Owners of Bell 407s will rejoice at the news that Lord Corporation has extended its warranty of all elastomeric components on the Bell 407 main rotor hub to 2,500 hours. Parts covered by the extended warranty include the lead-lag bearing, shear bearing and damper.

Bell Helicopter approved the upgrade to the Lord SPE IIA elastomer on the lead-lag and shear bearings in 2014. The new SPE IIA bearings are priced the same as the predecessor parts.

“The new elastomer has been tested on several different bearing configurations with very good results,” said Todd Haughee, Lord’s aftermarket product and program manager. “Extending our warranty and aligning it with major maintenance intervals should offer real value for our customers.” The Cary, N.C.-based company conservatively predicts at least a 30-percent increase in actual service life.