How to Order a Modified Catalog Gear: Just Send the Part Number
You found the right gear in the Boston Gear, Martin Sprocket & Gear, Browning, or Union Gear & Sprocket catalog. It has the right pitch, tooth count, and face width. But the bore is wrong, it needs a keyway, or you need it hardened.
Most buyers in this spot assume they have two choices: buy the stock gear and pay someone to rework it, or hire someone to draw a custom part. There’s a faster option. Send us the catalog part number and a written list of your changes. That’s enough for us to quote and build the gear.
Do I need a drawing to order a modified catalog gear?
No. A catalog part number plus a written list of your changes is enough. We only build to a complete specification. We don’t work from samples, reverse engineer parts, or design them. A catalog part number gives us almost all of that specification already: tooth form, pitch, tooth count, face width, hub dimensions, and material. Your written modifications fill in the rest.
Together, the part number and your changes are the print. No drawing required.
What information do I need to send?
The more complete your request, the faster and more accurate your quote. Include:
- Catalog brand and part number. For example, a Boston Gear, Martin Sprocket & Gear, Browning, or Union Gear & Sprocket part number.
- Every modification, with dimensions and tolerances. Bore size and tolerance, keyway size, setscrew size and location, hub changes, or anything else that differs from the catalog.
- Material, if it differs from the catalog part. We don’t recommend materials, so if you want something other than what the catalog lists, tell us what it is.
- Additional processes. Heat treatment and hardness, plating, or other finishing.
- Quantity and required delivery date.
- Certification requirements. We require certs on all raw material and outside processes, and we provide them to customers who need them.
A complete request might read: “Catalog part [brand and number]. Bore 1.000 +.001/-.000. Add a standard keyway for a 1″ bore. Add two setscrews at 90°. Quantity 25. Material certs required.”
What changes can I make to a catalog gear?
Can I change the bore?
Yes. Give us the new bore size and its tolerance.
Can I add a keyway?
Yes. Give us the keyway width and depth, or the keyway standard you want, and its position if the gear needs more than one.
Can I add setscrews?
Yes. Give us the setscrew size and thread, how many you need, and where they go, such as the angle from the keyway and the distance from the hub face.
Can I change the material?
Yes, as long as you specify the material. We don’t recommend materials, so tell us exactly what you need. Depending on the gear type, common options include steel, stainless steel, bronze, cast iron, nylon, and phenolic.
What other changes can I make?
Other common requests include changing or removing the hub, heat treating or hardening the teeth, and cutting the teeth on a shaft instead of a separate gear.
Can I order a modified Union Gear & Sprocket gear?
Yes, and modifications add little cost or lead time. Union Gear & Sprocket started as a catalog company in Quincy, Massachusetts. Tracey Gear purchased the rights to the Union Gear & Sprocket name and catalog in 2002 and converted it to make-to-order. We don’t keep stock, so every Union Gear & Sprocket gear is manufactured when you order it. That’s why modifying one costs you little to no more than the standard Union Gear & Sprocket gear.
When should I buy a stock catalog gear instead?
If you need five or fewer gears used exactly as the catalog lists them, buy them from the catalog. Mass-produced stock gears will beat a made-to-order price at that quantity. For more on that trade-off, read our post on catalog gears vs. made-to-order.
How do I get a quote?
Send your catalog part number and modifications through our request for quote form. If something in your request is incomplete, we’ll tell you what we need before we quote.