When an agricultural equipment manufacturer needed a lightweight, durable bearing solution for the pivot points of its carbon fibre sprayer booms, it turned to a material it already knew from the marine industry. Low-friction, dimensionally stable, wear-resistant Vesconite bushings, which the manufacturer had previously associated with yachts, were incorporated into the booms to provide low-friction, wear-resistant movement in demanding agricultural conditions.
The connection between the two applications is not as unusual as it might first appear. The agricultural equipment company originated as an offshoot of a marine business with extensive experience in advanced composite materials, including fibreglass, composite laminates and carbon fibre. Its familiarity with Vesconite had also been established through demanding marine applications, making the material a natural choice when the company began developing its agricultural equipment.
According to Leandro Panzini of Vesconite Argentina, the decision came down to finding a bearing material that suited the boom’s pivot points.
“When they had to design the booms, and they had a few breakpoints where they needed to fit a bushing, they said, ‘We have the correct material’,” notes Panzini.
Vesconite offers several properties that make it well suited to these applications. The engineered bearing material is considerably lighter than metal, does not swell in water and offers excellent resistance to many agricultural chemicals. Its low-friction characteristics also allow it to operate with little or no external lubrication, an advantage for agricultural machinery operating in environments where maintenance access can be limited.
These properties complement the demands placed on sprayer boom pivot points. The booms must repeatedly move as they are folded, unfolded and adjusted, while their bearing points are exposed to moisture, fertilisers and agricultural chemicals. A bearing material needs to provide reliable movement while resisting wear and environmental degradation.
The choice of Vesconite was also consistent with the manufacturer’s wider approach to lightweight equipment design. Having originated from a marine business, the company had substantial experience with advanced composite materials and eventually applied this expertise to agricultural machinery.
One of its key developments was the replacement of steel with carbon fibre for its sprayer booms.
Sprayer booms are among the most important structural components of crop sprayers. They support multiple spray nozzles across their length and must remain stable while distributing herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and liquid fertilisers evenly across fields. As agricultural operations have increased in scale, manufacturers have sought wider booms that can cover more hectares in less time.
Carbon fibre has helped make these wider designs possible. Its high strength-to-weight ratio allows manufacturers to produce significantly lighter boom structures while maintaining the stiffness required for accurate spraying. Lower weight makes the booms easier to fold, unfold and stabilise during operation and transport, while also reducing the loads imposed on the surrounding machinery.
Carbon fibre also brings advantages in the agricultural environment. Unlike steel, it does not corrode and is resistant to water, fertilisers and many agricultural chemicals. This makes it well suited to equipment that operates outdoors and is routinely exposed to moisture and potentially corrosive substances.
The combination of carbon fibre and Vesconite therefore provides complementary material properties. Carbon fibre delivers a lightweight, stiff structural solution, while Vesconite provides a lightweight bearing material for the points where movement occurs.
The manufacturer’s previous experience with Vesconite in rudder systems and other applications gave it confidence in using the material beyond its original marine applications. That familiarity helped streamline the bearing selection process when the company developed its carbon fibre agricultural sprayer booms, resulting in Vesconite bushings being incorporated into their pivot points.
The application demonstrates how engineering experience can cross industry boundaries. Materials selected for their ability to withstand demanding marine conditions can also offer valuable advantages in agricultural machinery, particularly as manufacturers seek to reduce weight while maintaining durability and reliability.
As agricultural equipment continues to become lighter and wider, the interaction between structural materials and bearing materials will become increasingly important. In applications such as sprayer boom pivots, the right bearing material can help ensure that the advantages of lightweight construction are not compromised at the points where components must move repeatedly under demanding operating conditions.
