The operator has to take corresponding safety precautions that will exclude dangers to persons and material by rotating drive shafts or their components.

The user or operator hast to observe the legal safety regulations and has to make arrangements before beginning the maintenance-work.

• On working on the drive-shafts the drive has to be in quiescent condition – set down engine and secure, so that the drive can’t be activated unauthorised by a third person.
• Installation, assembly and maintenance work may be performed only by competent personnel.
• When installing and disassembling and when transporting of the drive shafts don’t reach into the joints to avoid contusions caused by tilting flanges or components. Take suitable measures to avoid that drive-shafts-shares slide apart unintentionally and cause injuries or damage.
• Fast mode or/and long shafts should be lined with protection devices like safety shackle and guard and protected against touching or point potential dangers explicitly out.
• Don’t place weights onto shafts in standstill, don’t place, hang or fasten tools or other objects on the shafts.

To avoid damages or dangers observe the following basic information:

• The permitted operating speed may not be exceeded.
• Don’t exceed the permitted angle of deflection.
• In case of shafts with length extension the maximum permitted X-value may not be exceeded. It is recommended to use 1/3 of the complete length extension.
• The drive shaft has to be checked regularly for modified running noises and vibrations and if necessary to check the changing of the joint slackness and of the length extension in standstill.
• The balance status of drive shafts may not be changed.
• Don’t make modifications or unauthorized repairs without the written approval of the manufacturer, as dangers for humans and material result and any claim of warranty becomes void.
• Drive shafts may not be cleaned with pressure water or steam jet to avoid damage of the seals and to prevent the penetration of water and dirt.
• When cleaning don’t use aggressive cleanser.
• Protect plastics-coated profiles and sliding surfaces against mechanical, thermal and chemical damages. Sliding surfaces for seals have to be covered before colouring.
• The drive shafts may only be installed in fluid or solid media with written approval of the manufacturer.
• Local heating of the drive shafts (e. g.flame cleaning of colour residues) must not be carried out to avoid significant changes of the true running characteristics.

ELBE drive shafts will be delivered as fully finished power units, are ready for use greased and balanced. To guarantee the characteristics specified in the documentation the condition upon delivery may not be changed.

The maintenance-cycle of the drive shafts depends particularly on the application conditions.
Above-average load, variations in temperature and the effect of dirt and water render it necessary to observe shorter maintenance intervals to guarantee the safe and efficient application.

We recommend coordinating the inspection intervals of the drive shafts with the ones of other machine parts or with the service intervals of the machine or of the vehicle.

Inspection and maintenance are required at least once a year :

ELBE cardan-drive-shafts are normally equipped with 3 cone-grease-nipples DIN 71412. Thereby every joint will be greased over per grease nipple, the third nipple serves for relubrication of the spline profile.
This nipple is omitted for plastic-coated lenght extensions.

Lubricants:

• Temperature range -30ºC up to max. +100ºC. For relubrication of the drive shafts use only lithium-saponified greases of consistency class 2 with penetration 265/295 and drop point approx. 180ºC. The lubrications may not contain MoS2-additives.
• Temperature range up to approx. +160ºC, temporary up to 180ºC (High-temperature-version): use HT-greases of the consistency 1 or 2. Special versions up to +250ºC are partly also available.
• Temperature range from approx. -60ºC up to +110ºC (low-temperature-version): use TT-greases of the consistency 1 or 2.
• Low-maintenance or maintenance-free: If longer lubrication-periods are required, low-maintenance versions of the drive shafts are available. In consideration of the application conditions if necessary maintenance-free versions are also available. Consult our technical service team.

• Before lubricating clean grease nipples!
• The relubrication of the spline-length-extension should be carried out at compressed length Smin or in the shortest operation status (vehicle loaded). Non-observance may result in excess axial forces.
• Air vent may not be taken off or be replaced by standard grease nipples.
• The lubricant may not be pressed in with excessive pressure or with hard lubrication impact. Max. permitted lubrication pressure: 20 bar.
• The cross units have to relubricatd over the grease nipples in the centre of the cross or on the bottom of a bearing housing of the cross. It must be ensured that grease has to be pressed in until it leaks from all four seals of each bearing.
  This is the only way to ensure that all four bearings have received fresh grease.
• Some versions of double drive-shafts are equipped with a grease nipple on the centre piece of the joint, over which both cross joints can be relubricated at the same time through lubrication ducts (central lubrication).
• Drive shafts that are stored more than 6 months have to be lubricated before starting.

• Fittings and connection flanges have to be checked for firm connection.
• Drive shafts should be checked in operation for abnormal noises or vibrations, to determine the cause and initiate repair work.
• Before lubrication, check the driveshaft for loosness in the joints or splines.
• The connection side of the drive shaft flanges and companion flanges must be cleaned before installation. They must not be greased or oiled.
  Corrosion inhibitors and paint residues must be thouroughly removed. Possible light transportation damage should be corrected (knicks and scratches).
• Companion flanges have to be checked for face and OD rounout.