H. Timken, of roller bearing fame, had a personal dream. He looked forward to a day in the future when America could create a concrete highway system that would carry the bulk of the country's freight. Motor carriers would be able to supply not only the larger cities but link the vast numbers of villages and towns ignored by the railroads.
Timken, as a manufacturer and supplier of noted high-quality roller bearings, was in daily contact with all of the noted automotive and truck builders and assemblers of the period. He recognized an opportunity for stronger engine design with stronger internal components that were necessary to power the heavier-duty truck platforms that were increasing in volume and payload. Although a few passenger-type mills had attempted to "beef-up" their internals, the interest was not uniform. Timken began planning a new engine that would both utilize heavy-duty mechanicals and incorporate his engineering principles of being lightweight, with the reserve power to perform well under load and at highway speeds.
To move his new project along faster, Timken began looking for an automotive engineer with a truck background. Charles Balough was currently employed with the Kelly-Springfield Truck Company in Springfield, Ohio. Though only 32 years old, Balough had worked his way through the Ford Motor Company, Reliance Motor Truck Company, and the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company in Pontiac, Michigan. Timken sent word of his search and almost immediately Balough found himself undergoing unpleasant changes with a new management team at Kelly. Timken met with Balough in secret to discuss his requirements for an exclusive truck powerplant.
Balough was immediately hired and suggested to design two similar models of truck engines: an inline-four and a larger inline-six. These mills were revolutionary from the current market offerings because they incorporated more and larger bearings, heavier crankshafts and rugged internals (to prolong engine longevity), dependability, and improved performance. Two pilot models were placed on trial runs, and the resulting orders proved Timken's financial and personal gamble.
Building on his initial success, Timken pushed the company into diversification. Hercules, being a component manufacturer, recognized that diversity was a means of offsetting the automotive industry's seasonal slumps.
From its beginnings with the Ford tractor connection, farm machinery, construction equipment, and oil field applications promoted the company quickly as a premier engine source.
Hercules found its engineers working in-house with a variety of engineering staffs of its manufacturing customers base developing new engine applications. It had become an innovative leader that could now develop future mills that were converted to burn a new variety of combustible fuels.