EASY SHIFT for Top Machine Performances

Easy Shift, the two-speed synchronized gearbox by Comer Industries, allows reaching top machine performances while enabling shifting when the machine is moving.

Manufacturers of both off-highway and agricultural machines are always looking for high performance solutions to fulfill the increase of requests from their demanding customers. Their machines require an extreme combination of speed and tractive effort, capable to pull heavy loads, even equal to machine weight and speed up to 40 km/h when travelling on road.

Transmission makers are producing two-speed gearboxes, a competitive solution that allow work at different speeds and duties: low reduction ratio (second speed) when driving fast during transportation, and high reduction ratio (first speed) to have maximum torque at the wheels in working conditions.

The problem is that standard gearboxes are normally “stand-still”, allowing to shift only when the machine is fully stopped. To shift gear while running, much more sophisticated, but even expensive transmissions must be used, such as power shift.

At Comer Industries – global leader in the design and production of advanced engineering systems and mechatronic solutions for power transmission – this challenge has been pursued with strong commitment; Comer Industries has developed a solution that combines the needs of a two-speed transmission and allows gears to shift while the machine is running. The transmission is called Easy Shift and it is obtained by adding a synchronizer between the two driven gears of the transmission.

Comer Industries’ brand has become increasingly known in the axles and transmissions business in recent years. The company has become a focused player on wheeled vehicles, supplying the major manufacturers in the construction, industrial and agricultural market worldwide.

A full range of axles and transmissions has been developed for application on off-highway vehicles, telescopic boom handlers, sweepers, road construction, and agricultural machines.

Paolo Negri, product line director Powertrain at Comer Industries, explained: «The off-highway market is in continuous evolution: users are demanding to improve comfort, performance and productivity of vehicles while maintaining a good balance between cost and benefit. Easy Shift of Comer Industries is the perfect answer to users demand.»

In detail, Easy Shift gearbox works in combination with the electronic control that manages multiple components and functions of the machine: vehicle speed, hydraulic shift command, the hydraulic motor and the working pressure of the motor. When shifting is needed, the software disengages the gear and swivels the hydraulic motor to zero displacement, disconnecting in this way the transmission between hydraulics and wheels, thus working like a clutch in the cars. In this condition the synchronizer can operate properly and when the pressure to shift into a new gear is given, the synchronizer starts to be effective equalizing the speed of the gears and allowing the complete gear engagement.

Easy Shift transmission is expected to open a new future for machine manufacturers to satisfy their high demanding customers without the need of using complex transmissions for this purpose.

With the Easy Shift two speed-gearbox, Comer Industries is fulfilling its strategy of expanding axle and transmission product ranges for off-road and agricultural machines with innovative solutions to be compliant with the latest requests of these markets.