Menu
In the 19th century, road building was a very laborious industry. Teams of workers and horses would clear, level, and grade the land. Then, several layers of stone were laid atop the ground, followed by hard clay and gravel. Most of this work was done by hand with little to no machine assistance. Fast forward to today, and the landscape of the road building industry is quite different.
Gone are the days of horse drawn equipment, and it is no wonder. With over 2.6 million miles of paved roads, road building and highway construction in the US alone is a 100-billion-dollar a year industry. So, keeping up with the demand for new roadways, expansions, and repairs requires more than sledgehammers and wagons. In their place are soil stabilizers, road reclaimers, cold planers, asphalt milling machines, material transfer vehicles, asphalt brooms, screeds, pavers, roller-compactors, and truck cranes. Almost all this heavy-duty equipment is mobile so that it can move from one site to the next.
Road milling machine with Type 2 Hydraulic Power Take-Off.
Most of this mobile equipment is powered by industrial diesel engines. Some of this equipment, such as the cold planers and soil stabilizers, utilize a clutched belt-drive system to rotate the drums. These industrial clutches transfer and disconnect power from the cutting drum. This is where the WPT Power product lines come into play.
Since our inception in 1992, WPT Power has been an industry leader in terms of power transmission products in the road building industry. Given our prowess in pneumatic and hydraulic clutch design and operation, there is no wonder why. With innovative products like the Power Grip High-Speed clutch, the Type 2 Hydraulic PTO paired with our Python® Hydraulic Clutch Control (HCC), and Pilotless® Mechanical Power-take Off (PTO), WPT has the right product for any job out there.
Pilotless® Mechanical PTO powers the front end of this soil stabilization and reclamation road repair.
The Power Grip clutch marked WPT’s entrance into the power transmission market. This was namely in the form of clutches for oil field equipment. However, with the growing need for rugged and dependable clutches in highway construction machines, WPT developed the Power Grip High Speed clutch. This clutch features high-rate coil release springs, heavy-duty friction discs, and dynamically balanced components, and is available in hydraulic or pneumatic options. These units are designed to mount to a standard industrial SAE diesel engine and have been proven to withstand the most demanding applications. Available in sizes ranging from a single-plate, 11-inch model to a three-plate, 21-inch model.
The Type 2 PTO is among the most reliable and robust products available in the WPT lineup. The Type 2 Power Take-off uses a Power Grip High Speed clutch mounted to a shaft with bearings and a bell housing. This arrangement allows the PTO to bolt directly to the rear of an industrial diesel engine. These PTOs are available in pneumatic or hydraulic actuation. The hydraulic option is a self-adjusting clutch and when paired with the WPT Python® Hydraulic Clutch Control (HCC), provide ease of maintenance and push-button operation of the clutch. Designed with convenience in mind, the Python® HCC is a self-contained system that can integrate into existing machine controllers to provide a seamless starting experience for the user. The Python® will work with any Type 2 PTOs ranging from model 211 through model 318.
While they are designed for slightly less severe applications and have not been around quite as long, the WPT Pilotless® PTO Mechanical series has proven to be one of the biggest game changers in the over-center clutch industry in the last 40 years. Borrowing the bearing arrangement from the venerable Type 2, this PTO employs a one-piece ductile iron housing, a large spherical roller main bearing arrangement with individual grease ports, and a zero-maintenance release collar assembly. This unique design is a testament to WPT’s drive to deliver top-performing products in a competitive marketplace. Sizes range from the model WPL 106 up to the WPL 314.
For more information on the Power Grip High Speed clutch, Type 2 Power Take-off, Python® Hydraulic Clutch Control system, or the Mechanical Pilotless® Power Take-off, please contact WPT Power today. We’ll show you how our applications can improve your road building processes.