The refurbishment of tractor engines, known as reman units, has been gaining a good deal attention of late, yet AGCO has been offering this service for over 25 years, with volumes increasing year upon year.
Previously, the practice was more common with big engines, especially those working in a marine environment, yet, as tractor engines get more powerful and expensive, the company is turning its attention to the agricultural market as well.
Refurbished engines
There are many good reasons for taking a used engine, stripping it down and rebuilding it, replacing many of the wearing parts as you go along. It can make good business sense as the engine is not only refreshed but can also be updated with later components.
The first consideration is that refurbished engines are considerably cheaper than replacing a whole new tractor – around one tenth of the price according to AGCO, which is now promoting the service to its farming customers.
Yet that should not be considered the only reason; around 80% of the carbon footprint created by the manufacturer of an engine is in the casting of the block and machining of the parts.
When this taken into consideration there is around a 70% reduction in carbon consumption compared with making a new engine.
Improvements to engines
The AGCO approach to refurbished engines is to strip the engine down completely and clean and replace all the wearing parts. Some parts though, are said to improve with age. Cast iron blocks, for instance, will become tougher through the constant pounding they receive.
All engine surfaces are resurfaced and machined so the engine is factory fresh from every aspect. They are also given a new coat of paint, making them indistinguishable from new and indicating that they have a renewed life.
AGCO suggests that the term ‘factory remanufacturing’ does not signify any particular standard of refurbishment. It can mean anything from a simple replacement of faulty parts to a full pull-down and rebuild of the whole engine and its components.
“Our principle is that if a part faces abrasive or fatigue wear, it is replaced,” Jussi Rinne, quality and aftermarket director for AGCO Power said.
“Also, the common rail in the fuel system, for example, is renewed due to pressure impulses from operation.”
Another important part of the remanufacturing is to implement all the upgrades the engine model has undergone during its lifecycle.
“This means the engine is made into its most recent version with all the improvements,” Rinne added. “There can be many kinds of upgrades, such as updated pistons.”
Personal treatment
Although an engine of a certain type may be thought of as being the same any other of that model, when being remanufactured each unit needs to be considered an individual.
Given the constant change in specification and numbers sold over the years this is probably the only way to approach the task of rebuilding them.
This lack of uniformity requires the person doing the work to have a sound knowledge and a good deal of experience of the engines, according to AGCO.
“The tenure of an average technician must be over 20 years,” Rinne said.
“They have the experience from every engine type already from the assembly line and they are familiar with every component.”
The company believes that remanufacturing an engine is a one-person job, with the same mechanic doing the entire engine from strip-down to rebuild. This, it said, gives them a strong sense of professional pride for their work.
Full refurbished tractors
The engine is the heart of every tractor so keeping it in good shape is essential for the longevity of the vehicle to which it is fitted. However, despite AGCO’s enthusiasm for refurbishing them, the fact remains that it will be fitted to an aging machine.
The answer is to refurbish the whole tractor, and companies such as Atkins of Birr and Murphy Agri Machinery of Co. Galway already offer this service. Even some manufacturers do so, Vervaet of Holland being one.
For those looking for a more cost effective way of buying horsepower this may well be the way forward, although it will not be possible to install all the latest digital technology into a 20-year-old tractor.
