High quality tumblers for construction machinery

The Silbitz Group is your experienced specialist in the production of long-lasting tumblers for the drive on track vehicles, which we produce according to your individual needs and oriented to your budget.

The tumbler is a sprocket with a toothing, which serves the drive: on a bucket wheeled excavator, the tumbler manages the bucket chain and on track vehicles, is ensures that the track moves. There are two different types of tumblers, depending on their use: the driving tumbler and the guide tumbler. The driving tumbler directly transmits the power from the gear to the chain. It is rigidly mounted on the drive shaft. The guide tumbler ensures that, at the other end of the chain, it is performed accordingly and is, in the most cases, stored either hydraulically or mechanically resilient. Thanks to this resilient bearing, the guide tumbler can self-regulate the required chain tension.

The number of teeth and the root diameter of the tumbler, which is also referred to as the groove base diameter, determines the corresponding chain. Both of them must fit together, so that the tumbler can transmit the force accordingly. There are tumblers, which are made out of one piece, but also tumbler segments. Excavators, caterpillars, mini excavators, screening and crushing plants, as well as other devices that run on caterpillars, are powered by a tumbler. These gears are made of a high quality cast steel. For extra long life, these wheels are equipped with induction hardened teeth. The segments, however, are usually forged parts and equipped with a special hardening for the often long service life.

For the durability of the steel and rubber tracks, the condition of the tumbler is crucial. Almost all construction vehicles weighing less than ten tons now run on rubber tracks. If they are properly maintained, transported, stored and installed in accordance with the regulations, their lifetime is significantly extended. This saves expensive outages and reduces wear costs. If a damaged or long worn rubber track has to be replaced with a new one, the tumbler should be checked for condition: if the teeth of the tumbler wheels are already scuffed too far, the new chain does no longer fit. If then the new chain is raised on the old tumbler, the steel inserts in it can tear. Then the chain wears much faster than necessary and causes further damage. Even if replacing a tumbler involves additional costs for spare parts, assembly and therefore downtimes – the lifetime of the chains is significantly extended with new drive wheels. In general, it makes sense to check all drive parts for wear before installing a new chain.

If the tumbler and the entire drive are regularly cleaned of soil and loam, the service life of the drive wheels and chains is also extended. This is especially true for the interiors of the bridges: there should not be any foreign objects here. Stones and other debris between the gear holes and the spaces between rubber tracks should also be removed immediately if possible.

Let us advise you. Please contact us now, we look forward to hearing from you!