The Challenge

MDI worked with a manufacturer of heavy farm machinery to develop a solution to measure torque on the shaft of a harvester head. The solution needed to maintain consistent operation while housed in a hostile environment – which could regularly encounter mud, water, dust, grain, etc.

The Solution

A custom solution was developed to measure torque in the harvester head shaft. A 6-inch magnetized sensor section was welded onto the 11-foot long shaft. The solution has exhibited excellent performance and has maintained an accuracy of under ±3%, which was the level required of the application. The MDI solution offered a very low cost alternative to other sensing methods, most of which would not work in such harsh environments.

The Results

The MDI solution requires zero maintenance, and does not require frequent recalibration.