Mosh
04-28-2012, 12:23 AM
One thing I have found through the years of riding and wrenching is that replacement bearings never seem to hold up like OEMS.
Why is that?
Well first off, with new parts come tighter tolerances. But we can't always help that, especially dealing with 25 year old machines. But maybe we can slow down premature bearing failure.
2nd, you get what you pay for..Buy those cheap Ebay $9.99 bearing kits with free shipping, that is what you get. I used to source bearings from a local electric motor supplier for a short time becuase they were cheap.. Well news to me.. 3 months later I was doing them again...Electric motor bearings are not made for the abuse of ATV suspension bearings, which is what you will probably end up with using "brand X". I wont go into details, because it is easy enough to google what bearing numbers mean for radial and axial loads and we all know that cheap isn't always better.
But what I did find over years of trial and error testing is interesting. There are 2-3 major Bearing suppliers for our market. I often wonder if they all get them from the same place for "Good bearing Kits"..?
Here I have a "major bearing supplier"..One who I will not put down because I have used many of their products with great sucess. I have also noticed this with other major suppliers too. So the defect appears to be steady or constant.
I have had good luck with the "name brand" parts..But even better luck with 10 minutes of attention during installation.
They always seem to be light in the grease department. No matter who makes them. After looking at them, they sit on a shelf. Probably in some hot warehouse. One side of the bearing is always wet with an oily substance. So before I put bearings in, I like to pop the seals and make sure there is sufficient grease. What I have consistently found is there is NOT. But why?
At the onset, I attribute this to a lack of efficient greasing, and also the fact that it "melts" as it sits on the shelf into some primordial ooze, and leaks out the seals towards one side of the bearing. By time we get them, they can be compromised.
So simple fix. Grab a sharp awl, or pick and pry the seals out on both sides. Add a suitable amount of water proof, all purpose grease and work into the bearing. Re install the seals..And good to go. Currently, I get "years" of service out of my bearings. I think I have had the "name brand" bearings in my carrier since 2008. Same with my wifes bike.
Why is that?
Well first off, with new parts come tighter tolerances. But we can't always help that, especially dealing with 25 year old machines. But maybe we can slow down premature bearing failure.
2nd, you get what you pay for..Buy those cheap Ebay $9.99 bearing kits with free shipping, that is what you get. I used to source bearings from a local electric motor supplier for a short time becuase they were cheap.. Well news to me.. 3 months later I was doing them again...Electric motor bearings are not made for the abuse of ATV suspension bearings, which is what you will probably end up with using "brand X". I wont go into details, because it is easy enough to google what bearing numbers mean for radial and axial loads and we all know that cheap isn't always better.
But what I did find over years of trial and error testing is interesting. There are 2-3 major Bearing suppliers for our market. I often wonder if they all get them from the same place for "Good bearing Kits"..?
Here I have a "major bearing supplier"..One who I will not put down because I have used many of their products with great sucess. I have also noticed this with other major suppliers too. So the defect appears to be steady or constant.
I have had good luck with the "name brand" parts..But even better luck with 10 minutes of attention during installation.
They always seem to be light in the grease department. No matter who makes them. After looking at them, they sit on a shelf. Probably in some hot warehouse. One side of the bearing is always wet with an oily substance. So before I put bearings in, I like to pop the seals and make sure there is sufficient grease. What I have consistently found is there is NOT. But why?
At the onset, I attribute this to a lack of efficient greasing, and also the fact that it "melts" as it sits on the shelf into some primordial ooze, and leaks out the seals towards one side of the bearing. By time we get them, they can be compromised.
So simple fix. Grab a sharp awl, or pick and pry the seals out on both sides. Add a suitable amount of water proof, all purpose grease and work into the bearing. Re install the seals..And good to go. Currently, I get "years" of service out of my bearings. I think I have had the "name brand" bearings in my carrier since 2008. Same with my wifes bike.