The M3RVSF60 vertical bevel helical gear unit carries the right-angle vertical theme up one frame from the smallest build in the band. A spiral bevel pair sits at the top of the centreline and lets the motor come in from the side; two helical stages then bring torque down onto a solid keyed output shaft in a foot-mounted housing. The extra frame gives bearing seats and a bevel pair larger than the 50 build, which is what happens to a drive once its process shaft grows and the headplate has more steel to bolt to.
When the Larger Frame Is the Cheaper Choice
Designers reach for a smaller frame first and that instinct is usually right. The 60 build earns its place where three numbers have crept up together: the overhung moment at the process coupling, the steady torque, and the axial thrust pushed back up the vertical shaft. A 50 build can often absorb a single step-up in any one of them; it struggles when all three arrive in the same duty cycle. Asking for the larger housing at enquiry stage costs a modest amount of flange and draws a few centimetres more headplate; discovering the mistake after the headplate is cast costs a week and a crane lift.
There is a second reason to move up a frame: site spares and skills. Where a plant already runs the 60 build on another duty in the same line, keeping to one foot pattern and one oil grade simplifies everything from ladders to stores. Standardisation is not a romantic argument - it is the reason a shift fitter can swap a unit between vessels without hunting for a drawing.
Reading the Letters as Machined Geometry
| M | Three-stage industrial gear unit family |
| R | Spiral bevel first stage taking the input at a right angle |
| V | Vertical axis, output pointing down into the process |
| S | Solid keyed output shaft, H in the same slot marks a hollow bore |
| F | Foot and flange mounting onto a headplate or fabricate steel frame |
| 60 | Frame size in the vertical range |
Every letter here maps onto a drawing dimension, not onto a marketing claim. Flange drilling, shaft extension length, keyway size, seal variant and the base footprint all follow from the code, so a unit is ordered either by full designation or by the nameplate already on the machine. Ratio alone is never enough: two builds can share an identical nominal ratio and sit on completely different foot patterns.
Oil and the Vertical Axis
A vertical build cannot borrow the oil advice of a horizontal one. In an upright housing the lowest bearing runs submerged while the upper bearings depend on splash, the breather sits where condensate wants to gather, and the oil level only means anything when it is checked at standstill on a level unit. Filling to the mark with the shaft turning is the classic way to overfill, and overfilling a vertical box pushes oil past the top seal. The nameplate records the posture and the correct grade; the commissioning sheet records the fill; both belong in the plant file.
Service profiles this build is regularly chosen for: Vertical turbine pumps on river intake and raw water lines Anchor stirrers in paint and coating let-down tanks Rake drives on primary sedimentation basins Vertical slurry pumps in ore dressing thickener underflow Bevel-driven aerators on industrial effluent ponds Screw conveyors lifting damp grain into storage bins Process pumps in caustic and acid dosing rooms Vertical impellers on dye liquor circulation vessels
Trial Run, Bolting and Handover
Assembly is done upright, tested on a stand at the declared posture and shipped oil-filled in a braced crate, so the first sight of the unit on site should match the drawing with no adjustment required. On the headplate, flatness and squareness govern how long the output seal lasts, because tilt passes through the shaft into the lip. Bolt in the sequence stamped on the flange, fit the breather upright and let the unit idle for a few minutes unloaded before taking up load. That idle pass is where coupling eccentricity, a fouled breather and a wrong rotation are caught cheaply - faults that otherwise surface at full torque with a tank already full of product.
What the Enquiry Package Should Carry
The useful enquiry states output torque or motor power, output speed, shaft load and direction, the process medium and its temperature, the mounting posture and the expected hours per day. That set lets the frame and ratio be chosen in one exchange rather than three. Photographs of the old installation, with the nameplate legible, close the remaining gaps faster than any questionnaire.
Field Applications
Cement plant clinker belt
A cement plant drives its clinker transport belt with reducers in dusty, high-ambient conditions. Sealed housings and a 40 deg C maximum temperature rise let the units sit close to the kiln without extra cooling.
Paper mill pulp agitator
A paper mill uses reducers on pulp chest agitators. Continuous 24-hour duty is handled by lifetime lubrication, and the low backlash keeps the agitator steady when the stock consistency changes.
![where gear reducers are used in industry]()
Where these units are installed across industry.
Selection Example: Typical duty point
Worked example for this frame - the motor runs at four-pole speed and the machine needs a slow output. Motor speed divided by the target output speed gives the ratio, rounded to the nearest available step, and the required torque with the service factor then fixes the frame size. Once the ratio is fixed, check the required output torque against the rating table with the service factor applied - that is what decides the frame, not the ratio alone.
![gearbox selection guide: speed, torque, service factor]()
How a ratio and a frame size are determined, step by step.
Frame Sizes and Typical Duties
| Model | Centre distance | Output | Typical duty |
|---|
| M3PSF50 | size 50 | solid shaft, foot | conveyors, feeders |
| M3PSF60 | size 60 | solid shaft, foot | crushers, mixers |
| M3PSF70 | size 70 | solid shaft, foot | ball mills, shredders |
| M3PSF80 | size 80 | solid shaft, foot | kilns, heavy conveyors |
| M3PSF90 | size 90 | solid shaft, foot | mill and kiln drives |
| M3RSF50 | size 50 | solid shaft, foot, right-angle | inclined conveyors, elevators |
| M3RSF60 | size 60 | solid shaft, foot, right-angle | screw classifiers, feeders |
| M3RHF70 | size 70 | hollow shaft, foot, right-angle | agitators, drum drives |
| M3PHT80 | size 80 | hollow shaft, torque arm, parallel | shaft-mounted conveyors |
| M3RHT90 | size 90 | hollow shaft, torque arm, right-angle | heavy shaft-mounted drives |
The size number is the key dimension that steps up torque capacity through the range: 50 to 90 in horizontal builds, 10 to 90 in vertical builds. Gearing philosophy is shared across the family.
Custom Shafts and Ratios for OEM Builds
Non-standard interface? Engineers can size the unit themselves in the WGT Motor & Gearbox Online Selection System - input speed, torque and duty, get the model instantly.
Splined, extended or flanged output shafts and special ratios are quotable for OEM volumes. Tooling cost is amortised across the order, and the drawing approval cycle starts the day you ask. Looking for a gearbox for belt conveyor? Tell us the duty point and we will confirm the model in writing.
Common Questions from Buyers
How is the unit protected against dust and water ingress?
Housings are sealed to IP55 as standard with NAK oil seals and gasketed covers. Heavy dust, washdown chemicals or steam cleaning call for the higher protection option, which we specify together with the correct lubricant.
Do you support commissioning and after-sales service?
Every shipment includes an installation manual and a test record. Our engineers answer commissioning questions by e-mail or video call, and spare seals, bearings and shafts remain traceable to your original order for years afterwards.
What is a service factor and which value should I use?
The service factor multiplies your required torque to cover shock and duty class: around 1.0 for uniform conveyors, 1.25 for moderate shocks and 1.5 or higher for crushers, shredders and reversing drives. Tell us the driven machine and we apply the correct value before quoting.
