Outdoor Mounting on a Tractor Without a Cab
This is positioning the control and control unit on a tractor that is directly exposed to rain, dust and sun. The protection rating alone is not enough; mounting orientation, cable entry and preventing water from pooling are at least as decisive as the enclosure. The AXI LFT20 is declared suitable for these conditions with its IP66 rating and galvanised housing.
In cabless use three risks combine: direct rain, mud/dust and vibration. The placement decision must reduce all of them together.
- Orientation: it is mounted with cable entries and connectors facing downwards; a drip loop is left in the cable so water runs to the ground rather than onto the housing.
- Location: a point is chosen that mud thrown up by the wheels and branches swept by the implement cannot reach, but which is still accessible for service.
- Surface: the unit is fixed onto solid, non-vibrating sheet metal; the mounting points of a unit attached to a shaking part loosen over time.
- Sun: a dark-coloured metal housing heats up in summer sun; where possible a surface that stays in shade is preferred.
For the control devices ergonomics also comes in: on a cabless tractor the operator is thrown about more, so the switch must be positioned so that it is not triggered by accidental contact. At the end of the season the seals, cable glands and mounting bolts of these points are inspected.
The context in which this term is used: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control