it
produces, the more debris it brings into the radiator
package. When a fan spins only at the speed needed, less
debris will be collected. This leads to increased uptime.
The new LCX series fan drives feature off-speeds that
are as much as 50% lower than competitive products
under similar conditions. This low fan idle speed ensures
ABOVE: Farmers must be
considerate of noise concerns
RIGHT: The LCX fan drives are
available in two different sizes
that very little energy is
consumed by the spinning
of the fan during times
when cooling is not needed.
Ongoing challenges
Perhaps the greatest hurdle
facing today’s off-highway
manufacturers is the ability
to find a solution that
perfectly fits their application.
In an increasingly expansive
market with seemingly as many
machines as there are jobs to be
done, a perfect matching of fan and
fan drive to the individual vehicle is
essential for precise engine cooling.
A broad offering of customizable options like
Horton’s HM1400 fans and RS ring fans can provide
a distinct advantage. With a variety of blade counts
and center-disk diameters, the HM1400 fits the size
and performance needs of almost any application.
The RS ring fan’s advanced blade design, meanwhile,
provides higher airflow at lower fan speeds. The ringed
design reduces fan tip turbulence and prevents
deflection of blades.
Of course, there’s more to a highly efficient engine
than simply the cooling system. But as consumers expect
increasing advances in performance
and regulatory compliance, innovative
solutions to even the smallest
of components can result in
maximum uptime. iVT
By Kerstin Wippich, marketing specialist, Horton Europe
Technology boosts
agriculture operations
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