June 26, 2000
ISSUE #M8

Vincent has never had a gearbox failure in a Series KP screw press. This record is attributable to two design features of these machines.

A critical observer will note that the construction used to mount the gearbox on the press is relatively expensive. The gearbox is mounted on a plate with four legs that are welded to the inlet hopper (A-plate) of the press. It would cost a lot less to simply bolt the box to the A-plate.

The reason for the separation is to provide for leakage at the shaft seal. There are a pair of Johns Manville seals located in a seal housing that is bolted to the A-plate. The four legs are used to make a large physical separation between this seal and the gearbox. That way, when the seals eventually fail, leakage will be to the structure below the press.

Without this provision the leakage would be against the gearbox shaft seal. Gearbox seals are designed to keep oil in, not to keep manure out. It is common for competitors to have bearing and gearbox failures due to manure contamination since provision is not made to drain away leakage. It is all but impossible for this to happen with a Vincent press.