Skip to main content

The Gray and Prior Machine Company

Submitted by ralf on

At Belden Universal, we are single-mindedly obsessed with u-joints.  We have studied the history and development of our product in great detail.  Today, we would like to share the story of one of the u joint manufacturers who came before us, the Gray and Prior Machine Company.

Gray & Prior was founded in 1898 by Robert Gray and George Prior. In George’s previous role, he had earned a patent for a universal joint design that he had pioneered. The company occupied a number of facilities in the Hartford, CT area, until finally landing at 95 Granby St. in Bloomfield, CT in 1974.

Gray & Prior was primarily known for their innovative universal joint designs, which they marketed under the ‘Atlas Universal Joint’ brand. The Atlas U Joint line including a ‘short-coupled’ double universal joint that was particularly notable for its shortest-in-class pivot point distance, ‘pin center to pin center’ of the double universal joint.

The Gray and Prior Machine Company ceased operations in 2015.

If you are searching for a Gray and Prior replacement, please contact Belden Universal at 708-344-4600, through our web Quote Request Form, or just drop us a line in our Contact Us, and we would be happy to help you find a replacement for a Gray and Prior u joint.