Off-road vehicles such as ATVs and snowmobiles often must take a lot of abuse. Therefore, manufacturers of these vehicles must build their vehicles using components that are designed to take abuse as well.

Bearings play a critical role in the construction of off-road vehicles, and if they fail the vehicle becomes inoperable. The good news is that there are some emerging trends in bearing design and construction that are enabling manufacturers to produce bearings that are stronger, more reliable, and that exhibit a longer life-cycle - making them better-suited for use in demanding applications such as the construction of an off-road vehicle.

Below, we'll take a look at some of these emerging trends in off road vehicle bearings design that are getting put into practice and how they can benefit ORV manufacturers.

Advances in Material Science

Bearings are no more durable than the material that they are made of. This is why advances in material science have played a major role in helping us produce bearings that are stronger and more reliable. For example, while 440C stainless steel used to be the standard material for bearings, today, we largely make use of 52100/ GCr15 bearing grade steel - a chromium-containing, high-carbon alloy material that has a higher load capacity and exhibits superior strength, wear, and fatigue properties. This along with other advances in material science enables us to produce off road vehicle bearings that can stand up to the demands of use inside an off-road vehicle.

Custom Bearing Design

Off-road vehicles are often very unique in their design, differing dramatically from vehicle to vehicle, and therefore require the use of customized bearings. At one time, ordering custom bearings was a difficult and expensive process. Today, however, Hartford Technologies enables our customers to order custom bearings that are specifically tailored to unique specifications regarding the bearing's size, design, material, and more - all at a highly affordable cost. The ease in which custom bearings can now be acquired is a major trend in the bearing market and one that is simplifying the manufacturing of unique off-road vehicles.

Better Quality Control

It isn't enough to design a bearing that is durable enough for use in an off-road vehicle - you've also got to successfully produce off road vehicle bearings that live up to their design each and every time. Thankfully, advances in quality control systems have enabled us to ensure that every single bearing we manufacture meets the highest possible quality standards. At Hartford Technologies, we make use of state-of-the-art quality control systems and technologies such as a coordinate measuring machine, a laser micrometer, ICP plasma spectrometer chemical analysis, profilometer surface finish testing, and much more. These quality controls enable us to provide bearings to our off-road vehicle customers with the confidence that they are durable enough to stand up to the demands of the application.

Using Hartford Technologies Bearings in Your Off-Road Vehicle

At Hartford Technologies, we're proud to produce precision bearings that can stand up to the rigors of use inside an off-road vehicle, putting merging trends in bearing design into practice in order to produce bearings that are stronger and more reliable than any others on the market.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of using Hartford Technologies bearings in the construction of your off-road vehicles, we invite you to contact us today.