Page 76: of Marine News Magazine (August 2018)

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Equipment OEMEquipment OEMEquipment OEM 100 fewer drydockings. The TG100 seal is designed to operate without any need for spare parts or maintenance between vessel docking periods. The elastomeric bellows and emer- gency seal have an unlimited shelf life, further reducing any need for expensive overhaul kits in the future. TG100 has an emergency seal that allows workboat operators to return safely to the nearest port if the primary seal is ever damaged.

Combine these features with the use of only silicon carbide faces for both the dynamic and stationary faces, TG100 takes the work and cost out of your Workboat. ThorPlas-

Blue tiller arm bearings are used to replace highly loaded greased bearings, capable of design pressures up to 6527psi (45MPa). They offer grease free operation eliminating the need for crew to grease. ThorPlas-Blue rudder bearings offer

THE COMPANY: low friction and long bearing wear life without grease. There

Thordon Bearings designs and manufactures a complete is no maintenance due to the self-lubricating properties en- range of journal bearing and seal systems for marine, clean suring smooth operation. The use of rudder Thorseals will power generation, pump and other industrial markets. keep abrasives away from bearing and sleeve surfaces.

These products are built using Thordon proprietary non- metallic polymer materials that are lubricated with water, RECENT DELIVERIES / CONTRACTS: eliminating oil or grease usage, meaning ZERO risk of pol- Thordon received an order to supply 4 comprehensive lution to rivers, lakes and oceans. Thordon manufactures shipsets of stern gear for a new class of towboat being water lubricated propeller shaft bearings, grease-free rud- built by US shipyard Master Marine of Bayou La Batre, der and tiller arm bearings, deck equipment bearings, shaft Alabama, for Waterfront Services, based in Cairo, Illinois. coatings and shaft seals for the global marine market. Thor- These vessels will be operating 24/7 on the abrasive waters don practices a sustainable approach that most companies of the Mississippi River system, frequently running in shal- cannot claim. These include striving to provide products low depths close to the river banks. This customer speci? ed that last the life of the vessel or application, with no spare Thordon because of their previous experience with Thor- parts needed, and make a positive and sustainable contribu- don products on boats that have clocked 60,000 to 70,000 tion to the environment. Thordon bearings are easily and hours of trouble-free operation. Additionally, Louisiana safely machined with no nuisance dust and installation is workboat operator Alexis Marine has selected Thordon’s quick and easy. The ? rm offers in-house design, CAD and RiverTough bearings to replace the rubber bearings in two the proprietary Thordon Bearing Sizing Calculation Pro- tugboats. Having previous success with Thordon products, gram to help correctly size bearings. Thordon Bearings has Alexis chose to retro? t these two ships with Thordon bear- an extensive distribution network of more than 75 distribu- ings because of years of trouble-free operation they experi- tors in 100 countries to supply and service a global cus- enced on other vessels. These shallow draft vessels operate tomer base. Non-standard requests are met with responsive in harsh waters and using RiverTough in conjunction with design, quick machining and speedy delivery. hard coated NCB sleeves eliminated the need to dry-dock 1-2 times a year. With their easy maintenance and reli-

PRIMARY PRODUCT / SERVICE: ability Thordon’s products take the work out of workboat.

RiverTough tailshaft bearings run in combination with hard coated NCB ThorSleeves routinely outlast rubber THE CASE: bearings by a factor of two or more in the most abrasive Thordon has made substantial investments in opening operating water conditions. Longer wear life has consis- two stock warehouses along the Mississippi to ensure quick tently been con? rmed by owners of workboats, pushboats delivery of tailshaft bearings, seals and rudder bearings. and tugs operating in the US inland waterways. Workboats Thordon’s TG100 shaft seal has an emergency seal that al- operating with RiverTough tailshaft bearings are more reli- lows workboat operators to return safely to the nearest port able – they operate longer, require less maintenance with if the primary seal is ever damaged.

August 2018

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