Adhesives for arduous, sub-zero conditions

Jon Lawson

The Beast is built for supreme performance and the utmost driver comfort.

Powered by a 12.5 litre Caterpillar C13 Acert turbo diesel engine, this vehicle is responsible for grooming the ski slopes, at night and when others are enjoying the après-ski.

Operating in temperatures around 30˚ below freezing and on slopes that can be over 45˚ steep, The Beast relies extensively on LOCTITE engineering adhesives from Henkel to secure components and seal hydraulics.

The manufacturer of this powerhouse is Prinroth AG based in Italy where components shipped from Canada, the US and local plants are hand assembled to individual customer specification.

The efficiency of the hydraulic systems that drive the tracks, blades and tillers is crucial to The Beast.

For sealing hoses Prinroth uses LOCTITE  572 to create an instant seal that cures to burst strength. LOCTITE 638 is also used, typically to retain ice studs and aluminium track blades.   As well as being able to cope with pressures up to 550 bar, the product naturally has to withstand temperatures way below zero.

LOCTITE 638 is one of Henkel’s popular retaining compounds and provides the best resistance to dynamic, axial and radial loads. This Henkel family of high strength products is capable of carrying high loads and filling all voids to prevent and corrosion and fretting.  As they provide 100% contact, load and stress is distributed evenly over the joint.

LOCTITE threadlocking products prevent self-loosening and secure any threaded fastener against vibration and shock loads.

The product predominantly used by Prinroth for this purpose is LOCTITE 243 an easy-flowing liquid that completely fills the gaps between mating threads.  A typical application on The Beast is on M20 bolts tightened to 365Nm to secure the track-drive wheel. 

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