The Opportunity
Ag-Chem (now AGCO), a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery, sought a cost-effective solution to improve the operator comfort of their industry-leading self-propelled sprayers. Due to the size and weight of the vehicle, the solution needed to allow for significant frame twist while not limiting suspension travel or negatively impacting ROPS safety requirements.
Why Link
Ag-Chem came to Link because of its status as the premier cab suspension manufacturer for the truck market. Link’s history with OE truck manufacturers provided distinctive capabilities to meet the stringent strength, durability, and chemical resistance targets demanded by the application, as well as the engineering personnel support throughout the project.
Competitors of Ag-Chem had implemented various ride improvement options that were costly and would have required substantial redesign efforts to a platform that had years of successful operation in the market. Ag-Chem demanded something different.
The Results
Link proposed a customized cab suspension as the most effective and economical solution for ride comfort and other considerations. Over a 1-year period, Link partnered with Ag-Chem to design and test the new air cab suspension. After lab testing in Link’s engineering facilities, the prototype was delivered in just four weeks. Further validation, integration and on-site testing were conducted at Ag-Chem’s test track in Jackson, Minnesota.
The final design isolated vibration to the driver area, without sacrificing stability or cab strength on the RoGator® and TerraGator® sprayer models. It also included modifications to standard fittings to ensure longer product life – including the nickel-plating of key components that would be exposed to the harsh environment of agricultural chemical spraying.
Additionally, Link was able to meet very rigorous agricultural paint standards using our in-house paint facility – a competency that most other suppliers were unable to accomplish.
Link products are available and can be ordered through Link’s nationwide network of dealers. For more information on Link products or to find a dealer, please call (800) 222-6283 or visit https://www.linkmfg.com/dealers.
