Torrington bearings

JTEKT and Timken continue manufacturing the vast Torrington/Fafnir product line under their own brand names effectively putting Torrington/Fafnir in the past.

Torrington bearings

Torrington Bearings is a brand of bearings and related products that was originally established in 1866 in Torrington, Connecticut, USA. In 1892, the company began producing bicycle bearings, and in 1901 Torrington became the first company to produce ball bearings in the United States. The company has a long history in the design, manufacture, and distribution of high-quality bearings for various industries and applications.

About Torrington Bearings

The original company was a sewing needle manufacturer before diversifying and  growing into a respected and large bearing manufacturing company. Torrington in the early 1980s was a bearing manufacturer where needle bearings accounted for roughly half of the company’s sales volume. Torrington grew into a large bearing manufacturer which allowed them to acquire and merge with the Fafnir Bearing Company in 1985. Both companies had their start in Connecticut.

From 1911 on Fafnir grew into a leading bearing producer and by the mid-1980s was  a major supplier to the  aerospace, machine tool, industrial, and agricultural industries. The acquisition in 1985 allowed these two behemoth bearing manufacturers to combine their numerous manufacturing facilities. As a result Torrington/Fafnir was the largest bearing manufacturing company in North America with total sales amounting to roughly $750 million.

In 1968 Torrington management sold the company to Ingersoll Rand. In 2003 the Timken Company acquired Torrington from Ingersoll Rand incorporating the brand into Timken. The Timken company sold off some of the ball bearing plants and the Torrington needle bearing plants. The Torrington brand name went to KOYO/ JTEKT in 2009 along with the entire needle bearing product line.

Torrington Products

Torrington/Fafnir Bearing had produced products which  included  a wide range of bearings including ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, needle roller bearings, tapered roller bearings, and spherical roller bearings.

• Needle Roller Bearings 

Torrington produced needle roller bearings that are used in applications where space is limited and high-load capacity is required, such as in automotive transmissions and heavy equipment.

• Cylindrical Roller Bearings 

Torrington produced cylindrical roller bearings that can withstand high radial loads and can be used in a range of industrial applications.

• Spherical Roller Bearings 

The Torrington company also produced spherical roller bearings, which are used in applications where misalignment is present and high load capacity is required.

• Thrust Bearings 

Torrington produced thrust bearings that can withstand axial loads and are used in applications such as automotive transmissions, industrial machinery, and aerospace equipment.

• Bearing Assemblies

The Torrington company produced bearing assemblies, which include multiple bearings and are used in applications such as gearboxes, transmissions, and pumps.

In addition to bearings, the Torrington Company also produced other products, such as seals and lubricants which complemented their bearing offerings.