Stainless-steel wear strips for feed rollers
Everyone would like their forage harvester to chop like new again. The difference often lies in wear to the teeth on the feed rollers. The feed rollers are the first stage of a high-quality chopping process, and the condition of the wear strips determines how effectively the crop is transported. Timely maintenance of these strips prevents malfunctions and loss of performance.
Function
The stainless-steel strips on the feed roller have a sharp edge. This edge aggressively grips the crop, feeding the material evenly and at a constant speed towards the cutterhead. Good strips guarantee high throughput and prevent the crop from slipping at the feed system.
Importance of their condition
Over time, wear rounds off the sharp edge of the strips. Once this happens, both capacity and chopping quality noticeably decrease. Rounded strips provide less grip, which can lead to irregular feeding and even blockages. The rollers should therefore be inspected regularly. Once the sharp edge has disappeared, replacement is necessary.
Installation and maintenance
When replacing the strips, use a complete set consisting of new strips, bolts, nuts and any supplied shims. For durable installation, we recommend applying a small amount of ceramic grease to the bolts.
Tightening the strips requires precision. Always use a torque wrench. Because these are stainless-steel bolts, they must be tightened to 24 Nm (M8). This prevents the bolts from stretching under tension and becoming magnetic.
Magnetism and the metal detector
Magnetism is a crucial technical aspect of the strips. The feed roller is located directly beside the forage harvester’s metal detector. All stainless-steel components from Westerink Parts are therefore fully demagnetized. This is necessary to ensure trouble-free operation of the metal detector.
Extreme care is required during installation. Mechanical loads, such as deep scratches caused by tools or excessive bolt tightening, can reactivate magnetism in the material. To help prevent this, all our stainless-steel parts are supplied with an instruction sheet containing practical installation tips.
In brief
- What is the purpose of the component? To provide optimal grip and feed the crop evenly towards the cutterhead.
- When is it worn? When the sharp edges of the strips have worn round and feed capacity decreases.
- What is important when purchasing or replacing? Use demagnetized stainless-steel parts and install them with a torque wrench at 24 Nm for M8 bolts to prevent magnetism and malfunctions.
- Where is it available? Westerink Parts supplies wear strips for both upper and lower feed rollers from Claas, New Holland and John Deere.
Westerink Parts BV: your partner in performance
At Westerink Parts, you can rely on high-quality, demagnetized components that closely match the needs of your forage harvester. We supply not only the parts, but also the technical knowledge required to keep your machine operating without faults.
Are you looking for new wear strips or other forage harvester parts? Contact Westerink Parts or browse our range at www.westerinkparts.com.
