Ultra-reliability of Hub Seals secures largest single order for SKF

When a key OEM customer approached SKF for a high quality Hub Seal solution on their trailers, the CR Scotseal Hybrid, with its sealed for life hub arrangement and simplicity of fitment, met every required specification.

The customer manufactures and supplies trailers to customers across the vast southern African region. “With its typical landscape of long distances, rugged terrain and remote areas, breakdowns in the middle of nowhere are simply not an option for end-users as it can take days to source service and parts,” says Ettienne Schoeman, SKF Key Accounts Manager – Commercial Vehicles. “Superior quality and reliability is therefore of paramount importance and this goes for each and every part and component on our customer’s trailers.

Critical components like hub seals have to be of world-class quality and that is why the OEM turned to us secure in the knowledge that SKF, renowned for its quality products, would come up with not only a superior product but also provide the necessary support.”

“Following discussions to determine our customer’s exact requirements, the local SKF Commercial Vehicle team collaborated with our colleagues abroad to locate the most optimum solution,” continues Schoeman. “The CR Scotseal Hybrid, with its unrivalled quality and reliability, meets all our customer’s high specifications, making it the only and obvious choice. The customer wanted a sealed for life hub arrangement and all the related advantages as well as easy fitment and removal and this is exactly what we were able to offer with the CR Scotseal Hybrid; simply put, it presented the perfect package.”

Each hub unit is fitted with CR Seals, SKF bearings, SKF grease and a few other SKF components. “The CR Scotseal Hybrid has proven itself over the last couple of years in the USA, Canada and several other South American countries,” says SKF Technology Areas Manager, Andre Weyers. “It is now time to bring this new technology to Africa.”

Specially designed for trailer applications, the CR Scotseal Hybrid features a semi unitised design with four sealing lips that combines maximum sealing life with a low cost per kilometre of operation. The design provides clean running surfaces for the sealing lips. The patented primary Waveseal sealing lip sweeps oil back on the bearings, allowing the bearings to run cooler and subsequently extending wheel end life. Three dirt barriers (bumper, axial and radial dirt lips) keep out contaminants and extend service life. The bumper lip acts as a primary dirt excluder for added bearing protection.

Weyers explains that the advanced HNBR rubber on the seal’s Outside Diameter (OD) provides high temperature capability with great heat resistance in normal operating temperatures. The HNBR material also offers great wear resistance and broad compatibility with all popular synthetic lubricants.

The seal’s bore tite coated metal Inside Diameter (ID) acts as a sealant to fill in small imperfections in the axle surface and prevents leaks between hub and seal providing excellent static sealing and heat dissipation and extending seal life. “In fact,” says Weyers, the bore tite coated metal ID is so effective that it makes a perfect seal even on worn spindles.”

The CR Scotseal Hybrid installs directly on the spindle instead of on the hub providing a positive seal and facilitating installation and removal using the correct tools. “This is the beauty of the Hybrid seal - the simplicity of fitment and removal,” says Weyers.

“When we sold the Hybrid concept to our customer and demonstrated the spindle mount advantages, the customer immediately saw the benefits over the Hub mounted procedure. With no fitment training, service nor maintenance required, this cost-effective Hub Seal is a big contributor to uptime.” Every seal sold is supplied with a complete instruction sheet that ensures trouble free operation. SKF South Africa also offered an extended warranty of 500 000Km or two years on the hub assembly.

The initial start-up order calls for 15 000 units over the first six months making it the largest single order for seals for SKF. The company will be ramping up production over the next couple of months to meet the customer’s monthly Hub Seal demand.