MENSCHEN INFORMATION
MENSCHEN INFORMATION work is important here: filing down the rough sawn edges and applying a spot of grease for the inner profile tube before it’s shoved back into the outer tube. After the protective sleeve is correctly mounted the grease gun comes again into operation, lubricating both sides of the clevis and greasing via the nipple on the universal joint. How much grease and what kind? This is different from shaft to shaft, but the information is printed in the maintenance instructions, the mechanic reminds us. In most cases recommended is lithium saponified grease consistency class NL-GI2. The correct grease is available in retailers ready to use in the appropriate cartridge. One pump with the grease gun brings approx. 3 g grease in the shaft, he explains. Here the saying, “too much isn’t good” should be remembered. Too much grease can lead to clutch blockage. ACUTE ATTENTION The pto shaft is then attached to the implement via the known hand actions that we’ve all carried out a thousand times. Watch out, though: thoughtless routine leads to carelessness. And this can be punished. A farmer – says Reinhold Lambers – experienced the shaft parting from the pto stump during operation, just because the sliding pin had not locked properly in place. So make sure the shaft slides right onto the stump until the sliding pin locks into the radial groove. Then, the protective sleeve chains to prevent movement should be attached to tractor and implement. Now start the test run: the swather rotors turn. The new rig is ready for action. File off rough edges of the flexed pipe – and don’t forget a blob of grease inside the profile tube. So that it remains that way through the season, Reinhold Lambers offers some tips to take back to the farm with you. “Greasing stands right at the top of your to-do list. When pto shafts end up in the workshop during the season with a broken universal joint, this is mainly because of lack of grease. When a universal joint no longer works properly, this can be identified through the shaft clevis running hot. Then, the universal joint should be replaced, otherwise the clevis can be damaged too. Simply more care and attention for pto shafts – that’s all that’s needed to bring them safely through the season”, he concludes. The grease nipples should be filled on both sides of the clevis and at the universal joint. A video over this report can be viewed via the QR-code or the link: krone.de/xtrablatt-videos aufrufen. 24
Quality control CHECKED ALL-ROUND Every machine produced by Kone is subject to diverse tests for quality control. A new final test stand has just been introduced for round balers. Quality right from the beginning: this is the Krone credo. And for this reason, there are already quality spot-checks carried out on supplied components before they actually reach the assembly process. On the assembly line itself, workers also carefully check individual parts before the process begins. Additional test points are diverse “quality gates” through which the round balers also have to pass. Before one assembly team transfers a partly assembled machine onto the next team, the machine is tested for perfect quality and the test results documented. For this, Krone has a flexible test plan with defined commissioning steps (e.g. calibra- tions and programming) to be followed stage-by-stage by the team. For back-up at this stage, comprehensive assembly documentation, engineering drawings and example photos are among the reference items that can be accessed on mobile terminals via the production system “Krone.Assembly”. Any problems that occur are noted and delivered to the assembly line manager and discussed weekly. Corrective measures are decided upon and scheduled for application. After assembly, a roundbaler now goes onto the new test stand. Here, all the information, automated and digitized, flows in from the previous work stages. The baler is identified via machine electronics and, based on the information, the production system “Krone.Assembly” steers the stand and the machine stepby-step through final commissioning and testing stages. All data is stored along with the machine number so that assembly and commissioning of every round baler is comprehensively documented in digital form. If required, customer service can access respective technical specifications via the machine number. 25
