LORD Extends Warranty for Bell 407 Main Rotor Hub Components to 2,500 Hours


LORD Corporation has extended the warranty on all the Bell 407 Main Rotor hub elastomeric components to 2,500 hours or three years (whichever comes first).



Parts covered by the extended warranty include the lead lag bearing (407-310-102-101 -103), shear bearing (407-310-101-101 -105) and damper (407-310-100-105 & -107).



Bell Helicopter approved the upgrade to LORD SPE IIA elastomer on the lead lag and shear bearings in 2014. SPE IIA is LORD Corporation's newest generation of elastomer that was specifically formulated for helicopter bearing applications. Comparative endurance tests validate a significant increase in test life for the SPE IIA bearings. LORD conservatively predicts a minimum of 30 percent increase in actual service life.



The new bearing is priced the same as its predecessor part. In addition, as further demonstration of LORD Corporation's commitment to lowering operator Direct Operating Costs (DOC), LORD is extending the warranty to align with Bell's mandatory hub overhaul that occurs at 2,500 hours.



"The new elastomer has been tested on several different bearing configurations with very good results," said Todd Haughee, LORD Corporation's Aftermarket Product and Program Manager.  "Extending our warranty and aligning it with major maintenance intervals should offer real value for our customers."



Ted Johnson, president of Aero-Products Component Services, a Bell approved Service Center, noted that he is pleased with this warranty extension.



"LORD is so confident in their product's performance that they have come up with a warranty that makes sense for the market," said Johnson.



According to LORD Corporation's Rodolphe Leroy, Manager Global Sales, Business Development & Marketing, this elastomeric material has been used on many new platforms in the past few years and LORD is confident that it performs better than any other product on the market.



The improved material is expected to provide users with an additional value of at least $13,000 per main rotor hub, not including the time and resources saved by not replacing these parts as often. All bearings are expected to exceed a 2,500-hour service life with more consistent performance, also backed by an improved warranty.



"LORD continues to strive and develop the next generation of elastomeric components to increase reliability and performance," said Leroy. "The decision to extend our warranty gives operators the confidence that there will be no need for unscheduled maintenance between hub overhauls."



For more information, please visit www.lord.com or call 1 877 ASK LORD.


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