Test Stand Gearbox – 25+ Years Still Running!

AAE Aerospace, located in Brampton, Ontario, has 65 years of experience in the design, manufacture, repair & overhaul, and distribution of components for aircraft, naval ships, and ground support equipment. AAE uses a Cotta gearbox on their in-house stands used for testing aircraft generators, typically 60kVA to 90kVA. The gearbox has been extremely efficient, running for over 25 years without a major breakdown.

Some of the required design specifications for AAE’s gearbox included:

  • Unit to be designed for bi-rotational rotation
  • High speed shaft torque to not exceed 31500 RPM
  • Continuous rating of 350 HP at 30,000 RPM
  • Maximum acceleration to not exceed 700 RPM per second
  • Oil temperature must be 90 deg F before reaching 6500 RPM
  • After reaching 6500 RPM, increase speed by 1000 RPM every 20 seconds until 12000 RPM is reached
  • After proper start-up procedure, maximum acceleration/deceleration rate to not exceed 4400 RPM per second

AAE’s Engineering Manager, Mark DeRoia, reflected on AAE’s relationship with Cotta Transmission.  He stated, “When we’ve ever needed a part or reported a service issue, Cotta is always responsive and meets our need within a week. They have a good, very consistent group of people there. We may need to install another test stand in the future. So, when we need a new high-speed gearbox, Cotta is who we’ll call.” Mark further stated, “AAE has specific requirements for stringent applications, like for running an F-18 aircraft generator at 26,000 RPM, and we can rely on high-quality results from their product.”

For over 50 years, Cotta has designed and manufactured a diverse line of high-speed gearboxes that are used by some of the largest OEM companies in the world for numerous R&D and production test stand applications for automotive, aerospace, and industrial components.  Cotta’s high-speed gearboxes are also applicable for speed management in non-aviation, industrial applications – from turbine reduction gears to centrifugal driers, to numerous other instances where a highly specialized, powerful, and reliable solution is needed.

VISIT:  AAE

QUICK LINKS:

High-Speed Gearboxes Catalog

View Complete Library of Product Specification Sheets

High-Speed Gearbox Application Data Form

Purchase Replacement Parts Direct from Cotta

If you have a need for any Cotta replacement parts or gearboxes, there is no need to go through a distributor.  You can contact Cotta directly!  Our genuine Cotta parts are designed to match our exact standards, tolerances and OEM specifications, so that they will fit perfectly and work optimally in your Cotta brand of equipment.

Cotta maintains an extensive inventory of standard service parts, and any non-stock parts are made to order in our Beloit, WI facility. Available is an online library of interactive part schematics linked to each unit’s bill of materials. You can select a unit, then the part number(s) for what you need to order, and then specify the number of items per part.  Cotta also offers expedited processing service as well, which reduces your lead time by “hand carrying” your order through the necessary steps.

Learn More: Replacement Parts

Contact Information:

Email: sales@cotta.com

Phone: 608-368-5600

Contact Form

Marian Domanski Joins Cotta Team

Cotta Transmission is excited to announce Marian Domanski as the new Customer Service Representative.  Marian will be taking over the responsibilities from Sara Brady, who is retiring the end of this week.

Marian is not a newcomer to Cotta, as he has held various positions at the company for over 30 years on and off. Marian’s first introduction to Cotta was through his father who was also a long time Cotta employee.  As a teenager, Marian remembers visiting the shop and seeing the huge machines his father worked on.  This sparked Marian’s interest in manufacturing and led him to work part time for the company after high school.  Prior to working full time at Cotta, Marian attended Northern Illinois University and earned a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering.

Marian’s previous experiences also includes working as Plant Manager for Rockford Heat Treaters, Manufacturing Engineer for Coltec Industries, and Senior Manufacturing Engineer for Henry Pratt Company. Over his 30 years at Cotta, in addition to working with engine and turret lathes, grinders, vertical mills, radial drills, and shipping, Marian’s positions also included CNC Programmer, Process Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Continuous Improvement Manager and Inside Sale Manager.  The knowledge that Marian has gained over the years working with parts, processes, machining, engineering, etc. has already proven to be of tremendous value to the customers as well as Cotta.

Marian is excited to join the Cotta team again.  The company has been very important to his family over the years. At one point, he worked alongside two uncles, two cousins and his father.  Marian expressed how special the Cotta team is, and the working environment, and is happy to be back.

Reduction Gearbox for Dredge Pump

Cotta manufactured this gearbox for a customer’s booster for a dredge pump. In this application, when transferring the gravel/water mix long distances, the booster pumps are used to keep pushing the mix along through the line.  The customer purchased an additional gearbox as a spare, as they have been extremely happy with one that they have had in operation for over 30 years.

See Specifications Below:

  • Ratio:  3:1
  • Rotation:  Engine
  • Max Torque:  2600 FT-LB
  • Max Speed:  2400 RPM
  • Approximate Weight:  1700 LB

Learn More: Cotta Speed Reducers

Speed Reducer

High-Speed Gearbox

Cotta’s SN2291 is a single increasing stage, two output, foot mounted high=speed gearbox designed for test stand use.  The model has a stub input shaft and two outputs located horizontally with the option of a third output. The outputs can have the same ratio, or different ratios on each output.

Power:  400 HP nominal

Output Speed:  Up to 15,000 RPM

Ratios:  Up to 5 overspeed. Contact Cotta for specific ratios within range

Max Accel/Decel Rate:  2000 RPM/SEC at output. Contact Cotta for higher rates

Input Configuration:  Custom aerospace accessory mounting pad is typical. Shafts and various other pads available

Output Configuration:  Custom aerospace accessory mounting pad is typical. Shafts and various other pads available

Rotation:  Input can be driven CCW or CW. Outputs rotate opposite to input

Lubrication:  Positive delivery.  Pump, heat exchanger, and necessary temp and pressure controls are furnished

Sump:  The gearbox case is the sump

Options:  Accelerometers, speed pickup, and other application specific can be accommodated or supplied

Approximate Weight:  700 LBS

Standard Finish:  2-part polyurethane enamel

Built to provide many years of service, Cotta High-Speed gearboxes are offered in a variety of standard and customized designs.

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5 Shaft Transfer Case

Cotta Transmission’s TR2248 is a 5 shaft transfer case designed to provide vehicle motor power to road to the work site and then shift to PTO to re-direct engine power to deck and ancillary equipment.  A combination of internal and external disconnects (de-clutches) serve to shift from road-to-PTO, as well as clutching and de-clutching the deck equipment.  A variety of optional pads, disconnects, yokes, etc. are available to power a wide range of ancillary equipment.  The spec drawing shows a typical configuration.

Nominal Application Power: 725 HP

Torque Capacity: 

  • 1900 lb-ft continuous through gears
  • 12500 lb-ft continuous through PTO shaft
  • 17000 lb-ft momentary through PTO shaft

Max Speed: 3000 RPM

Ratio: 

  • 1:1 input to output
  • 1.2 overspeed input to pump-pad

Center Distance: 33.44 inches input to output

Rotation: Output stations rotate same direction as input

Lubrication:  Internal reservoir. Lube pump furnished

Shifting: Air Shift

Output Shaft Size: 2.75-10 straight side spline

Common Options: SAE and ISO yokes and flanges, disconnects, pump pads, clutches, stub shaft

Weight: Approximately 1200 lbs

 

Cotta Transfer Case

1976 Cotta Gearbox on Freezer Shrimp Boat

Craig Wallace owns a shrimping business out of Palacios, TX, which is located 120 miles South of Galveston off the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 20 years ago Craig purchased a 22 ft. wide x 80 ft. long 1978 freezer shrimp boat from a friend of his. Craig’s crew takes the boat out into the ocean for 45-50 days at at time to collect shrimp, which are deheaded and frozen immediately on the boat. The shrimp are then packed up in Louisiana before being sent out to brokers throughout the Midwest and Northeastern part of the United States.

The freezer shrimp boat has a 3-71 GM engine driving the original Cotta gearbox that was put on the boat back in 1978.  The PTO clutch recently started slipping and gear oil was leaking, which prompted Craig to look into the issue.  Craig contacted Cotta about a replacement seal, and was able to put it in right away, as well as a replacement clutch.  Craig stated, “The  gearbox looked great, the bearings in the gearbox looked good, as well as the pilot bearing on the end of the PTO. This means the gearbox is running true.”

In this application, the gearbox drives a PTO that drives a main winch that hooks up to the rigs. The pully on the end of the gearbox is attached to a line shaft that drives the chain driven winch, and can pull up approximately 20,000 lbs.  Craig stated, “The other boats in our fleet are not designed this way, so it sure is nice to have this type of set up.  We normally drive the PTO from a main engine, so if a failure occurs during dragging, we are not able to pick up the rig.  Having a separate motor for your rig is a really good feature.  If we lose power with this boat, we can still pick up the rigs, and avoid having $20,000 stuck at the bottom of the ocean.”

Speed Reducer:

Model #: SR700E-111

Ratio: 1.67 to 1

Engine Rotation

 

Ron Locarno Memorial Golf Outing

This past weekend Cotta employees, John Locarno, Larry Walls, Pat McNinch, & Cal Powers, participated in the Ron Locarno Memorial Golf Outing @ Swan Hill Golf Course in Belvidere, IL.  John Locarno, Sales Manager at Cotta Transmission, helped set up the golf outing to honor his brother, Ron, who passed away in 2018 after a long battle with cancer. There were 107 golfers who spent the day playing the sport Ron loved.  The event raised over $8,000, with the family donating the proceeds to the Veterans’ Drop-In Center located in Rockford, IL .  The purpose of the event was to bring attention to veterans who suffered from Agent Orange, with so many having lost their lives to cancer most likely caused by being sprayed with chemicals, walking through rice patties, bathing in rivers, and cutting contaminated barrels open for barbeques and popping popcorn.

The Veterans’ Drop-In Center is a nonprofit corporation which was started in 2009 when a group of caring compassionate people decided that Rockford area veterans and their families needed a place to gather and meet with their peers.  The organization is run by volunteers, and offers a positive social environment with direct referrals to all veterans organizations.

Learn more by visiting Veterans’ Drop-In Center’s Facebook Page

Rail Maintenance Vehicles

Cotta products continue to support a wide variety of markets and applications where high performance is a must. One of those markets includes rail maintenance equipment, such as utility track vehicles, rail grinders, spike drivers and pullers, tie handlers, gravel trucks, rail excavators, wire tensioners, and boom/scissor lift trucks.

Cotta’s customer, Custom Truck One Source, has a rail car mover that works in conjunction with a split-shaft Cotta gearbox and a pump drive. Cotta worked with Custom Truck to develop a gearbox solution that included all of the customer’s requirements.  In this application, the split-shaft PTO supplies power to the rear axles in the road mode.

Learn more

Cotta has another customer that has been using a creep drive design for over 10 years.  The creep drive is used in a guardrail truck, and allows the vehicle to creep along at very low consistent speeds, regardless of engine speed.  This in turn allows the auxiliary systems to utilize the power needed to perform the work needed effectively. The vehicle is then able to drive at a normal speed once the system is disengaged.  The unit was designed to provide precision vehicle speed control by using a hydraulic motor to rotate the vehicle drive shaft.

Learn more

Cotta designed another heavy duty transfer case that is being used in hi-rail trucks.  In these applications, the vehicles need to be able to go as fast forwards on a rail as they do backwards.  Since that is not possible with a regular truck transmission, Cotta’s forward reverse transfer case has been a great solution for companies in the hi-rail market.

Learn more

To speak to an application specialist regarding your custom gearbox needs, call 608-368-5600, or email sales@cotta.com .

Speed Increaser for Test Stand

Cotta designed and manufactured this speed increaser, which is being used in an industrial test stand application.  The gearbox, which has a ratio of 1 : 9.7015 and a max shaft RPM of 20,000, is one of many high-speed gearboxes that Cotta has designed and manufactured over the past 50 years.  Cotta supplies some of the largest OEM companies  in the world with high-speed gearboxes for R&D and production test stand applications.

Cotta’s library of Product Specification Sheets, and Catalog for High-Speed Gearboxes, helps to make the process easier for customers when searching for high-speed gearbox solutions. The High-Speed Gearbox models shown in the catalog do not reflect an absolute product list, as the catalog is intended to help summarize Cotta’s capability and to help generate ideas.  Cotta’s engineers and designers work with customers to develop solutions, and then deliver drawings in virtually any CAD format to drop into the customer’s own design. Cotta’s existing product designs, and experienced engineering team can take virtually any transmission application from concept to delivery.

LEARN MORE:

Library of Product Specification Sheets

High-Speed Gearboxes Catalog

High-Speed Gearbox Application Form

 

High-performance gearboxes. Collaborative team of experts.

Cotta Engineered Gearboxes are the most reliable and powerful products available in our industry. We take great pride in designing each unique gearbox with the latest technology. We deliver the best possible high-speed gearbox, speed increaser or reducer, pump drive, transfer case, or product type your situation requires.

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Proudly Made in the USA

Proudly Made in the USA

Cotta, LLC

ISO 9001 Quality Management

Member Of The AGMA

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