Thread: Timken badge

Hi morrisman,
Good one, and to think some Timken bearings were actually made in Australia once upon a time, from 1958 in good old Ballarat, Victoria.
I come across them now and again when I'm pulling some old thing apart.

Anyone know when Timken ceased making bearings in Australia? and if they were only in Ballarat?.

Cheers.

Hi

I found that badge on the Atlas shaper yahoo group , in the file section . Were Timken located at Echuca ? The Echuca bearing factory was set up during WW2 I believe .

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc...RjyuIbKgjPCcwQ

UBCO, Echuca reference

The Timken Company: Information from Answers.com


Info I read was that Timken set up in Ballarat in 1958

Cheers.

UBCO Reference


Ball bearing manufacture at UBCO (ball bearing) Echuca [United Bearing Company] [picture] , State Library of Victoria


Cheers.

Better reference info for UBCO

Echuca Ordnance Factory, Ball Bearing Factory, Echuca, Victoria, during WW2

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Log

Better reference info for UBCO

Echuca Ordnance Factory, Ball Bearing Factory, Echuca, Victoria, during WW2

Cheers.

Just realised, Ordinance Ball Bearing Factory most likely totally different to UBCO or perhaps UBCO took it over sometime later. Anyone from Echuca know? Just can't imagine there being two bearing factories in Echuca. I'd normally say something funny(stupid most likely) here but as I can't get the smilies to work I'd better not.

Cheers.

The first Timken bearing plant was in Canton Ohio 33 miles from my house. They had plants worldwide after that...Bob

Came across a bearing marked Echuca today in my 10EE... I was not aware they had a bearing factory there until I starting googling and this thread was one of the results...

It is just a plain deep groove ball bearing... I had come across AU made Timkens before in locally made IH tractors...

Originally Posted by .RC.

Came across a bearing marked Echuca today in my 10EE... I was not aware they had a bearing factory there until I starting googling and this thread was one of the results...

It is just a plain deep groove ball bearing... I had come across AU made Timkens before in locally made IH tractors...

Here you go RC. Spindle thrust bearings from a plain bearing 9 inch Hercus. Never knew why they had the name of a Victorian town on them when I extracted them.

016 (Large).JPG

Hi all,
I'm almost certain that the Bearings in My " Tough " Wood Lathe are Timken.
About once a year I remove the holding plate & there is a Plastic Bearing cover, which I remove, & place some Molykote inside. They Splatter for a day or two, but I have never had a problem of any kind.
There about due for a drink, so I will see for sure what writing in on them.

also these out of my Tough

This thread makes me sad!

I went to the Echuca Tech from (yikes!!) 1949 and we did a couple of trips to the Ordinance factory
which was then Government owned (I think) They used to take a couple of apprentices from time to
time. Sad to think of the manafacturing ability we used to have in this country that disapeared. A pox
on all the pollies houses.

Originally Posted by robbo37

I went to the Echuca Tech

I also went to Echuca Tech, but a bit after you. I can just remember the plant closing in 1978, I would have been 15, and probably form 3. So I never got to see it. If memory is correct, I think they were still doing school trips for the older guys, forms 4 or 5.

Couple of news paper articles here. The Government sold the plant in 1959. SKF was one of the partners.

08 Oct 1959 - Ball Bearing Plant Sold

The Age - Google News Archive Search

Regards Phil.

(On edit) The Echuca Historical Society has one of the machines on display. A ball lapping machine. It mentions it here at the bottom of page 10.

http://echucahistoricalsociety.org.a.../AUDIOTOUR.pdf