Chelsea Introduces Wet Spline Technology to PTO Product Line
Send Via E-MailOLIVE BRANCH, MS - January 14, 2011 - WastewaterPR.com - One of the most common and potentially costly issues surrounding Power Take-Offs in today’s work truck market is spline fretting. Fretting occurs from corrosion that occurs at the spline where the PTO meets the pump shaft. Torsional vibrations from today’s lower speed, lighter weight and higher torque engines prematurely wear out the mating shafts between the PTO and pump.
Wet Spline option on 277 Series PTO
One of the most common and potentially costly issues surrounding Power Take-Offs in today’s work truck market is spline fretting. Fretting occurs from corrosion that occurs at the spline where the PTO meets the pump shaft. Torsional vibrations from today’s lower speed, lighter weight and higher torque engines prematurely wear out the mating shafts between the PTO and pump. This type of failure can be costly, replacing the PTO and pump can cost upwards of $2,000 not counting lost revenue from downtime and labor to replace the failed components.
Parker Hannifin’s Chelsea Products Division has introduced Wet Spline technology to its PTO product line. Specifically, trucks that run continuously and are lightly loaded suffer from frequent spline fretting. Moreover, work trucks that require long PTO running times and higher torques must also deal with problems associated with increased fretting. The most catastrophic result can be a pump or PTO shaft failure which translates to expensive repairs, the potential for many days of down time and loss of profitability.
Until now, to avoid excessive corrosion, regular maintenance greasing was required, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. The greasing agent is a high-temperature, high-pressure grease designed to reduce torsional vibration effects. Greasing requires detaching all of the associated parts, cleaning each part and then separately re-greasing each part before reattaching them. This entire process can take hours and also contributes to costly down time. Parker’s new Wet Spline technology was designed to eliminate this maintenance requirement.
Many of Chelsea’s PTO products feature non-rotatable and rotatable Wet Spline pump flanges that provide a continuous fresh oil bath at the mating point of the PTO and pump shaft. The cushion of oil virtually eliminates spline fretting and increases the shaft life by a factor of 10. The oil in the Chelsea Wet Spline is easily flushed out and refilled during regular transmission flushing, thereby eliminating the expense and time-consuming commitment of frequent grease maintenance. Chelsea recommends only a yearly inspection of the mating components when using their Wet Spline technology. Grease-able shafts, on the other hand, require monthly inspections.
Chelsea’s 890 Series PTO is a good example of how Wet Spline technology has benefited several industries. The 890 Series PTO was specifically designed for the refuse, fire apparatus and pumper cleaner industry, whose larger pumps and engine torsionals make for challenging applications. Torsional vibrations from diesel engines will often prematurely wear out the mating PTO and pump splines. Chelsea’s new 890 Series PTO not only provides these vehicles with maximum pump clearance, but also with a Wet Spline system to lubricate the mating PTO and pump shafts.
The 890 product has been lab and field tested in some of the most rugged and difficult environments using Refuse and Fire & Rescue Trucks with superb results. The value proposition is especially strong for these industries due to the weight elimination over the front axle, the elimination of FEPTO drive applications, the elimination of spline fretting and the ability to clutch the device on and off which can result in significant fuel savings over the life of the vehicle.
Another product that the Chelsea Products Division has recently introduced is the 277 Series Rotatable Wet Spline PTO. This new option provides solutions for the installer and end users of this product. The rotatable pump flange allows the installer to position his pump in the best position for clearance with obstacles underneath the truck such as frame rail or transmission case interference points. The Wet Spline design provides the end user with all the benefits that have been previously mentioned in extended shaft life and reduced maintenance time.
