Pneumatic clutches are very powerful and an excellent fit for the large industrial machines your company depends on for your toughest job-site challenges, including auto cranes and other construction vehicles.
Here at K&L Clutch, we’re proud to offer a comprehensive line of torque converters for a broad variety of industries, from some of America’s leading industrial clutch manufacturers, including:
— Twin Disc Torque Converters
— Allison Torque Converters
— Manitowoc Torque Converters
— Clark Torque Converters
The profit losses start mounting as soon as your transmission fails out in the field. When it happens (and it happens to just about everyone), you need transmission replacement and repair parts, and you need them fast.
K&L Clutch and Transmission offers customers a solid investment for their industrial projects since our products are longer lasting, our work more efficient and our quality services mean less downtime.
1. Longer Life
The longer industrial transmission and clutch components last, the more you’ll save on your project’s bottom line.
For example, our torque converters are tough, durable, and long-lasting, meaning you’ll spend less on equipment repairs and replacement parts, and more on investments that are actually profitable. But beyond their own integrity, our industrial torque converters actually extend the life of heavy equipment engines and transmissions themselves, thanks to smooth operation at optimum efficiency speed ranges, and shock protection from load and equipment damage.
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Here at K&L Clutch, we don’t just supply our clients with critical industrial transmission parts like pneumatic clutches and torque converters. We keep companies drilling, digging, dredging, and doing the work that powers the world.
In other words, our goals exist to make it easier for companies to achieve their’s.
Just take a look at Norfolk Dredging “” a company we’re proud to support, especially in the most demanding work environments. According to Building and Construction Northeast Magazine:
One of the company’s most recent triumphs, for example, was the Hubline Project for Algonquin Gas Transmission Co. “” a 29-mile long, 30-inch steel pipeline installed under Massachusetts Bay. It is the longest undersea gas line in New England, and was built to carry natural gas for local and regional markets. […]
Complicating matters was the location of the work, the company adds. “The uniqueness of this restoration project is that Norfolk Dredging Co. had to perform this work some five miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, in the middle of winter, digging to depths of 120 feet over an active high-pressure gas pipeline, while working under a rigidly defined time frame for completion,” it says. Nevertheless, the work was completed on time and without incident.
No excuses. They just got the job done.
We’ve been working with crane and dragline companies like Norfolk Dredging for more than 30 years “” and this company typifies the sort of relationships we aim to build with our clients.
The key is customer service, because professional service capabilities can make the difference between project profitability and failure “” especially since so many industries we work with are hard at work around the clock in hostile work environments.
In the end, customer service is a state of mind. From our headquarters in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, this mission revolves around a series of service capabilities:
Time is money when you’re out in the field, and even a small breakdown can be crippling to your project’s finances. When you need service, you need it then and there””not in three to five shipping days needed to get the right tools for the fix (or even the three to five hours it takes an ill-equipped company to get the industrial transmission part into the right place) and that’s where K&L comes in with our fully-equipped field service trucks.
Our field service trucks are carefully designed to respond to the complex and ever-evolving needs for job-sites in industries like oil, gas, mining and construction. Our trucks will come to you””24/7, wherever you’re working””and they’ll come armed and ready to get the job done.
Let’s take a closer look at what they carry:
A 5,000-Pound-Capacity Auto Crane
A heavy-duty Auto Crane makes it much easier to respond to demanding industrial power service needs, and gives us the flexibility and accuracy needed to do fixes in hard-to-reach places.
Why? Reach and lifting abilities matter. If we just showed up with the right tools and replacement parts, but no way to easily position them to where they need to be, additional time and manpower would be wasted trying get everything in the right place.
The cranes feature rack-and-pinion rotation systems””resulting in the high torque needed for heavy lifting and positioning””and rotational cylinders guarded by flow controls and load-holding valves, which boost safety and operational precision. All together, this makes repairing or replacing equipment like torque converters, mechanical clutches and pneumatic clutches simple.
In other words, the 5,000-pound Auto Cranes on our trucks make sure they arrive ready to work.
Complete, Customized Tool Capabilities
There’s nothing more dismaying than a service provider showing up unprepared or unable to do the job. From the heaviest-duty appliances to the smallest hand tools, we’ll arrive with everything needed to install and service the wide range of units we sell.
In fact, at our headquarters in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, we thrive on coming up with customized solutions to unusual and unexpected problems. Our tool sets reflect these diverse, nimble solutions capabilities.
Machine Shop Support and Talent
In the end, what’s on our truck is only as good as the people that arrive with it. And thanks to our extensive support experience, our technicians are simply the best in the business. Headquartered just nine miles from DWF International Airport in the town of Hurst, we’re also ideally located to get them to jobs all over the country.
Furthermore, as with our tool sets, our North Texas machine shop and service center gives us the backing needed to solve problems specific to your job’s unique needs and situation. We’ll get you back up and running in no time.
Contact one of industrial clutch and transmission service specialists for more information.
24-Hour Field Service & Troubleshooting
Time spent not working is money poured down the drain, so the ability to respond instantly as soon as a breakdown happens is critical. Nonstop service capabilities can make the difference between project profitability and failure “” especially since so many industries we work with are hard at work around the clock. From our service center and machine shop in North Texas, we can respond at any time a need arises, providing excellent industrial equipment services.
Factor in time zone changes, and this flexibility becomes even more vital””when work breaks down in the middle of the day in the Middle East, you shouldn’t have to wait until the normal business day starts up again in Dallas to get technical support and troubleshooting advice. Read Full Article →
At KL Clutch, we’re proud to provide both VC-style and CB-style pneumatic clutches “” the sort rugged enough for peak, reliable performance out in the oilfields, and flexible enough to be provide pneumatic clutch solutions across a variety of other industrial applications using air clutches.
Both are constricting-type clutches featuring Oil State’s ELASTA-FLEX drum clutch elements””a flexible, fabric-reinforced inflatable elastomeric tube that expands radially inward””designed for severe, demanding clutch applications. When the tube constricts, it pushes the friction shoes against an outer cylindrical drum surface, which makes it easy to accurately determine and control element torque capacity.
Let’s take a look at the unique capabilities of each:
VC-type pneumatic clutches: Better heat dissipation. Higher torque capabilities. Increased longevity.
VC elements were principally designed for severe, high-torque, high-thermal capacity clutching in heavy machinery with high starting loads. In other words: toughness, toughness, toughness.
By design, torque gets transmitted via torque bars from the side plates to the friction shoes. They work well for a few reasons: A well-ventilated construction improves heat dissipation from the friction shoes and cooling airflow. And the clutches boast high torque ratings, which makes it easy to use smaller diameter units (better for lowering contact velocity on high-speed applications). Because of what’s required of them, VC-style air clutches are in are in many ways considered to be the most trusty, tough styles of drum clutches.
A VC-style clutch might especially come in handy (compared to less efficient conventional clutches) if you’ve faced repeated clutch failures resulting from extensive slippage and high starting loads.
CB-type pneumatic clutches: torsional resilience and flexibility
CB-style air clutches, meanwhile, are most noted for their flexibility. Designed for power transmission in oilfield machinery, the CB elements work best in high-speed, medium-torque applications””especially those where high heat generation (as seen in VC applications) is less of a problem. CB torque also gets transmitted through a sort of flexible neoprene side wall and cord actuating tube, which lets minor, naturally occurring shaft misalignment happen without causing larger problems. The neoprene tube automatically tightens up when friction surfaces wear, providing constant compensation.
Out in the oilfield, the CB-types fit a more broad array of applications than VC types, including engine, slush pump, and PTO applications.
Contact our industrial clutch specialists to get a better idea of which pneumatic clutch suits your needs.
Quincy 350 Air Compressor
Mobile. Tough. Reliable. That’s what most of our clients need from their air compressors, and, at K&L Clutch, that’s what we’re eager to provide.
From our base in the the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, we proudly provide the Quincy QRNG 350 air compressor, which features an air-cooled, two-stage, two-cylinder, pressure-lubricated compressor and a long, long history of top-of-the-line performance and lifespan. Read Full Article →
Industrial Torque Converter
Industrial torque converters provide the torque and horsepower that makes your projects go””but they’re not immune to breakdowns.
The torque converter is the part of your machine that controls how much fluid is passed on to the transmission. It also allows your engine to continue to run while completely stopped. If this specific component of the machine happens to malfunction, it can cause strange behavior such as slipping. The difficult part is trying to diagnose what the exact cause of the torque converter malfunctioning is. There can be many causes for problems with torque converters.
It can be difficult to separate an issue with the transmission from problems with torque converters. Yet, there are some signs you should be aware of that can help you pinpoint what the issue is, whether that issue be with the transmission or the torque converter.
1. Overheating
The most likely problem you’ll run into is overheating. Overheating can usually be directly traced to low converter fluid pressure and/or air present in the system. This can be caused by several factors, including:
Overheating can damage the seals, o-rings, and gaskets leading to fluid leaks and a lack of proper fluid circulation.
2. Deformed Blades
Fragmented or deformed turbine blades is another sure way to see an industrial torque converter quickly lose its effectiveness. This can happen as a result of rapid overheating of the torque converter or contamination ingested into the system which can lead to the turbine blades beginning to break and pull away from the hubs. With extreme heat, the blades can even break into pieces. Torque converters with deformed or fragmented blades require significant and expensive repairs (or a complete rebuild) to avoid a prohibitive loss of torque converter efficiency.
3. Proper Installation
When installing a new torque converter, it is best practice to install new cooler lines and have the radiator/cooler professionally cleaned. This ensures that all contamination from the previous converter installation is removed from the system. If coolers and lines are not clean, then debris from the previous converter failure will be ingested into the new converter causing a very quick and costly failure.
If you’ve been in this field long enough, you’ve likely dealt with a few common torque converter problems. Although we are confident in the excellent capabilities, and reliability, of the torque converters we provide, we also know that problems do occasionally arise. Considering the extreme mechanical feats of your heavy machinery, and the tasks required of the torque converters in those machines, this makes sense. What also makes sense, then, is being prepared and understanding the signs and symptoms of these common torque converter issues.
From our home office in Hurst, Texas, we supply only the best torque converters from the best brands. But we also stock a full catalog of replacement and repair parts, can manufacture customized specialty parts from our warehouse and can meet you with a service team just about anywhere in the world should you have a problem.
We’d like to take a minute and look at common symptoms to help you recognize when something has gone wrong. If you spot the problems early, they will be much easier and cheaper to fix.
A torque converter failure can seriously ruin a good day. You’re out in the field, slamming away at some major task worthy of an episode of Modern Marvels, and suddenly your giant Tonka starts pushing like it did when you were a kid. The engine’s running, and the pedal is pumping, but you’re getting nothing out of it. As the name suggests, your torque converter plays a vital role in converting horse power to torque. When you need it to provide you with power, you need to allow enough time for pressure to form. If it doesn’t, you won’t get the power you need. Give it time, don’t force it, and you may save yourself from a bad day.
The death lurch. We all know it’s coming, but we never expect it to actually happen. Some machines go way too young, others seem to last forever. But so many good machines could be saved each year if owners payed attention to a few telltale signs of torque converter problems. The shudder. The jerk. They’re not dance moves, they’re problems.
When the machinery you are using feels as though it is shuddering, the problem may be the torque converter. Since the shuddering happens randomly, without rhyme or reason, you should get your transmission checked out as soon as you can.
If your machine is surging or lagging during operation, and can’t maintain constant speed, power or lift, then you may be dealing with erratic converter fluid pressure or flow. This could be due to low converter fluid in the day tank and/or air present in the converter fluid circuit. Check these levels, take care of them, and you won’t regret the extra time you spent on getting extra time from your converter.
Sometimes, after heavy acceleration, your clutch may slip. It may make you think that the converter is losing power, and that’s understandable. That’s what it feels like. But the engine is making power that the torque converter never sees, and it’s just the master clutch assembly that’s not transferring that power. With a simple clutch adjustment, you could be up and running in no time. If this condition goes untreated for too long, however, excessive damage will occur to your master clutch assembly, requiring removal and replacement. The key to saving money is maintaining your equipment and fixing problems quickly, before they grow into bigger problems.
Another issue that points to torque converter problems is contamination in the fluid. If, when you check the fluid, you find thick clumps of dark material, either the clutches of the torque converter is damaged, or there is an issue with the transmission. Perform a fluid change before you assume the problem is the torque converter. Then, try and run the machinery for a while, and check back on it later.
With a ruined torque converter, the transmission will take longer than usual to engage the engine. This slow engagement results in higher stall speeds. Check you engine’s stall speed specifications, then perform a stall speed test based on the specifications listed, in order to diagnose for any torque converter issues.
Using machinery with a bad torque converter is extremely dangerous, and doing so exacerbates the symptoms listed above. Once you have identified that the torque converter is the problem, you will need to get it replaced by professionals. This particular piece of the machinery is delicate and complicated. Therefore, it should not be fixed by the average person. Otherwise, more damage to the equipment could occur.
At K&L Clutch, we provide only top-of-the-line torque converters from brands like Twin Disc, Allison, American, Clark, and more. But in those rare times when problems arise, our unparalleled service department can get you back up and running again in no time “” whether that’s from our home in Hurst, Texas, or from just about anywhere in the world you need us to be. Take a second from time to time to inspect your torque converter for visible problems like fluid levels, pressures and clutch adjustment to catch potential problems before they show up, but know that we’re here for you when more serious problems arise. Contact us for more information.
