Prime Power Providing Power Take Off (PTO) for the Agricultural Market

Winco, proud to be a small business with deep roots in Minnesota, USA, have been in the genset business for over 90 years. Within their broad portfolio of products, they offer a Power Take Off (PTO) genset. They are leaders in this niche market with the PTO generator used mainly in agricultural applications. Apart from assembling, they also machine the housing and build the trailer for the PTO generator.

Project Scope

In their quest to add further value to their customers and increase market share in the PTO business, Winco made a strategic decision to partner with STAMFORD I AvK to help streamline their manufacturing processes, increase efficiency and meet customer demand. The project involved re-designing four standard STAMFORD^® alternators to accommodate Winco’s existing gear box.

Technical Specification

This re-design presented certain challenges that Winco and STAMFORD I AvK collaborated to overcome successfully. The alternator’s shaft interfaces with Winco’s proprietary gearbox designs. STAMFORD I AvK re-engineered the rotor shafts to engage with the existing gearbox designs mounted at the drive end of the generator. To streamline their production process, Winco developed one casting pattern for the gearbox, standardized the adapter to an SAE 4 and invested in a CNC machine that reduced the machining steps from eleven to one. These improvements gave them significant operational efficiency.

Solutions Development

Like Winco, STAMFORD I AvK is also driven by the need to provide their customers with great value, by offering high quality and reliable solutions and products. This common vision has led to a long partnership since 1997 and has been mutually enriching. This was the first time that Winco collaborated with the STAMFORD I AvK applications team on such a major change. Understandably, Winco had their reservations coming into the project but what helped in the smooth success of the project is the open and frequent communication between the two teams.

Outcome and Results

Winco's newly launched PTO product line serves farmers across North America. The primary benefit of the PTO is the convenience and ease of use. The PTO mounted on a trailer can be easily attached to a tractor and moved to wherever power is needed, whether it is on the farm to run equipment or at the farmer’s home. In addition to the above benefits, the latest re-design led to lower vibration and quieter operation.

For any challenging application requirements that our customers face, our dedicated applications engineering team stands ready to provide you with the solutions you need and will work together with you to deliver and realize success.