Overview
BRENCO® was founded in 1949 to manufacture bronze journal bearings for railroad freight cars. In 1959, Brenco® received conditional AAR approval for the product it is known for today throughout the worldwide railroad industry — the tapered roller bearing.
Supplying the majority of the North American OEM market, millions of our bearings are in use today providing dependable and reliable service in one of the most demanding environments to be found anywhere. BRENCO®'s reputation for quality, reliability and dependability are standards for all the products we manufacture.

Key Facts

Specially Engineered Lubricants

• The right choice of lubricant can have a dramatic effect on the longevity of bearing components.
• Free flowing grease assures that the raceway surfaces are coated with base oil at all times. This is true even with railcars that have long periods of inactivity such as tank cars.

OEM Low Torque Grease Seals

• Grease seals are pressed into the cup counter bores on both ends.
• The seal and grease work in combination to protect the bearing and should be evaluated as a system.
• Special attention must be given to apply the best seal and grease combination for a particular application due to environmental considerations. These include temperature extremes, existence of free dust and dirt, extreme loading, and speed of operation.

Replacement / Interchangeable Grease Seals for Reconditioning

• Efficiency Plus™
• ST-212™
• DDL™
• Universal Dry Lock Plus™

Efficiency Plus™ Grease Seal

• A true labyrinth-type seal with tortuous exclusion path
• Excellent grease retention – driest seal in the industry
• Excellent contaminant exclusion capability
• The Industry’s lowest torque and temperature AAR approved seal.

ST-212™ Low Torque Rubbing Lip Grease Seal

• Lowest torque and temperature rubbing lip seal available
• Superior grease retention
• Excellent contaminant exclusion
• Low cost seal for low torque / temperature realm seals
• Fully interchangeable with all AAR Class F and G bearings

DDL™ Rubbing Lip Grease Seal

• Standard rubbing lip seal worldwide for reconditioned bearings
• Outstanding grease retention and contaminant exclusion
• Excellent choice for railcars that sit idle for long periods of time

Universal Dry Lock Plus™ Seal

• Replacement / Interchangeable Grease Seal
• Can be used in either Timken® or SKF® Class K bearings
• Locates on cone back rib outside diameter
• Superior grease retention
• Excellent contaminant exclusion ability

Composite Wear Rings

• Patented design.
• High-density polymer insert separates metallic surfaces to prevent inboard wear ring grooves on axles
• Fully AAR approved for use on axles with existing grooves
• Polymer is temperature stable and oil compatible
• Recommended for non-grooved axles to prevent grooves and is compatible with all standard seals.

Generation 2000 (Bearings)

• Developed to address the problem of excessive axle deflections, which lead to fretting, cone, back face wear and loose components.
• Comes standard with our ST-212 seal and specially formulated grease. A premium synthetic grease is also available.
• Available in "short" AAR Class K and M sizes.

Class E Bearings

• Equipped with Polyamide Cages as a standard
• Ring rolled forgings provide optimal raceway life
• Available with all Brenco® seal options
• Available with the Brenco® composite wear ring

Class G Bearings

• Equipped with Polyamide Cages as a standard
• Ring rolled forgings provide optimal raceway life
• Available with all Brenco® seal options

Class GG Bearings

• Equipped with Polyamide Cages as a standard
• Ring rolled forgings provide optimal raceway life
• Available in 6 7/8" and 6 1/2" bore sizes

International Bearings

• Ausbrid Bearing
• Developed for the heaviest haul railroads in the world (Pilbara Region of Australia)
• Hybrid short G bearing
• Same basic bearing components as the AAR Class G
• Short surroundings allow shorter axle journal that bends less and greatly reduces fretting wear.

Metric Bearings

• Currently supplying 130 X 230, 130 X 250 and 150 X 250 bearings to the Russian and Ukrainian markets.

Cone Assemblies

• All Brenco® cone assemblies are equipped with Polyamide Cages
• Tight cage shake tolerances
• Polyamide cage reduce the incidence of bearing temperature trending

Tru-Fit™ Backing Ring

• Prevents loose backing rings
• Is able to provide a true fitted application on either fitted or non-fitted axle dust guards
• Conditionally AAR approved Universal Backing Ring
• Best pull off force of AAR approved Universal Backing Rings
• Excellent water exclusion ability (prevents axle fillet corrosion)

Benefits

Specially Engineered Lubricants

• BRENCO® oil coating prevents water etching or rusting of raceway components.

OE Low Torque Grease Seals

• Allows rotating and non-rotating components to move relative to each other with minimal torque.
• Retains grease in the bearing.
• Excludes contaminants such as water, dirt and road grime.

Composite Wear Ring

• Eliminates journal wear due to metal-to-metal contact.
• Designed for use with previously grooved journals by contacting journal surfaces in undamaged areas, thereby preventing additional wear of journal surface.

Generation 2000 (Bearings)

• Shorter bearing design allows for a stronger axle journal.
• While still fitting current side frames and trucks, it improves bearing retention and reduces bearing centerline deflection by 57% and stress by 25% with Class K at 286,000 lb. loading.
• Keeps torque and temperatures, as well as wear rates, extremely low.

Polyamide Cage

• Reduces temperature and friction in bearing while extending grease life
• Reduces the incidence of bearing temperature trending
• Safety mechanism – reduces the likelihood of a bearing failure
• Extreme durability under repeated wheel impact loads
• 20 years of experience in the Railroad Industry

System Design
As a division of Amsted Rail, Brenco® engineers work very closely with engineers from ASF-Keystone®, Griffin® Wheel, Ellcon National and Axis to design complete undercarriage truck systems and their associated components. Engineers determine the needs of truck system that is customer specific. Specifications are drawn up based on customer need. Brenco® engineers then meet with our respective Amsted Rail divisions to make sure we understand the applications, loads, and unique customer requirements. We then work to find the best bearing to suit the application based upon axial and radial loads, duty cycle, environmental conditions, railcar type, truck type, track gauge, type of lading being moved, track conditions, etc. It is this attention to details that provides for the best possible solution to customer needs and optimal performance of the entire undercarriage truck system.

Product Line

• Specially Engineered Lubricants
• OE Low Torque Grease Seals
• Replacement/Interchangeable Grease Seals
• Composite Wear Rings
• Generation 2000 (Bearings)
• Class E Bearings
• Class G Bearings
• Class GG Bearings
• International Bearings
• Cone Assemblies
• Universal Backing Rings (Tru-Fit)
• Ausbrid™ short Class G Bearings