TRANSCONA, Man. – In any hydraulic system, heat is generated at the precise point where power loss occurs. Find the hot spot and you’ve found the problem.
Once that obvious problem is rectified, you can continue following the hydraulic lines to find other points where some degree of excess heat is generated. Those extra warm spots are the components that will eventually become the next hot spots.
This maintenance task provides a heads up on the next potential problem and lets farmers deal with it before it becomes more serious.
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“The infrared thermometer is the best device known for comparing temperatures quickly and finding faulty components,” says Garett Aubin, a technician with HyPower in Transcona.
“You simply stand back and aim the red dot at each component until you find the hot one. That’s the part you need to replace.
“Even if you don’t suspect a problem, a few minutes running the red dot over your implements can go a long way toward warning you of an expensive failure in the field.”
Aubin says absolute accuracy isn’t necessary in this type of thermometer. Relative temperatures are what matters in finding a hot spot.
He says for a retail price of $69, it’s hard to expect scientific accuracy. In the past, similar infrared thermometers with better accuracy sold for thousands of dollars. Recently the price dropped to $500. Today, some sell for less than $100.
The hand-held infrared thermometer measures the temperature of anything at which you aim the red laser dot. It works on hydraulics, metal objects, rubber, soil, seeds, grain, plants, animals or anything else on which you want a temperature reading.
Electrical and mechanical systems generate heat at the point of component failure, the same as hydraulic systems. The same search-and-find procedure employed on your hydraulics can pinpoint potential problems on your equipment, including bearings.
As well, if you smell something burning in your combine but can’t see the hot spot, the infrared device can pinpoint the precise location. If your diesel engine is running rougher than usual, you can determine if one exhaust port is hotter than the rest. You can check to see if you have a tire overheating or a brake shoe dragging on your grain truck.
You can even detect which tooth is aching in your horse’s mouth.
