Fast-Wearing Parts on Reversible Ploughs and Spare Part Planning

A reversible plough is only as productive as its spare parts stock. The parts that wear out fastest are also the ones that stop work if they run out. Planning stock around the wear pattern means the plough never waits for a delivery in the middle of the season.

Know your fastest-moving parts

Shares lead the list: they cut the soil every pass and wear quickest. Next come coulter discs and their bearings, then link pins and bushes, and the seals on the reversal ram. Mouldboards wear more slowly, but they are worth keeping as occasional spares. Rank these parts by how often they are replaced, and stock accordingly.

Match stock to soil type

Sandy soil accelerates share wear; stony soil chips shares and bends coulter arms; clay wears mouldboards with adhesion. A machine working sandy ground needs more shares on the shelf; a stony farm needs extra coulter bearings and shear bolts. Tailor the spares stock to the actual field conditions rather than a generic list.

Keep a standing kit

A basic kit of shares, coulter bearings, common pin and bush sizes, and a ram seal kit covers most on-the-spot repairs. Store them clean and labelled, with the part number noted on the package. A well-labelled shelf means the right part is found in minutes, not after digging through boxes.

Order before the season rush

Spring is when every farm needs the same parts at once. Order the annual stock before the season starts, based on last year's consumption. Keep a record of which parts were used and when, so the next order is sized from real use rather than guesswork. Seasonal delivery delays have a way of hitting exactly when the field is waiting.

Plan for the unexpected

Beyond normal wear, keep a shear bolt set and a spare depth wheel tyre for the shock events: a hidden rock, a bent arm, a punctured wheel. These are not monthly items, but when they are needed they stop the plough completely. A small reserve of these parts prevents a single surprise from turning into a lost week.

References

PATEL N, CHEN L. Wear rate analysis of reversible plough components[J]. Biosystems Engineering, 2020, 196: 210-218.

Patel, N., and L. Chen. "Wear Rate Analysis of Reversible Plough Components." Biosystems Engineering, vol. 196, 2020, pp. 210-218.

Patel, N., & Chen, L. (2020). Wear rate analysis of reversible plough components. Biosystems Engineering, 196, 210-218.