The Ansquip Standard V Plough has been designed to have an included angle of 90 degrees and is usually located ahead of a terminal pulley. This has been done to ensure that material that may have been carried back on the return belt is dislodged before it is trapped between the belt and the terminal pulley, which may result in extensive damage to the belt.
A stone guard can be added to entrap material that may have otherwise bounced over the front of the plough.
The Standard V Plough relies on its own mass to ensure contact is maintained between the blade and the belt.
According to Ansquip, to date this has proved to be more satisfactory than a rear pin with a front floating link, which could result in the apex of the plough impinging on the belt resulting in damage to the belt.
In contrast, the Ansquip Hooded V Plough has been designed to have an included angle of 90 degrees and is located in front of a tail pulley.
This type of plough has a floating under-carriage that allows the blades to ride on the supported horizontal belt; material that may be carried back on the inside of the return belt is dislodged to the sides. The blades are of a slip-in design so they can be changed without removing the complete assembly.
The portion of the Hooded V Plough that is profiled to the pulley diameter will deflect material that may have bounced down the belt or fallen on the belt from above.
The photograph below illustrates how the shroud is profiled to the pulley face and can act as a face scraper in the event fine material builds up on the pulley face. The sides of the plough extend past the nib point of the belt to pulley to act as a guard.
The floating undercarriage can be adjusted to ensure the steel frame does not come into contact with the belt.
The Ansquip Hooded V Plough is designed specifically for each application with regards to:
- Belt width
- Pulley face width
- Pulley outside diameter (over shell or lagging)
Both ploughs have blade material of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, which has the characteristics of good wear resistance and a low coefficient of drag.