Baler bearings

[DeltaRed]

A post below got me to thinking.I once had a NweHolland 283. Lost a bearing in the pickup.Once I got it off and apart almost every bearing was gone,end of it's life.After priceing bearings,I decided it would be best to buy another baler and not fix the old 283.When I cut it up later,Several bearings were also about to go.That baler was usedd up.So that told me that when one bearing on something is out,more are soon to follow.The only way to truely 'fix' the thing would have been to replace every bearing in it.Not saying to junk a machine everytime a bearing is bad.I replaced the plunger bearings on my inline this winter.Just to be aware.

 

[Russ from MN]

Do you keep it inside? Any equipment that sits out in the rain is going to have premature bearing failures, they are not sealed to be rain tight, but I believe you don't get much rain in your area. More grease might make them last longer, but over greasing can also ruin a bearing.

 

[Roger in Iowa]

High pressure washers are death on bearings too!

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

No surprise if you priced the bearings from a dealer. You can usually get them for a lot less from a bearing supplier. I used to go to locateballbearings.com but they no longer sell to individuals. Indoor storage makes a huge difference.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I after several decades of being around machinery don't understand how over greasing ruins a bearing lack of grease or dirt but not over greasing. I grease bearings till I hear or see grease start to come out and have not had a bearing go out because of to much grease yet. Power washers will push water by the seals and cause bearing failure yes. I've heard this old wives tail on the grease as long as I have been around. I call BS on it. I basically hate sealed bearings of any kind. Greasing helps keep dirt out by pushing grease in to push dirt at the seal away.

 

[Russ from MN]

The reason over greasing will ruin a bearing is it will prevent the rolling members from turning in the unloaded zone, and they will slide. Most non-thrust bearings have a load zone and an unloaded zone. On slow speed farm machinery (under 1000 rpm) this may not be very common, but high speed (over 3000 rpm) it's pretty common. The way it was explained in a seminar was, go to the beach and run-in ankle-deep water, it's easy and your feet stay cool. Now go out and try to run in waist deep water!

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 08:42:14 09/02/23) I after several decades of being around machinery don't understand how over greasing ruins a bearing lack of grease or dirt but not over greasing. I grease bearings till I hear or see grease start to come out and have not had a bearing go out because of to much grease yet. Power washers will push water by the seals and cause bearing failure yes. I've heard this old wives tail on the grease as long as I have been around. I call BS on it. I basically hate sealed bearings of any kind. Greasing helps keep dirt out by pushing grease in to push dirt at the seal away.

TIMKEN bearing cavity should be kept approximately one-third to one-half full. Less grease may result in the bearing being starved for lubrication. More grease may result in churning. Both conditions may result in excessive temperature. As the grease temperature rises, viscosity decreases.

 

[86LG4T5]

I did all the plunger bearings on my 273 last winter as well as the 6 bearings on the feeder finger carriage. It cost me more than the baler did. But it cost a WHOLE LOT less than a new baler or even a used round baler. Maybe now it will go another 50 years.