Planetary Gear Units for
Road Making Machines
Planetary Gear Units for
Road Making Machines
Today planetary gear units are used in road making
machines for various duties. The ever compacter
construction and greater power density of
planetary gear units have contributed significantly
to increasing the performance of these machines.
In this development, Lohmann + Stolterfoht has
played a major role. So it is no wonder that
HYDROTRAC GFT gear units are today in use in a
large variety of road making machines all over the
world.
Below we deal in particular with the use of
planetary gear units in vibratory rollers, road
finishers and scarifiers.
Planetary gear units as tire
drives for vibratory rollers
Planetary gear units with axial piston motors have
gained widespread acceptance as tire drives for
vibratory rollers in recent years. Lohmann +
Stolterfoht, the gear unit specialist of the Rexroth
group, offers a wide spectrum of drives ranging
from 1.3 to 9 l units with different axial piston
motors for almost all roller sizes.
Fig.1: Vibratory Roller Drive
Michael Natrop / LVV-M
Lohmann + Stolterfoht GmbH
Witten
Phone +49 (0) 2302 / 877-164
Fax +49 (0) 2302 / 877-404
E-mail michael.natrop@lus.de
RE 00 207/10.00
Figure 1 shows the typical installation of a tire drive
unit in a roller. Here it is important from the
machine manufacturer‘s point of view that the
drive unit has a short overall length. Moreover, it
must be robust to resist the rigors of vibratory roller
operation on a long-term basis.
The use of Lohmann + Stolterfoht planetary gear
units in combination with Brueninghaus
Hydromatik axial piston motors for tire travel drives
offers the following clear advantages:
– Variable use of axial piston motors as fixed
displacement motors or as variable
displacement motors with hydraulic or electric
adjustment or as medium pressure motor
(Fig.2).
Fig.2: Motor Combinations
– Modular design, which alllows different motors
to be combined with the gear unit; this gives the
customer the benefit of identical mating
dimensions for different machine designs.
– Almost any tractive power requirement can be
matched thanks to the narrow graduation of
gear unit sizes, motors and reduction ratios.
– Possibility to use electronic antiskid devices.
– Possibility to change, almost without jerk, from
slow to fast to slow speed during machine
travel.
– Integrated, low-cost parking brake with
compact outside dimensions (Fig.3).
Fig.3: HYDROTRAC GFT Travel Drive
– Compact, long-life, maintenace-friendly drive
unit at a favorable price.
The table (Fig.4) shows the Lohmann + Stolterfoht
gear unit sizes for tire drives. In the table, the gear
units are assigned to the different roller weight
classes. As can be seen, ou range of gear units
covers rollers with a service weight of between 5
and 25 tons. The table specifies also a hydraulic
motor type for each gear unit size. Different tire
diameters or roller design specifications may lead
to different combinations of components. Thus this
table should be seen only as a rough guide.
However, the total displacement indicated will give
the machine designer a good idea for an initial
design approach. In specific cases, additional
variants may be developed using further gear ratios
from Lohmann + Stolterfoht‘s modular system. The
GFT gear unit types shown in the table are all
successfully in use in vibratory rollers.
GFT gear units as travel drives
for road finishers
Planetary gear units from Lohmann + Stolterfoht
are used in crawler-mounted finishers with steel
and rubber tracks as well as in wheel-mounted
finishers. These three drive concepts call for very
different types of travel drive gear units, which -
in addition - must be tailored to meet the diffe-
rent market needs of Europe and the USA, for
example.
111
 Planetary Gear Units for
Road Making Machines

Roller Planetary Reduction Hydraulic Total Tire the output torque should be specifically checked
Weight class gear unit ratio motors displacement diameter for each machine design.
type cm3 m In view of the required high transfer speed, two-
stage planetary gear units with high-volume
5t GFT 9 T2 47,6 A2FE 28 1333 1,0
motors are exclusively used in wheel-mounted
A6VE 28 1333 1,0
finishers or crawler-mounted finishers with rubber
A10VT 45 2142 1,0
tracks in order to keep the maximum motor speed
7t GFT 13 T2 32,1 A2FE 45 1464 1,2 at an acceptable level. For applications involving
A6VE 55 1760 1,2 high working and low traveling speeds, our two-
A10VE 60 2022 1,2 stage planetary gear units GFT 26 T2 and
GFT 40 T2 are sufficient to meet the requirements.
12 t GFT 17 T2 54,0 A2FE 56 3024 1,5 For such applications we recommed A6VE 80, 107
A6VE 55 2959 1,5 and 160 motors with reduction ratios ranging from
A10VE 60 3400 1,5 59.1 to 35.9.
However, where a low working speed, good true-
GFT 26 T2 62,0 A6VE 55 3398 1,5 running properties plus a high travel speed are
A2FE 63 3906 1,5 called for, the variation range of the displacement
motor will often be insufficient. That problem is
GFT 28 T3 64,3 A6VE 80 5144 1,5
encountered primarily with rubber track machines
tracks, which are nowadays increasingly being
16 t GFT 36 T3 100,0 A6VE 55 5480 1,6
A2FE 63 6300 1,6 used. For that specific application, Lohmann +
Stolterfoht has developed a drive for two-speed
GFT 50 T3 99,8 A6VE 80 7984 1,6 operation which uses two reduction ratios and two
hydraulic motors (Fig.7). The transfer movement is
25 t GFT 50 T3 99,8 A6VE 80 7984 1,6 obtained exclusively by a central variable
84,2 A6VE 107 9009 1,6 displacement motor through a small reduction
ratio. In the operating mode, an additional spur
Fig.4: Tire Drive Design Data gear stage - and thus the fixed displacement motor
is switched in by means of a multi-plate clutch. This
increases the reduction ratio by a factor of 4 or so.
In crawler-mounted road finishers, minimum drive units may be used alternatively. The table (Fig.6)
Depending on the control concept, the variable
unit length is not the only important factor; a furt- shows - as a guide for an initial design approach
displacement motor can either be kept in
her benefit of the GFT gear unit is its small outer the GFT gear units that are suitable for tracklaying
operartion or turned down to zero displacement
diameter, which makes it possible to use a smaller- finishers, along with different reduction ratios and
by the adjustment mechanism. The option of
than-normal size tumbler. This increases the motor combinations.
operating one or two motors simultaneously
tractive force, while cutting costs. Lohmann + The maximum admissible output torque and speed
provides an additional adjustment range, the
Stolterfoht uses up to five planetary wheels per for these gear units are given in our cataloque.
transition between being stepless.
stage (Fig.5). However, the theoretical maximum output torque
The GFT-M2 gear unit is basically designed along
depends, in large part, on the machine design,
the same lines as all GFT gear units and thus
especially in the case of road finishers. Therefore,
features also an integrated, hydraulically operated
multiple disk parking brake.

Machine Planetary Reduction Hydraulic

weight, gear unit ratio motors
empty type
5t GFT 9 T2 47,6 A10VT 45
GFT 17 T2 54,0 A6VE 55
GFT 17 T3 88,2 / 102,6 A10VE 45 / A2FE 28

15 t GFT 24 T3 90,1 / 102,6 A10VE 45 / A10VE 60 / A6VE 55

GFT 36 T3 116,6 A6VE 55
Fig.5: Five Planetary Wheels per Stage
25 t GFT 50 T3 99,8 / 125,7 A6VE 80 / A6VE 107
Three-stage planetary gear units with reduction
GFT 60 T3 119,8 A6VE 107
ratios of 100 to 120 are normally used in large road
finishers. In small-size finishers, two-stage gear Fig.6: Travel Drives for Road Finishers with Rubber Tracks

112 RE 00 207/10.00
 Planetary Gear Units for
Road Making Machines

Four different versions of the GFT-M2 gear unit are

currently in use in wheel-mounted or rubber track
LST- road finishers (Fig.8). The table shows the relevant
reduction ratios and motors.
Patent These drives are successfully being used by several
customers in wheel-mounted or rubber track road
finishers.

Fig.7: HYDROTRAC GFT-M2 Hydrostatic Compact Drive with Two Hydraulic Motors

GFT 24 M2 1007 GFT 35 M2 1004

A6VE 55 i = 36,97 : 1 A6VE 80 i = 55 : 1
A2FM 45 i = 149,42 : 1 A2FM 45 i = 222,3 : 1

GFT 50 M2 1006 GFT 50 M2 1008

A6VE 107 i = 26 : 1 A6VE 80 i = 26 : 1
A2FM 45 i = 105,1 : 1 A2FM 63 i = 105,1 : 1

Fig.8: HYDROTRAC GFT-M2 Hydrostatic Compact Drive with Two Hydraulic Motors

RE 00 207/10.00 113
 Planetary Gear Units for
Road Making Machines

Planetary Gear Units for

Scarifiers
Planetary gear units are used in scarifiers for travel
and cutter roll drives (Fig.9). In regard to the
scarifier travel drive, a distinction has to be made
between wheel and track drives. In the case of
wheel drives, the machine design depends
essentially on the external load exerted on the gear
unit. A short drive unit is important for both drive
systems, since no drive components should stick
out from the wheel or track drive (Fig.10).

Fig.9: HYDROTRAC GFT Cutter Roll and Travel Drives for Scarifiers

The cutter roll gear units from Lohmann +
Stolterfoht are based on the adapted GFT gear
units. LST currently supplies several machine
manufacturs with cutter roll gear units for scarifiers
of 50 to 500 kW. Since cutter roll drives have to
be closely adapted to the scarifier, Lohmann +
Stolterfoht offers, as part of its basic program, a
large selection of gear units for customer-specific
cutter roll drives.

Scarifier Cutting Diesel Travel Number of Gear unit Reduction Motor

weight width motor rating drive drives type radio
mm kW
4 - 10 t to 600 50 - 80 Wheel 3 GFT 9 T2 47,6 A6VE 28
Fig.10: Installation of Travel Drive Gear Unit
up to 18 t 1000 up to 200 Wheel 4 GFT 9 T2 47,6 A6VE 28
The table (Fig.11) shows the drives that can be
used as scarifier travel drives. up to 25 t to 2000 up to 300 Track 4 GFT 9 T2 47,6 A6VE 28
But the heart of the scarifier is the cutter roll drive. GFT 17 T3 88,2 A6VE 28
Here, Lohmann + Stolterfoht has significantly
up to 35 t 2000 400 Track 4 GFT 17 T2 54,0 A6VE 55
contributed to the development of all types of
GFT 17 T3 88,2 A6VE 28
cutter roll gear units from conventional
GFT 17 T3 102,6 A6VE 28
hydrostatically driven gear units to modern,
mechanically driven gear units. On smaller 45 t 2000 500 Track 4 GFT 24 T3 90,1 A6VE 55
machines with a cutting width of up to 0.6m, GFT 28 T3 64,3 A6VE 80
hydrostatically driven gear units are still widely
used. Scarifiers with cutting widths of 1m and Fig.11: Travel Drives for Scarifiers
wider are almost exlusively equipped by all
machine manufactures with belt transmission
systems for the cutter roll. Fig.12 shows the typical
installation situation of a two-stage cutter roll gear
unit, which is used for diesel motors of up to 500
kW. The reduction ratios range from i=17 to 23.
The bearing for the drive-side belt pulley is
integrated into the gear unit.
Water-glycol is predominantly used in the cutter
roll as cooling medium to remove heat from the
gear unit. This liquid ensures efficient heat transfer
from the gear unit surface to the outer roll body.
This system is much simpler and more reliable than
a complex oil recirculation system for the gear unit. Fig.12: HYDROTRAC GFT-L Cutter Roll Drive for Heavy-duty Scarifier Service

114 RE 00 207/10.00