When it comes to center pivots, more and more technology and hardware products are focused on reducing downtime and necessary maintenance.

One of the places where annual maintenance has historically been required is the bearing on the pivot point itself. Recently, Reinke Manufacturing introduced the industry's first Maintenance-Free Bearing.

Due to the nature of bearing grease, annual maintenance is typically needed to ensure the center pivot rotational movement isn't interrupted. With Reinke’s patent-pending Maintenance-Free Bearing, there is no longer any need to do that work.

With no metal-to-metal parts wearing on the inside of the sleeve at the center pivot point, there's less friction, allowing a smoother operation and less wear and tear.

"The center pivot point has a sleeve that has bearings, so that when the pivot goes around, it has something to ride on, " says Rick Hanshew, Reinke Southwest territory manager. "This is a nonmetallic bearing, and the nonmetallic material actually allows it to slide smoother as it goes around in circles and has less friction on it."

The Maintenance-Free Bearing is designed to last the lifetime of the irrigation system.

Hanshew notes this brings several benefits to growers — including saving time, since there is no need to grease the pivot center before the season starts; eliminating grease spill-out on and around the pivot point; and improved rotational efficiency, resulting in greater system longevity. According to Reinke, product trials showed a 40% decrease in strain on the bearing over the previous version.

"Usually, there are several grease inserts that need to be greased," Hanshew says. "In the Southwest, where I'm located, we have some very arid, hot temperatures, and even heavy-duty greases become more viscous — it may drip a little out of that center bearing.

"With this bearing, you have no grease spilling at the center pivot point, which allows for more safety on the cement pad at the center pivot point. The grower doesn't have to carry the grease gun to the center pivot point every year to grease it."

The Maintenance-Free Bearing is designed to last the lifetime of the system.

"We tested the bearing with more than a quarter of a million revolutions without issue," says Chris Roth, Reinke CEO and president. "When we see testing results like this, we get excited knowing that we’ve got a high-load, low-friction product on our hands."

The product is available on new Reinke irrigation systems using an 8-inch pivot bearing. But it can also be retrofitted onto existing 8-inch Electrogator II center pivots.

Visit Reinke.com/bearing to learn more about their Maintenance-Free Bearing. Visit Reinke.com/find-a-dealer today to find a dealer near you.