CANTON, Ohio — The Timken Co. has launched an expanded line of Set-Right Heavy Duty Hub Rebuild Kits, in an ongoing effort to offer the most complete line of wheel bearings to the heavy-duty aftermarket. 
Timken’s new 454-Series of bearings incorporates a special design to accommodate the 2-inch offset loads found in many new axle designs. The combination of highly engineered raceway profiles and surface finishes provide optimal performance, the company says. According to Timken, the 454-Series bearing technology combined with the precision of the new Set-Right Hub Rebuild Kits makes it easier for fleets to maintain consistency in their installation procedures for preset wheel ends.
With the availability of the 454-Series Set-Right Hub Rebuild Kit, traditional Set-Right Kits and MileMate matched sets, Timken aims to provide fleets with complete bearing options to serve all wheel-end configurations, including wide-singles and preset varieties. The company adds that recent testing shows that Timken’s tapered roller bearings deliver seven times the bearing life of their closest competitor in heavy-duty applications.
With demand on the rise, Timken said it has been expanding capacity at facilities that are important to its heavy-duty supply chain, as well as other industries, including a $50-million investment in its U.S.-based steel making capacity announced in 2010, and a $1.7-million investment earmarked this year for the company’s Lincolnton, N.C., bearing plant.
"The capacity investments we are making paired with organizational changes made earlier this year have positioned us to continue growth and provide a higher level of service to the heavy-duty market," said Tom Tecklenburg, Timken’s director of heavy-duty aftermarket business.
