High-performance drive systems are crucial to ensuring farming equipment and machinery can endure the rigors of a harvest season. Australian harvesting conditions are particularly challenging for equipment operators due to the nation’s notoriously harsh climate conditions that include unruly weather, heavy rainfall, and extreme heat during the hotter months.
For this reason, manufacturers and suppliers of power transmission (PT) products and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of farming equipment and machinery invest heavily in the research and development of drive system products that can remain resilient under rugged and harsh operating conditions and effectively outlast a harvest season.
According to Motion’s Troy Markland, the key to a successful drive design is sourcing exceptional and genuine power transmission products that utilise the latest in PT technology for optimal drive performance. Over the course of his 40-year career, Troy has worked extensively with customers in the agricultural segment to deliver premium engineered power transmission solutions that support a variety of farming and food production operations.
“A big part of my role is liaising with clients, partners, and suppliers to establish what power transmission products are currently available to market and building and maintaining good relationships with key stakeholders that can support our business goals and the service we offer to our customers,” says Troy. “The market is saturated with power transmission products, but the challenge is identifying those top tier companies that are experts in their field and can readily supply us with high quality product.”
Exemplary of these attributes is Australian Timken, suggests Troy. “Timken has a reputation for the design and manufacturing of a broad spectrum of premium engineered power transmission solutions, and their commitment to quality is evident in how their products such as the Diamond® Series Agriculture Roller Chain perform in equipment operations,” he explains.
According to Troy, the Timken Diamond® Agriculture Roller Chain offers superior resilience to wear and corrosion due to their shot peened surface finish which is resistant to sheer stress and compressive force. “Shot peening aids in mitigating fatigue failure when the part is exposed to repeated high loads,” he explains. “The Diamond® Chain also incorporates Timken’s proprietary ‘hot dip’ lubrication additives that provide uniform protection against the ingress of contaminants and corrosion.”
For more than 130 years, Diamond® Chain has served the global industrial market and established itself as a first-class manufacturer and supplier of power transmission products. Founded in 1890 as part of the Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Company, the company has a rich and storied history of pioneering power transmission solutions that have been part of ground-breaking and iconic projects, such as Ford’s first automotive drive system design and the Wright Brother’s first motorised aircraft.
Since being acquired in 2019, Diamond® has continued to trailblaze and make history as part of the global leading manufacturer and supplier of engineered parts, Timken. As a strategic supply partner to Motion, Timken has played a critical role in the design and implementation of drive systems for agricultural machinery with the supply of Diamond® Series Agriculture Roller Chain to farming equipment operators around the country.
Regional General Manager for Australian Timken Sean Young says the design of Diamond® Chain is the culmination of years of dedicated field research, and materials engineering and science that has seen continuous improvement over the years.
“The Diamond® Chain is constructed from precision-ground pins, shot peened rollers and link plates, and a seamless roller arrangement with protruding solid bushings,” he explains. “All of our Diamond® Chains are rigorously tested at the point of manufacture by our in-house engineers and quality assurance officers. The chains are pre-loaded to 50 percent of their tensile strength to ensure the pins and bushings are securely seated in place for load bearing resilience on even the most demanding applications.”
The result is a significantly improved service life and extended life of the internal components. According to Sean, the Diamond® Chain offers a 30 to 40 percent greater service life on agricultural applications and are very versatile for use on different agricultural applications, compared to other standard roller chain solutions.
Australian Timken’s engineering services department and Motion have enjoyed a successful working relationship for over 50 years, during which time both parties have shared the common interest of providing end-to-end engineering solutions and driving results for Australian industry.
“Our field engineers have always been proactive in supporting Motion’s technical specialists and we often perform joint site calls together as one unit to analyse drive system performance and oversee the fitting and installation of our power transmission products,” says Sean.
“Motion’s vast network of supply branches and product experts have been invaluable to us over the years. They have maximised our reach within the industrial market and have been instrumental in communicating the value of our products to customers as well as providing us with a host of feedback and recommendations that have come back from our end-users,” he concludes. “Much like our Diamond® Chain, our relationship with Motion has been built to last.”
INDUSTRY ADVICE FROM OUR EXPERTS
Troy Markland – Product Manager
Timken Diamond® Chain Series Roller Chain
Features and Benefits
• Shot peened link plates and rollers
• Precision ground pins
• 30-40 percent greater wear life
• 20 percent greater fatigue life
• Initial lubrication with Timken proprietary ‘hot dip’ process at 125 degrees Celsius
• Pre-lubricant additives provide excellent corrosion protection
• Pre-loaded to up to 50 percent of their tensile strength to minimise stretch
• Specifically designed for use on agricultural applications
