Centrifugal Clutch for Agriculture/Forestry Industry

The industry-leading centrifugal clutches from BLM Automatic Clutch are critical in countless agricultural applications. Our centrifugal clutches feature minimal downtime and maximum productivity, all while requiring minimal maintenance. BLM clutches can be applied to pumps, sprayers, chippers, and a variety of other agricultural equipment.

Below we cover some of the most commonly-utilized machinery and equipment popular throughout the agricultural industry today. Clutches are a crucial component for much of the machinery powering the agricultural sector.

Why Are Centrifugal Clutches Ideal for Farming Equipment?

Centrifugal clutches are comprised of three main components:

1. A metal drum
2. An output shaft, sprocket, or sheave
3. A set of internal fly-weights (restrained by springs assembled formed into a simple single driving mechanism)

These clutches function relatively simply. Once an engine is revved and the rotational speed of the inner section of the clutch increases, the fly-weights move outward. This serves to either stretch the springs or deflect the stamped piece, which leads to clutch engagement. Output ceases when the engine goes idle and fly-weights retract, disengaging from the drum.

Centrifugal clutches are ideal for a broad range of agricultural equipment. Farming machinery, gardening equipment, and numerous other advanced technologies rely on the use of clutches.

Clutches are automatic and don’t require any control mechanisms. As such, engines start before application engagement and cease operations when the application is idle, making them ideal for most maintenance applications.

Agricultural and Farming Equipment Using Centrifugal Clutch Systems

A number of systems critical to agricultural and farming rely on the use of centrifugal clutches. Some of these include:

• Pumps and sprayers responsible for providing irrigation to fields
• Sprayers to deliver nutrients and pest control to crops
• Chippers to recycle pruned branches in fruit and nut orchards
• Chainsaws for groundskeeping

BLM: Experience, Efficiency, and Excellence

The BLM Automatic Clutch team has extensive clutch design and manufacturing experience.  Our custom clutches are fully machined to exacting tolerances specifically tailored to meet the engine horsepower and RPM requirements of your specifications. Our capabilities also include dimensional inspection to ensure exacting tolerances are met.

We provide customized pieces for single-use or OEM products and are always eager to work with new customers. We have extensive experience in developing prototypes for unique agricultural applications.

Please contact us today to find out more about our pricing, capabilities, and product availability.

Clutches for Agriculture Applications: Case Study

An OEM manufacturer of compressors was in need of a solution for one of their products that had an issue starting in the cold weather.

BLM was commissioned to manufacture a custom clutch to suit their demands, modifying a standard design to meet the specific needs of this customer. Utilizing advanced CNC milling and turning, a gray iron casting was used. A tolerance of ± 0.003″ was maintained throughout and the unit was assembled and finished with a coating of blue paint.

The produced 6″ clutch would allow the engine to start and warm up before the compressor load was applied. Thorough dimensional inspection was implemented to ensure accuracy.

As requested, the compressor pulley was twice as large as the clutch pulley to facilitate the correct speed. The clutch is appropriate for the compressor’s 18 HP engine, with an idle speed of 1600 RPM, and operating RPM of 3000. 30 units were produced in a turnaround time of 4 weeks, and shipped to the customer in Canada.

This centrifugal clutch is suitable for multiple applications, and can be adapted to fit particular demands. For more information about this iron centrifugal clutch project, or the other custom clutch capabilities for demanding industrial applications, please see the table below or contact BLM directly.