Profi-Flex
The Profi-Flex Wheel is GKN Wheels' Manually Adjustable Variable Track wheel and a well-proven industry standard.
A key trend within the agricultural market in recent years has been the move towards bigger farms, meaning that tractors spend more time on the road with a need to travel faster. There is also a need for a greater frequency of track adjustments to suit the needs of varying crops. These changing demands placed on vehicles produce additional stresses on wheels. GKN Wheels’ Profi-Flex Wheel incorporates many design features that make it the most capable, adjustable wheel on the market today.
The Profi-Flex Wheel incorporates many design features that make it the most capable, adjustable wheel on the market today. The Profi-Flex Wheel features 16 different track positions, with 15mm between each, meaning a more accurate position can be achieved when planting multiple crops or moving from field to field. The variable width also lends itself to situations where more steering ability or vehicle traction may be required.
The wheel incorporates a continuously welded flange ring which joins the centre disc to the wheel rim, creating a constant cross section flange ring ensuring an even distribution of loads between the rim and disc, which in turn minimises the stress on the wheel. In addition, the flange has a very flat profile, giving an excellent surface for bolt location and making it easy to maintain the preloaded torque.
Profi-Flex is used globally by major agricultural equipment manufacturers. The component tolerances have been developed to allow all adjustable track wheels to be suitable for operations at speeds of up to 50kph.
Features:
- Continuously welded flange ring joins the bolted centre disc to the wheel rim
- Increased bolt stretch
- 16 offset positions, 15mm between each
- Can operate at speeds of up to 50kph
- Available with GKN Wheels' Profi-fit rim profile
- Standard wheel designs allow up to as much as 260HP
- Rack position moves to optimise the greatest yield on crops
- The design of the wheel lends itself to situations where more steering ability or traction may be required
- High-performance life and low fatigue due to structurally efficient joint structure
Download the Profi-Flex Datasheet below:
Profi-Flex HS
Based on the industry success of the Profi-Flex wheel, we have recently designed and introduced the Profi-Flex HS. The solution addresses the issues of run-out that can occur on manually adjustable track – Profi-Flex - wheels when used on high-speed applications.
With tractor speeds constantly increasing, the issue of run-out, or “wheel wobble”, becomes ever more important, as the faster the tractor’s speed, the more pronounced the issue becomes. Profi-Flex HS incorporates integrated centering pins in the spacers, guaranteeing that the disc and rim are correctly re-aligned when wheel track settings are being changed. This unique solution uses a single alignment pin which ensures that the disc has to be re-fitted in the correct position when the track spacing has been changed.
The standard for tractors that are approved for speeds of 50km/h and above requires high spot marking of the wheel and low spot marking of the tyres, to ensure the tyre is positioned accurately, thereby minimising run-out and so optimising ride comfort and performance. However to suit different operational requirements, manually-adjustable wheels enable the disc to be moved to change the track settings, and in these circumstances, it is vital that when it is refitted, the disc isn’t rotated and the alignment isn’t altered, as this could have a significant impact on run-out.
The solution - the wheel incorporates integrated centering pins in the spacers, guaranteeing that the disc and rim are correctly re-aligned when wheel track settings are being changed. This unique solution uses a single alignment pin which ensures that the disc has to be re-fitted in the correct position when the track spacing has been changed.
The new Profi-Flex HS wheel ensures that whenever the track setting is changed, the disc is always replaced in the correct alignment with the wheel and that the correct tolerances are maintained. Having researched other systems in the market where the centering feature is an extra component – which can easily get lost, during the development phase on this new, patented design, our engineers had a target to develop a ‘Poka Yoke’ solution, to ensure that the wheel cannot be assembled incorrectly.
Ole Dall Product Manager explains - “Our solution is simple and straightforward, ensuring that the manual adjustment of a tractor’s track settings can be completed efficiently and accurately, every time. As a result, the ride quality, comfort-levels and tractor performance will all be maintained at the highest level.
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