Technical
The assembly is then passed to skilled welders who place a weld at every point where the spiral blades are fitted into the collars
The 8” and 10” cylinders are then balanced with relevant weights. A final washing process cleans any debris from the unit before it is packed in heavy duty cardboard boxes for dispatch to the Customer Care Parts Dept.
During all these processes of both bottom blade and cylinder manufacture, there are constant checks to ensure that the high quality built into the manufacturing of the items is maintained.
Damage prevention
Yes, they may be a slightly more expensive to purchase in the short term? However, superior performance and longevity reduces costs in the long term.
Remaining with the cutting unit, perhaps the most non-technical replacement item is the pivot shaft. This is a piece of round bar, clamped onto a cutting unit lift arm on which the cutting unit pivots. Contact a tree root, kerb stone or lamppost with the cutting unit and it may well bend - and that’s exactly what it’s supposed to do!
This protects other components on the mower from being damaged. A pivot shaft that is too hard can snap causing the unit to fall off the machine; if too strong, then the impact damage is transferred elsewhere to a more expensive lift arm perhaps or pivot bracket assembly on top of the cutting unit.
Quite often non-genuine parts are ‘beefed up’ and sold as ‘stronger and more, heavy duty’. So, using the example of contacting a tree root, where does the impact damage get transferred to? It will probably be the lift arm chassis mounting points or the chassis itself; you’ll almost certainly be faced with an expensive repair if this happens! And, warranty would be invalid if a machine
suffered such issues and non genuine parts were found to be used.
Rollers
The same ‘genuine’ argument applies to rollers; a zinc coating helps with salt resistance, the swaged, rounded ends help minimise turf damage when turning and they are covered by a one year warranty for manufacturing or material defects. They are specifically manufactured to match the performance of product.
Warranty
What about warranty on genuine parts? Yes, at Ransomes Jacobsen we offer one year, subject to fair wear and tear.
There are other parts associated with machinery, such as filters, tyres and wear skids, all of which need looking at carefully before buying the cheapest.
Final thought
And, one final thought. The ever increasing pressure on employers to control and measure Hand and Arm Vibration (HAV) levels, beyond the supply of machines when new, presents some difficult questions moving forward.
Heat treatment is the next important process and this is designed to give the required hardness and wear characteristics to the spiral blades
Warranty would be invalid if a machine suffered such issues and non genuine parts were found to be used
”
The larger cylinders are balanced, given a final wash and packed in heavy duty cardboard boxes
138 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
Quite often, non-genuine parts are ‘beefed up’ and sold as ‘stronger and more, heavy duty’
The completed cylinder is chemically washed and powdered paint is electrostatically applied before firing in the oven
For example, let us look at a hypothetical ride-on mower which is three years old and has measurements being taken for HAVs. The findings are higher than the manufacturer’s original statement, so the first remedial action is to contact the manufacturer and ask what can be done.
Without doubt, the first and most obvious question will be; is the machine to the manufacturer’s original specification and fitted with genuine parts?
Genuine versus non-genuine will always be a contentious issue but, is a short-term gain preferable to increased costs further down the line. That’s the call you have to make but, remember, non-genuine parts may not reduce your maintenance costs in the long term.
Summary
At the beginning of this article we asked “Why genuine parts?” and, hopefully, we have provided valid reasoning why they should be used.
Genuine parts will keep your machine working to the same high standards as new; their longer lasting performance should equate to cost savings in the long-term and they are British manufactured to the strict quality standard BSEN836.
Watch the How To ' Workshop - Genuine Parts - Why’ video here
Warranties may be invalidated if non-genuine parts are used in the maintenance process
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