The basic engine-driven woodchipper setup has not changed much over the years. What has changed, is the amount of power these units produce. To transfer this power to the cutting drum, a belt-drive system is used. And with great power, comes great belt tension.
Tension from the belts is supported by the drum and Power Take-off (PTO) bearings. In the legacy-style PTO units, two bearings are used: one that resides in the flywheel, the pilot bearing; and one that is the nose of the PTO, the main bearing. The drawback with this design is that the pilot bearing is small and, in most cases, cannot be greased.
The WPT Power Pilotless™ series of PTOs feature a dual main bearing design. Both bearings have independent grease passages, and the size of the rear bearing is increased for greater load. This allows the Pilotless™ to withstand up to 70 percent more belt tension than the competition.
What does that mean? Longer bearing life. Increased uptime. More work done.
This is exactly why a major chipper manufacture in South Africa choose the Pilotless™ Mechanical PTO for their engine-driven wood chippers.
South African landscapes differ from the typical North American backyard. Chippers in this region are designed to mulch an assortment of materials including palm leaves, bamboo, wood, sugar cane, and even irrigation pipes.
Emphasis is also placed on creating strong designs that can withstand severe use with minimal maintenance. The Pilotless PTO lends itself well to this model with increased time between maintenance intervals. In addition, Heavy Duty Friction material upgrades are available for the toughest jobs.
For more information on the WPT Pilotless™ Mechanical PTO contact WPT Power today.
Written By: Jeremy D Bodine, Senior Sales Engineer