The worm gear still turns

A British gear-maker is accusing some of its rivals of misleading users of heavy-duty worm-gears by telling then that these gears are obsolete and no longer available in the UK. Renold Gears says that it is still producing this type of gear at its Rochdale plant, and has launched a "new-for-old" campaign to emphasise this fact.

Under the deal, Renold will offer users a new gearbox in exchange for an old box made by another manufacturer, for the same cost as having the old one repaired. It adds that anyone replacing a gearbox that is more than ten years old will also benefit from an enhanced performance and a longer life from the replacement box. Ten years ago, Renold introduced a new generation of worm-gear boxes that delivered up to 55% more torque than their predecessors.