When it’s time to replace a steering gear, availability and quality matter. To help fleets and owner-operators reduce downtime and get their trucks rolling safely with reliable components, Bendix and its team of steering experts at R.H. Sheppard Co. Inc. now supply a full line of service new and remanufactured steering gears, available for rapid order and delivery through existing dealer or independent aftermarket networks.
Bendix acquired Sheppard in June 2020. Sheppard, based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, is a manufacturer of steering systems for commercial vehicles in the North American market.
“With the R.H. Sheppard business now an integrated division within the Bendix family, customers can order Sheppard remanufactured gears – expanding the full menu of other reman steering components also readily available – using the same familiar Bendix ordering processes in place today,” said Dustin Carpenter, product director, steering, Bendix. “Few things are as frustrating as downtime that’s extended when the wrong part is delivered. The Bendix team at 1-800-AIR-BRAKE will help customers find the right part numbers, the first time and every time, to fit the need. We stock the most widely used gears, with methods – including online ordering on our new B2Bendix.com ecommerce platform – already in place for timely shipments.”
The combination of Bendix’s more than 40 years of experience and advanced know-how in remanufacturing with R.H. Sheppard’s decades of steering expertise means a strong and comprehensive portfolio of parts for nearly every vehicle.
“A genuine remanufactured component has to be rebuilt by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) – an OEM-level remanufacturer such as Bendix and its Sheppard division – using a mix of reconditioned components and brand-new components from the very same suppliers the OEM uses for original equipment,” Carpenter explained. “Genuine Bendix remanufacturing involves either replacing or repairing a core’s components to bring the part up to its original equipment manufacturer specifications and includes replacing ‘wear’ components such as production-released hydraulic seals, end-of-travel limiters, bearings, and more. Each must be replaced with original spec components identical to the ones you’d find on a brand-new product.”
Carpenter noted that steering gears remanufactured by Bendix and R.H. Sheppard – including remanufactured versions of other OEM steering gears – are subjected to stringent reliability standards and substantive testing to ensure tolerance, performance, and dependability.
“Ultimately, genuine remanufactured components deliver reduced replacement costs and extend vehicle life, reducing total cost of ownership (TCO), and helping fleets and owner-operators manage their bottom line,” Carpenter said.
Leveraging the technology of the Sheppard base gear through extensive years in the field, the next generation of steering product – known as torque overlay steering – will allow for advanced driver assistance functions such as lane keeping and other driver comfort features. It will continue to propel Bendix along the path of supporting the higher levels of vehicle autonomy fleets and OEMs are seeking.
Bendix emphasizes that its safety technologies are designed to complement safe and alert driving habits, as well as ongoing, proactive driver training. No driver-assist system replaces a safe driver performing safe driving practices, and ultimate control of the vehicle always rests with the driver.
Through an ever-growing portfolio of technologies, Bendix delivers on areas that are critical to fleet and owner-operator success, including safety, equipment reliability, performance and efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership, the company says.
