Following the successful uptake with Knock-on points for cultivators, Kverneland has engineered the system for use across its entire plough range, creating a universal point design.
Knock-on for ploughs is a system that now uses the same interchangeable design as the 80mm cultivator point, and is an alternative to the Quick Fit plough-based system that has been in place for 10 years.
“As a truly universal design, Knock-on brings a lot of benefits to end users,” explains Kverneland parts marketing manager Richard Bennett. “It is incredibly simple to use and it can be used for our ploughs and cultivators, which simplifies parts management for end users of Kverneland cultivation equipment.”
The thickness of the point has been carefully engineered to avoid adding extra weight to the plough, while maintaining hardness and durability. A further advantage is the point’s design is no longer handed – it can be used on left or right-hand plough bodies without fear of incorrect fitting.
Construction of the point affords a female coupling to help locate it tightly as an interference fit on its holder. A tap with a hammer and specially supplied chisel is all that’s required to ‘fix’ the point in place. Removal of the worn point is achieved by inserting the chisel into the back of the point and tapping with a hammer to release it.
Kverneland has created the point with an integrated bulge on its upper face, which reduces the amount of wear applied to the holder. As a result, expect to see the holder out-last several sets of points depending on soil conditions.
“While new ploughs are fitted as standard with our proven Quick-Fit, this new alternative Knock-on design is a system that can be retro-fitted to any Kverneland plough,” he says. “It is simpler and easier to use than our conventional reversible point.
The Knock-on design is also less complex to manufacture and is a more cost effective system for end users. And where Kverneland ploughs would use just the 80mm version of the universal point, Kverneland cultivators have access to a much wider selection including 150mm, 250mm, 320mm versions of the point.
“What’s more, all Kverneland parts are genuine,” he says “We don’t buy from anyone else or manufacture for anyone else in agriculture. This means our own metal formulation of Sagitta steel and our heat treatment processes remain top secret.”
Mr Bennett adds that the manufacturing processes give the correct balance between hardness and toughness, giving ploughs and cultivation equipment outstanding wear characteristics with points, shares, shins and mouldboards. The single-piece all-steel mouldboard construction, for example, benefits from a particular heat-treatment process that creates an extremely tough, almost wear-resistant exterior layer, while keeping a softer core so Kverneland genuine mouldboards can also flex when they need to.
“Our parts perform properly. Even in sticky conditions,” he says. “And our parts resist failure from high impact loads too. If it doesn’t carry the Arrow mark, it isn’t genuine.”
