Seeding… with Tungsten Carbide

In several previous posts, we have already talked about the points and shares (wear parts in general) that use Tungsten Carbide and have delivered outstanding results in terms of durability. On more than one occasion, we have even explained how these wear parts are manufactured and how Tungsten Carbide plates are brazing to the critical wear areas. This seeding season, we have expanded the use of this material to the shares on our seed drill, and we would like to share our experience with you.  

Our friends at Bellota sent us some parts (15023 CP C1 DURATOP) to test on our seed drill, allowing us to compare them with standard shares. At the end of the seeding season, we will assess the wear on both types, but based on our experience, these parts will be practically everlasting for us.  

One of the key features we highlight in these seeder shares is their thickness, which is usually much thinner on standard models (in fact, this one weighs over 1 kg), as you can see in the image showing its technical specifications. In addition, the Tungsten Carbide plate is located in the most critical wear area, making it a very well-designed and well-manufactured wear part.

As you can see in the photos, they also sent us some points for our Ovlac cultivator. What makes them special, besides the use of Tungsten Carbide? The angle of attack to the soil is different… but we’ll talk about that in a future post.

Versión en español.

Tungsten carbide inserts. Wear parts

One of the topics we’ve explored on several occasions, and which continues to capture our interest, is the range of options available for wear parts on our cultivators, ploughs, seed drills, and similar equipment. It is certainly a fascinating subject, and once you start using tungsten carbide you start to look at it differently.

In a recent conversation with the team at Bellota Agrisolutions, we asked them to share more details about the manufacturing process and characteristics of their wear parts. Here are some key insights they provided:

Tungsten carbide is a highly durable and wear resistant material used in many industries, including agriculture. Bellota Agrisolutions has been using tungsten carbide inserts in cultivators for more than 10 years, consistently achieving excellent field performance.

Bellota Agrisolutions only uses virgin tungsten inserts in its production, i.e. meaning no recycled materials are involved. This choice ensures a higher density of tungsten carbide resulting in superior durability and strength. In addition to density, grain size, porosity and hardness of the inserts are measures that are considered to guarantee optimum performance.

The base component is typically machined to provide a perfect and homogeneous insert support. After thoroughly cleaning the surface, the part undergoes brazing and heat treatment, creating high-performance products with uniform hardness throughout the part, thus preventing premature wear. In this controlled process, the workpiece is cooled to create a strong bond between the tungsten insert and the base part. After hardening, the cultivators are shot-blasted to remove all impurities from the heat treatment and then painted.

To ensure the effectiveness of a tungsten carbide-equipped tiller, it’s not just the raw material, brazing process or heat treatment that are important, the design of the insert is also key. Critical wear areas on each component must be carefully studied, and the inserts must be designed and positioned to deliver the best possible performance. Bellota has developed more than 100 different parts with tungsten inserts, marketed under the DURATOP range. These are available both through their own catalogue and as exclusive parts for machinery manufacturers.

Bellota Agrisolutions, aware of the good characteristics of tungsten carbide, has also launched other ways of applying tungsten carbide on the market, calling these ranges DURATOPBOND and DURATOPFUSE.

• DURATOPBOND are tungsten carbide chips fused to the base part with a high-strength braze. This solution is especially suitable for rocky terrain, where there's a higher risk of insert detachment.
• DURATOPFUSE is a technology where tungsten carbide powder is sprayed to create a thin layer, which is then fused to the base component in a controlled-temperature process. This technology is ideal for products where no more than 2mm of coating is advisable, such as cutting tools.

Without a doubt, Bellota's application of tungsten carbide makes it a leader in the industry. Bellota Agrisolutions stands out for offering durable, high-performance wear parts for modern farming needs.

Versión en español.

Bellota Duratop with Tungsten material. A profitable investment

Wear parts are a real headache, especially for farmers who work a lot of fields, because we have to spend money on spare parts and consumables and have them ready when they are required. Manufacturers, especially Bellota brand, are investing to improve these wear parts to be able to provide an ever longer service life. Then, tungsten material has been playing a part in this evolution for many years now. It is true that this material has been used for many years, but it is not yet used on a daily basis by farmers, especially in small and medium-sized farms... we imagine that is due to its high cost, which if you evaluate it is not as high as it may seem when you make the purchase. We will tell you about our experience.

For years, we have been using the Bellota 1513-A C2N CP DURATOP cultivators and the sensations can't be better. As you can see in the pictures, we fix this type of cultivators in the middle of the arms of our Ovlac Minichisel cultivator and started working to see the wear and tear compared to "normal" cultivators, such as the Bellota 1513 A C2N (with a point more than 22 mm thick and 85 mm long, with sweeps designed to wear away). The durability is quite remarkable because we have changed several times the normal cultivators and the Duratop cultivators are still unharmed/ intact... it seems incredible. On this occasion, we are going to incorporate the new model 1513-A C2N CP cultivators to the rest of the arms, which are made up of 13 tungsten plates and a reinforced neck, with the tip plate standing out for its large size (the previous 1513-A C2N CP had 12 tungsten plates as you can see in the photos).

Our opinion and suggestion to farmers who want to try this type of cultivators but are not able to see if it will be cost-effective in the long run is:

• Try to put only on arms that go behind the wheels of the tractor (because they work on the harder soil) and with that setup start working. 
• See normal growers wear out but Duratop growers "keep going," like the famous batteries that last and last.

Once you pass these tests, you will see that the investment in Duratop with tungsten material is more than a profitable investment because in addition to the consumable, it saves on screws, maintenance time and headaches.

Versión en español.

New cultivators. Longer lasting

Whenever we visit the stand of Bellota Agrisolutions at FIMA, we get surprised. Without any doubt, it is one of the most interesting stands of this Farm Fair for all the novelties they present and for the pleasant and professional reception that we always have from the staff of Bellota. On this occasion, it was very interesting to learn about the new, longer-lasting cultivators, which guarantee a constant working width and angle of attack throughout the life of the cultivator. These pieces are very used by Spanish farmers so we think a lot of people would like to know them.

Bellota has redesigned the new 1512, 1513 and 1599 cultivators in order to last longer. Firstly, the sweeps have been reshaped so that the working width is maintained as they wear away with use. The wing of the cultivator, which is more than 4cm, guarantees that the piece will always have the same working width for homogenous tilling in the fields. The two sides reinforced, with a point more than 2.2cm thick and 8.5cm long, ensures not only that the piece lasts longer, but also that the angle of attack is maintained so that the point of the cultivator can always penetrate the soil properly, thus minimum effort is required to till the land. There models are available: 1512 and 1599 (with 47º angle of attack) and 1513 (with 35,5º angle of attack). These cultivators have a working widths of 18.5cm, 23cm or 27.5cm and they are painted in black epoxy.

The 1512 and 1599 model (with 47º working angle) will allow you to work with less working depth. If more working depth is required, the 1513 is recommended due to its 35.5° angle of attack. In addition to all that, they incorporate a new design so that the two screws, that fix the piece to the arm, are more protected against wear. Also, thanks to a new deeper countersink, the bolts will be always protected.

Therefore, the two most important characteristics to take into account would be:

• More constancy. The reshaped wings have a constant (18.5cm, 23cm or 27.5cm) working width maintained as they wear away with use.
• More precise.  With the two sides reinforced (with a point more than 2.2cm thick and 8.5cm long), not only the point is always sharp but also the sweep lasts longer.

Versión en español.

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