At Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ Lead Center for Accumulators in Remagen, Germany, a very particular kind of service is still alive: the repair of hydraulic plow turning cylinders -components that have largely disappeared from modern agriculture. Despite decades of technological progress, these cylinders are still serviced and repaired upon request from farmers and workshops. The work is carefully integrated into ongoing operations so that it does not disrupt day-to-day business.
A plow is an agricultural implement used to loosen and turn soil. Hydraulic plow turning cylinders are used to rotate a tractor-mounted plow into the desired position and lock it in place. In the past, these cylinders were manufactured by what is now the Lead Center Accumulators division of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) in Remagen.
Today, that technology has largely become obsolete. Single-acting plow turning cylinders of the classic design are more likely to be found in technical museums than out in the field. Still, a few remain in use. Some time ago, a farmer contacted the FST site in Remagen with a request to repair a cylinder that was more than 40 years old. Thanks largely to the expertise of long-time process engineer Erich Körbel, the repair was successful. Sealing World reported on the case at the time.
Word of that expertise spread quickly. Since then, farmers and workshops have repeatedly turned to FST for help. “We’re happy to do it,” says Marcus Darms, Head of Global Operations at the Lead Center Accumulators. “The only condition is that it may take some time. Maintenance and repair work has to fit into our schedule and must not interfere with our day-to-day operations.”
Strictly speaking, the Lead Center conducts only classic business-to-business transactions with other companies – not with end consumers. In addition, the site’s maintenance department is normally responsible only for the company’s own machinery and equipment, not for products that were manufactured there decades ago.
“Nevertheless, we offer this service because it increases our visibility in the industry,” Darms says. “Especially the contact with workshops opens the door to additional business. Many people associate Freudenberg Sealing Technologies exclusively with seals. They don’t even realize that we manufacture pressure accumulators here in Remagen, or hydraulic components such as belt tensioning cylinders for the suspension systems of agricultural vehicles. That’s something we’d like to change.”
Erich Körbel has since retired, but he remains closely involved in the refurbishment of these “retro cylinders” – now working from his own home workshop. He cleans the components, replaces the seals with new FST products, and reassembles the cylinders with professional care. Initial disassembly and final functional testing on a test bench are carried out at the plant.
In short, this is not a case of “innovating together,” but rather of “maintaining and repairing together” – all in the service of customer satisfaction and a strong reputation.
