Mark Thompson’s company was launching a new flagship combine harvester designed for 24/7 operation during peak harvest season. The transmission bearings faced extreme variable loads, heavy vibration from rough terrain, moisture, and dust — causing frequent failures in field testing.
- Bearings lasting only one harvest season before failure
- High warranty claims and downtime during critical farming windows
- Noise and heat generation reducing operator comfort and efficiency
Our OEM Customized Solution Process: We embedded an application engineer with their test fleet for full harvest cycle data collection. Together we engineered a fully custom tapered roller bearing assembly with enhanced sealing (double-lip + labyrinth), special heat-treated alloy steel for impact resistance, optimized roller length and crowning for misalignment tolerance, and a patented grease retention pocket. Prototypes were installed on test machines, monitored with wireless sensors, refined through one major iteration, and then moved into dedicated OEM production with custom shaft and housing interfaces for easy assembly.
Results Achieved (Two Full Seasons Tracking):
- Bearing life extended to 3+ harvest seasons (over 3× improvement)
- Transmission uptime during harvest reached 99.1%
- Field failure rate reduced by 87%
- Noise level dropped by 9 dB; operating temperature lowered by 31°C
- Warranty cost savings: $420,000 in the first year alone
Customer Feedback: Mark Thompson said: “These custom bearings survived the worst conditions Iowa farms can throw at them. The collaboration was outstanding — you delivered exactly what we needed for reliable, quiet performance. Our dealers and farmers are thrilled.”