The Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly from Stemco could revolutionize wheel installation. Its eye-popping simplicity has left technicians slack-jawed in surprise with its simplicity and ease of installation. The new wheel end system was developed in partnership with Webb Wheel Products and announced at the 2018 Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibit in Atlanta.

Designed for safety, performance and confidence, the Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly features the industry-first Discover XR (extreme runtime) wheel seal with GlideLock technology. The seal glides on and is self-locking, reducing installation force by 50%, with no pre-lube required.

The combination of the Discover XR wheel seal, Webb Wheel’s hub and the Defender composite hub cap provides the a high level of contamination and corrosion resistance. The Trifecta assembly also features Stemco’s Zip-Torq unitized axle spindle nut, increasing simplicity and safety for end users. There are no additional clips, keepers, snap rings or screws to install. The self-ratcheting locking feature prevents inadvertent back-offs, Stemco says.

Additionally, Stemco President Todd Anderson said installation of the new hub assembly requires no bearing adjustment, ensuring the hub is installed correctly, quickly and easily.

"When we took this to fleets to demonstrate its ease of installation, technicians went through the procedures and were stunned to discover how simple and repeatable it was and that it no special tools," he said. "The new Zip Torq nut literally allows the mechanic to install, adjust and walk away."

Anderson says when installed according to specifications, the wheel end will be well within established TMC tolerance recommendations, "usually somewhere between three-thousandths of an inch of freeplay to a very slight preload, which is absolutely optimal for a wheel bearing."

“Trifecta is the latest innovation to combine safety, performance and confidence into one complete package,” explained Mark Holley, segment business leader of wheel end products for Stemco. “By combining Stemco manufactured products with patented technology, the assembly is uniquely developed to extend wheel end life while providing unmatched contamination prevention."

Anderson said the Trifecta wheel end assembly has 1.4 million miles of fleet testing behind it to date. It will come with a five-year/500,000-mile warranty for on-highway vehicles, and three-years/350,000 miles for vocational trucks.

Trifecta is now available for pre-order; deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2018.  

For more information on the Stemco Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly, visit stemco.com/product/trifecta-pre-adjusted-hub-assembly/.