Sourced by Prime Pump from Germany, highly-engineered, hard-wearing Wangen positive displacement pumps are making a difference on dairy farms around New Zealand. Effluent management has been in the spotlight, nationally, and Wangen are helping farmers maximise efficient transfer and minimise environmental impact.
Slow-running, the pumps achieve or exceed the performance of others while dramatically reducing the cost of ownership and disruptions caused by the need for maintenance or even replacement.
Wangen’s pumps have some key design advantages over others in the market that result in their extended life (up to three decades for some customers in Germany) and significantly reduce the need for intervention.
One of the keys to the Wangen pumps’ performance is the Cardan joint; a critical design feature. This universal joint-like system is superior to the conventional pin joint. The pin joint wears, often rapidly, resulting in characteristic “sloppiness” and ultimately the need for regular replacement. In contrast, the Cardan joint operates smoothly and seamlessly, lasting the lifetime of the pump and avoiding issues related to fibres becoming wrapped around the shaft.
A one-piece cartridge mechanical seal, filled with oil, rather than a traditional two-piece seal, is also far easier and quicker to fit while the oil, again, extends the life of the mechanical seal.
An extra bearing housing between the gearbox and pump adds additional rigour to the structure and supports reliable performance.
The Prime Pump team says once an owner tries a Wangen Pump they’ll never look back. That’s a view backed-up by Gareth Cowan, the experienced General Manager of rural trade services business Progressive Engineering.
Gareth says almost as soon as Prime Pump brought Wangen into New Zealand, he thought it was worth a look. And it’s rewarded his confidence. In two years, he’s seen some fairly “catastrophic” failings with other pumps of the same age, but none with German-engineered Wangen.
“They’re a really nice pump. And being slower running is a real advantage. It’s quiet, performs very well and it’s just logical that anything running slower will last longer.”
