Say hello to the all new 40 Spline Ultimate Unit Bearing. Same proven design as our existing 35 splined Ultimate Unit Bearings, but now with a 40 spline axle shaft option. Yes, it’s a big deal.
Learn more about the new 40 Spline Ultimate Unit Bearing at http://www.spidertrax.com/Ultimate-Unit-Bearing-LH-6-on-5-1-2-x-5-8-Studs-40-Spline .
Spidertrax | Thom Kingston | CC BY 3.0
Among a number of products being manufactured today, we have Side A in progress for our Ultimate Unit Bearings. These are machined out of a solid piece of domestic grade chromoly steel with multiple CNC operations, heat treatment, and post heat-treat machining for those extra precise surfaces. Yes, a lot goes into this part.
Now these are the kind of returns we like to see. In preparation for King of the Hammers, Jason Scherer shipped back his Spider 9 IFS parts for general inspection. Best he knew, parts were just fine, but for a race like King of the Hammers it’s always best to be prepared.
So, after a season of Ultra4 racing, including the top honors spot Jason grabbed at The PSC Brawl in Blackwell, how well did his Spider 9 IFS prototype parts hold up? In one word, flawless.
All four Ultimate Unit Bearings are as tight as the day we shipped them, and shafts are straight as an arrow. Since parts are already torn down, we’ll set Jason up with two new IFS stub shaft bearings and seals just to be safe, but that’s it. These parts are ready for another season.
Always nice to see prototype parts in action, handling their job as they were intended. That’s our look back, time to move forward. Back to work we go.
Brian Shirley was one of our very first Ultimate Unit Bearing prototype testers. It was October of last year where he first put our new design to the test, during the 2011 Glen Helen Grand Prix. His maiden voyage was the day before the big race, where drivers had a chance to both test and qualify. About an hour or so after heading out, we see Brian Shirley’s rig coming back to pits, on a fork lift, with a missing wheel. We could see Brian riding in the lift, safe and sound, but clearly something went terribly wrong.
We live and breath engineering, from morning to night and beyond, so needless to say our heads were racing at this point. This prototype was over 3 years in the making, with countless hours of R&D to ensure everything was absolutely perfect. How, oh how, could Brian get this prototype to fail the first time out???
As the fork lift got closer, it became clear our engineering worries were soon to be eased. Brian had suffered a very hard high speed roll during qualifying, and to no surprise damage insued. His wheel was literally in pieces, rotor bent, housing tweaked, but from a visiual appearance the prototypte Ultimate Unit Bearing was intact and looking good. We removed it, inspected it for play, and wouldn’t you know his Ultimate Unit Bearing was as tight as new.
Brian not only raced Glen Helen the next day on that same Ultimate Unit Bearing, he has been racing every Ultra4 and W.E.Rock Dirt Riot race ever since on that same bearing. It’s still running strong, as tight as the day he first installed it.
Good times.
We’re very excited to announce the release of our all new, made in USA, Ultimate Unit Bearing. This product is many, many years in the making and we’re convinced it will push Ultra4 racing to an all new level. For now, head over to our Ultimate Unit Bearing page and click thru to one of the many options available to learn more.