Ferobide in Agriculture
In the agriculture industry, wear is a common problem that is largely caused by ground contact causing abrasion against wear parts. When choosing wear parts, users must have understand local conditions and the environment type in order to make the right decision, as factors such as the number of ploughed hectares will affect the wear part needed.
To help reduce the effects of wear, Tenmat manufactures Ferobide, an effective and durable wear part specifically for the agricultural industry.
Ferobide is an innovative tungsten carbide composite material that offers weldable wear protection and combines high performance with easy installation.
Not only can Ferobide can be used on a variety of different agricultural machines and ground-engaging tools, but it has been proven to save time and money after extensive testing in the field.
Ferobide is one of the world’s hardest weldable materials and is ideal for applications involving sliding wear and in situations where brazing is not an option. As brazing techniques can decrease the wear performance of steel machinery through high heat input, Ferobide is a highly useful option as it protects the lifespan of steel components and is complementary to brazed tungsten carbide edges.
It is an ideal solution for combatting sliding wear and preventing thinning or “washing” and is also well suited for situations where brazing is not an option and hardfacing is too slow. The most common machines that Ferobide is typically used on include seed drills, subsoilers, cultivators, ploughs, muck spreaders, mowers, root harvesters, sugar cane harvesters, buckets, augers, and scrapers.
Ferobide works most effectively when used in conjunction with conventional tungsten and when welded to the body of a part.
This is usually done behind the tungsten edge in order to improve the overall life and body of the tool. However, Ferobide should not be used in above ground high speed applications such as hedge flails and toppers.
When used for the correct applications, Ferobide users can achieve a much greater working life and performance from wearing metal parts. As well as the increased service life, Ferobide also helps to reduce downtime and save time & money on the farm as equipment does not need to be repaired as frequently.
Where to use Ferobide:
In all soil types, fit Ferobide to:
- All scrapers
- Behind regular tungsten
- The sides of subsoiler legs
- The sides of cultivator legs
- The front of subsoiler shins
- Straw rake tines
- Many types of drill coulters
- Manure spreader beaters
On land with no stone, fit Ferobide to:
- Power harrow tines
- Subsoiler points and wings
- Plough points and wings
- Cultivator points
- Bed tiller tines
- Beet harvester turbine tines
- Beet harvester shares
- Sugar cane harvester base cutters
Why choose Ferobide
Ferobide combines hardness and toughness to make it durable and crack resistant. It can also help to increase the performance and service life of parts and equipment compared to other AR steel grades.
- Avoid downtime, increase part lifetime: Ferobide helps avoid equipment downtime and increases part lifetime. This reduces the time spent replacing worn parts during the agricultural season and increases the uptime of machinery.
- Improved farm profits: Ferobide helps to reduce spend on wearing metal and avoids unplanned downtime mid-season which in turn improves profit and efficiency on-farm.
- Easy to install, quick for repairs: standard MMA and MIG welding methods can be used to install Ferobide tiles and Ferobide can be welded to any position, where brazing tungsten or ceramics cannot be used.
- Better seed establishment, better tillage quality: Thanks to the superior wear performance of Ferobide, the ground engaging tool keeps it depth and profile for longer, better placing seeds and working deeper for longer.
- Reduce diesel use: the attractive wear-performance: weight ratio of Ferobide gives maximum wear protection without increasing weight of trailed machinery. Moreover, tools cut sharper lines and packer scrapers remove soil more efficiently when using Ferobide, again reducing diesel usage.
- Improved soil health: soil disturbance is kept to a minimum thanks to low-profile Ferobide tiles which reduce draft whilst giving wear protection. This results in minimal soil movement.
- Reduced operations costs: for manufacturers, distributors, and repairers, a small Ferobide stock can be used for a wide range of parts. This reduces cost held in stocks.
- Protect investment: Ferobide is successfully welded behind brazed tungsten edges, greatly increasing the overall life of the part and achieving maximum output from the brazed tungsten.
Ferobide is built to withstand the toughest conditions
No matter what soil conditions you work in, Ferobide stays strong against even the most severe abrasive conditions. Ferobide has been proven in the field as being an abrasion-resistant composite of choice that can help improve the service life of parts and equipment.
- Ferobide’s performance isn’t just at surface level. Hardness and durability run all the way through Ferobide wear parts.
- Ferobide’s toughness isn’t just at surface level. Hardness and durability run all the way through Ferobide wear parts.
- Whatever you need Ferobide for, you’ll find a range of dimensions to suit your application.
Quality and Testing
You can trust that all Ferobide parts are manufactured to high quality standards and every production batch is thoroughly checked by a team of Quality Inspectors and tested for dimensional accuracy and hardness levels. Further, samples from each batch undergo abrasive wear ASTM G65 testing to ensure consistent wear resistance.
We also use on-site laboratory equipment to ensure that all Ferobide components have the necessary micro-structures needed to cope in the environments that they are used in.
Ferobide has more than six successful years in the field to prove real-life performance and long-term material reproducibility. Every batch of Ferobide is tested in our technical centre to maintain highest quality standards. Regular mechanical testing includes various wear testing methods.
Sizes
Ferobide can be produced in bespoke shapes and dimensions according to customer requirements. The standard low-profile tile dimensions are as follows:
4mm thick – 8 x 40 mm – 15 x 40 mm – 25 x 60 mm – 40 x 40 mm
6mm thick – 15 x 40 mm – 25 x 60 mm – 40 x 40 mm
8mm thick – 15 x 40 mm – 25 x 60 mm – 40 x 40 mm
The following assemblies are available as standard:
15x200mm / 25x180mm / 40x200mm / 200x200mm
Ferobide tiles can also be supplied with studs welded, or on steel-backing for added impact resistance.
Frequenly Asked Questions
It is very easy and quick to weld Ferobide.
When welding Ferobide, keep heat input to a minimum, and use standard MIG / MMA methods. Clamp Ferobide in place, otherwise use a single tack per tile. To guarantee the best results, please see our quick welding instructions here..
Welding gives best results for users. However, if large demand requires, Ferobide can be supplied stud-welded for screw installation. Please consult Tenmat direct for more support.
Ferobide can be used on a wide range of different machines and ground-engaging tools.
It is ideal to combat sliding wear, to prevent thinning or “washing” and is well suited for situations where brazing is not an option and hardfacing is too slow. Ferobide is typically used on seed drills, subsoilers, cultivators, ploughs, muck spreaders, root harvesters, sugar cane harvesters, buckets, mowers, augers, and scrapers.
One ideal placement is behind a brazed carbide edge, however if Ferobide is placed anywhere with sliding wear or in areas that avoid the impact of leading edges, results have demonstrated the effectiveness of Ferobide.
Please see below for examples.
New developments in Ferobide have increased the impact resistance for leading edges however please avoid using standard Ferobide tiles on leading edges and points where the Ferobide is subject to heavy direct impact. Ferobide has been specially developed for excellent sliding wear performance and should only be used on leading edges with minimal impact.
Where welding is the only option for Ferobide, please enquire directly about our leading-edge solutions.
Ferobide is not to be used in above ground high speed applications, e.g. toppers, hedge flails, etc.
Ferobide is the most durable welded material readily available on the market and has upto 10x performance versus hardfacing, and up to 6x performance versus chocky blocks. Brazed pure tungsten has a slightly better wear resistance than Ferobide and while Ferobide is comparable to brazed carbide, Ferobide is slightly less durable. Brazed carbide is the best option for leading edges.
When used for the correct applications, Ferobide users can achieve a much greater working life and performance from wearing metal parts. As well as increased service life, Ferobide also helps to reduce downtime and save time & money on-farm.
See Ferobide case studies below for further details.
