Custom Spacer Solutions for Orchard Machinery

In an orchard environment, machinery is constantly exposed to acidic fruit juices, various pesticides, and high-pressure washdowns. The client’s equipment used standard carbon steel spacers in the wheel hubs and conveyor assemblies. Within just one harvest season, these spacers had oxidized so badly that they fused to the axles.

When the maintenance team tried to service the machines, they had to cut the parts off, damaging the expensive shafts in the process. Furthermore, because the original spacers weren’t machined to tight tolerances, the vibrating machinery developed “slop” or mechanical play. This vibration was shaking the sensitive nozzle systems loose, leading to uneven chemical application and wasted product. They needed a part that was as tough as the environment it worked in.

After reviewing the blueprints for the sprayer’s drive train, we realized the client needed more than just a different material; they needed a precision-fit solution that could handle both chemical exposure and high-torque loads.

We switched to 316-grade stainless steel to provides the necessary resistance to the corrosive chemicals and acidic environment of the orchard. These custom orchard spacers machined to a very tight tolerance. This ensured a “snug” fit on the axles, which immediately eliminated the vibration that was causing the nozzle failures.

We also added a custom chamfer to the internal diameter of the spacers. This subtle design change made it much easier for the client’s team to slide the parts onto the axles during field repairs, saving them hours of labor.