CLEANFIX North America Ltd. debuted its latest innovation, the CLEANFIX Clean Genius, at Agritechnica this week. The new drainage technology will be available in the U.S. and Canada later this year. Ben Haegele, CEO of CLEANFIX North America Ltd. says, “Clean Genius was designed to keep hydraulic systems dry – even in the event of leaks. It’s a smart drainage system that resolves a persistent nuisance operators face and by doing so prevents unnecessary downtime due to breakdown maintenance and safety issues.”
Agricultural equipment features a lot of hydraulic components that are very reliable due to their high-performance seals. The latter, however, can pose a challenge because hydraulic oil is needed between the seal and the hydraulic cylinder to prevent premature wear. While a minimal amount of oil is needed to lubricate specific components or areas and is often described as ‘sweating’ under normal operating conditions, excess hydraulic oil can cause a more serious leakage, create maintenance issues, and even poses a risk for fire. As the number of operating hours increases and the hydraulic oil becomes dirty, a leak is more likely to occur. A high leakage rate can lead to operating problems and negatively affect hydraulic system performance.
Clean Genius was designed following a development order from John Deere. The drainage system is designed for the use with the belt variator of a cooling fan. The new technology keeps the hydraulics dry by routing hydraulic fluid away from the variator belt. This prevents the fluid from being blown by the fan towards the engine and turbocharger. Clean Genius routes the fluid in a controlled manner into a small leakage container. This container allows operators to monitor how much oil leaks and make informed decisions as to when to replace a seal or schedule maintenance – which will allow for better timing and saving costs.
Haegele concludes, “Clean Genius is another smart innovation by CLEANFIX and a great addition to our existing product portfolio. Our mission is to offer solutions to problems our customers face while operating their agricultural equipment. We support them by keeping their farming operations up and running throughout the seasons.”
CLEANFIX Clean Genius will be launched in Europe and North America later this year.