Broken or “growling” drive gears can be easily replaced with Reg-Ellen’s re-ringing service. We service all Waterbury Hand Feed (horizontal), Rotovane (inclined) and Chain-Feed (inclined) thread rollers up to #60.

How the program works

Step 1: Disassemble and remove the pinion and drive gear. The easiest way to replace broken or damaged drive gears is to ship the entire machine to our facility, where we can strip the machine down, clean it, and inspect it for further damage. We understand that this is not always feasible, and we will gladly assist your in-house repair personnel with the project.
Step 2: Inspect the pinion shaft and the drive gear shaft for excessive wear. One of the leading cause of “gear howling” is excessive wear in the bushings that support the pinion and drive gear shafts. Excessive lubrication causes the bushings to wear, and allows the drive gear to settle into the pinion gear. Uneven gear tooth wear causes the “howling” that often associated with these machines.
Step 3: Manufacture the new pinion gear. Reg-Ellen Machine Tool manufactures new pinion gears from 4140PHT material to OEM specifications. The pinion shaft will be ground (if required), and the new gear will be pressed onto the pinion shaft with a new key fitted.
Step 4: Re-ring the drive gear. The entire drive gear is mounted to our large lathe, and the old teeth are removed. The remaining hub is turned true and a new 4140PHT ring is pressed onto the existing shaft/hub. The ring is secured to the hub and new teeth are hobbed.
Step 5: Reassemble the new gears. If we are performing the repair at our facility, we will install new bushings (if required), fit the new gears into the machine base, and reassemble the machine, making sure the oiling system can supply the required lubrication to the new assembly.

Our re-ring service is a quick and easy way to get your Waterbury thread roller back making parts. Reg-Ellen also offers full or partial rebuilding service and replacement parts for Waterbury Threaders. Please contact us for more details.