Metal worm gear set for honey extractor

01 · WHY ONE IS BRONZE

The soft material protects the hard one

The worm is hardened steel and the wheel is bronze. That difference in hardness is not accidental: the softer bronze takes the wear and protects the worm, which is the dearer part and the harder one to replace.

Hence it is sold as a pair. Fitting a new wheel onto an already marked worm does not last: the worn steel profile eats the new bronze in short order.

02 · WHAT IT DOES IN THE EXTRACTOR

Fewer turns, more force

The worm turns and pushes the wheel round slowly, turning many revolutions of the handle or motor into few revolutions of the drum, but with far more force. That is what lets you start a drum loaded with several kilos of honey without jerking.

And it has a property you appreciate without noticing: the wheel cannot drive the worm. When you stop turning, the drum does not drag the mechanism — it brakes itself.

03 · IT NEEDS GREASE

Dry, the bronze is eaten away

A worm and wheel work by sliding contact, not rolling, so they need grease to function. Run dry, the bronze wears out in a single season.

Grease it on assembly and check it each season. A metallic squeal during extraction is usually exactly this: lack of grease, not a fault.

04 · WHEN AND HOW TO ORDER IT

Three dimensions to check

Time to change it when play appears in the drive — you move the handle and the drum is slow to answer — when there are squeals, or when the extractor loses force. On heavily used machines it also belongs in preventive maintenance every few seasons.

To order it, check the number of teeth, the shaft diameter and the shape of the housing. It fits many tangential and radial extractors with this system, but not all: if in doubt, write to us with the model.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Check teeth, shaft diameter and housing on your extractor. And fit the complete pair, not one part.