Potato Planter: Plastic Bushings Replace Bronze Bearings

A manufacturer of agricultural machinery replaced bronze bearings with iglide® J plastic bushings 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 bushings 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 are iglide® J plastic bushings. By switching to iglide® J, the company was able to avoid replacing the bronze bushings two or three times a season. With iglide® J, the planter also has a longer service life, increased reliability, an enhanced technical performance and reduced maintenance costs.