Bearing replacements???

IaGary · Dec 9, 2012

How many of you would put an old bearing back on if you had the assembly apart to replace another part?

Twice this fall I had to replace a bad bearing on the combine.

Both times there was another bearing that had to be remove to get to the bad bearing.

One took 30 minutes to get apart and and rebuild. The new bearings were about $30 each.

The other took about 2 hours with 2 guys to remove and replace the bearing. These bearings were a throw out type bearing and cost $95 a piece.

In both instances I replaced both bearings.

Do you reuse removed good bearings or do you replace with new?

I almost always replace with new. Learned my lesson on this one time when I replaced a disc gang bearing. Bearings were high and I thought I would save the $50 bucks.

Two days later I had to tear that gang apart to replace the other bearing. Swore I would never do that again and I haven"t.

Gary

Janicholson · Dec 9, 2012

Sealed bearings are usually suspect with similar hours as one that failed. If the shaft has dramatically more load on one end than the other the rule might not apply. On an open bearing, I trust my eyesight and feel (as well as a test of running clearance with calipers) to choose to reuse or not. On a relubable sealed bearing that I have lubed I have no issue with reuse. Jim

ShadetreeRet · Dec 9, 2012

It's kind of a judgment call. I don't have any heavy equipment such as you gentlemen do, but such as wheel bearings, if one goes, I replace both. As Janicholson mentioned, it depends also on the use and load of the bearing. One thing for sure, you can't go wrong by replacing one while it is down to replace another. Makes you feel better just knowing you don't have to be concerned about when that one will let go too.

thurlow · Dec 9, 2012

Am retired, but farmed for a long time; it depended on the situation. If an 'outer' bearing was easy to get to (and bearings were the same), I would sometimes use the old bearing in the 'outer' place.

onefarmer · Dec 9, 2012

Only for an easy to get at bearing. 2 hours is too long to trust to a used one. And then I might try and needle a little grease into it.

Bob Huntress · Dec 10, 2012

If I need the equipment running right away, I might reuse the bearing. If I have it down for the season, I'll just replace the bearing. If I do reuse it, I'll completely clean it and repack it, especially if it has to go in the oven.

60 acre hillside · Dec 10, 2012

Transmission bearings bearings continously running in oil need not be replaced provided that they are smooth. Some of the replacement ones are of poorer quality than the originals.

Agricultural bearings may be a different matter

Down under farmer · Dec 10, 2012

Last year had silage mixer tractor split for a full engine rebuild after lifted the top of a piston. got the clutch relined i wonted to do throw out bearing dad reconed it was good. Two months latter it was back in shop throw out bearing gone. and clutch fingers worn out and new ones are different so now we got a new clutch plate laying round and had to split it again

Stephen Newell · Dec 10, 2012

If there is nothing wrong with the bearing I will reuse them. Its been my experience that the old bearings are better quality than the new chinese made bearings.

Dick2 · Dec 10, 2012

Are you buying the bearings from a dealer of an industrial bearing supply house? All you need is the number on the bearing and most bearing supply houses can match it, maybe even with a better bearing, at a lower cost.

We always kept a stock of bearings on hand for the combines so it didn't take long to change out a bearing during harvest.

IaGary · Dec 10, 2012

Bearing supply house if it is a available.

Some bearings are only available through the dealer.

I stock most standard bearins as well. I have 3/4 though 1 1/2. Also have a couple of hex shaft bearings that are common on my combine and planter in stock on the farm.

Gary

showcrop · Dec 10, 2012

(quoted from post at 02:26:13 12/10/12) Last year had silage mixer tractor split for a full engine rebuild after lifted the top of a piston. got the clutch relined i wonted to do throw out bearing dad reconed it was good. Two months latter it was back in shop throw out bearing gone. and clutch fingers worn out and new ones are different so now we got a new clutch plate laying round and had to split it again

Clutch release, rear main, (at least most applications), and transmission input are like a set of three, where the cost of time is so high compared to cost of the bearings that it almost always hard to not do all three while the tractor is split.

Haley · Dec 10, 2012

If I have to take one off to get to another I always replace them both just to be safe.I will keep the good old one if it comes off o.k. just in case I am in a tight and dont have a new one at the time.

Don-Wi · Dec 10, 2012

Just dealt with this yesterday. Much easier to just release them both. The good bearing I took off will go back in the drawer and be used as a spare should the need arise.

Donovan from wisconsin

keh · Dec 10, 2012

At harvest time in your situation, Gary, i would definately replace both bearings. On the bearings on the inside clamshell on a round hay baler I replace both bearings, on other rollers where the opposite bearings is easy to replace i just replace one. On a front wheel drive car one bearing was making a noise and I couldn't tell which one it was, neither could the dealer mechanic, and he replaced the wrong one, so I ended up replacing both(the "good" one showed wear).

I have also done the grease needle trick on bearings that were difficult to replace. In one case I drilled a hole in the grease seal on a sealed bearing, injected grease, then smeared grease over the hole to slow down the dirt.

KEH

fixerupper · Dec 10, 2012

Back when I was starting farming and didn't have any money I saved all used bearings that turned and still had grease in them. I used a lot of them in the combine but I also watched them closely. I even drilled a hole in the side of the bearing seal and injected grease to help it along. Twenty years into farming I was a little more comfortable financially so I started keeping a few new ones around and I started throwing out the used ones.

This fall I was checking out the wheel bearings on my Deere 230 disk and found a bad one. Went to the bearing drawer and found a new top stalk roll bearing for a Deere 635 head and it fit the disk hub. I last used that 635 head 15 years ago so the bearing had been in the drawer for awhile. Jim

MFPoor · Dec 10, 2012

The only time I ever remember removing and re-installing a used bearing while changing another bearing, the used one failed 2 weeks later, destroying the shaft they both carried, and even damaging the first bearing (the one I already changed. #2 looked good, felt good, but apparently WASN'T all that good. Saving $20 cost me $800 and created 4 days of down time.

Now I replace any bearing that is part of a dis-assembly.

rrlund · Dec 10, 2012

Like you said,ALMOST always replace. I've got a bad habit of keeping that stuff in case I need it on a weekend or something though. If one goes out in behind a good one and I only have one here,I'll put the old one back in the outside IF it's not hard to get to. If it is,I'd at the very least run to the auto parts store and see if they had one.

Rick Kr · Dec 10, 2012

It depends on the condition, if the bearing looks and feels good, I will reuse. Depending how long it would take to get back to it to change.

If the bearing is questionable I like to change it right then, assuming I can get the replacement. There has been one or two occasions where I put something back together and had to wait for a bearing.

Rick

NEBeef · Dec 10, 2012

I assume this question applies only to the bearings I did NOT remove with the torch... :?

Ellis Kinney · Dec 10, 2012

I have my Farmall M at the dealer to replace the axle bearings (I know, but I am not a mechanic). I have 4 bearings from a previous job that are absolutely perfect. My instructions are, if everyone at the dealer thinks they are good, reuse them. I trust these guys not to sell me a set of bearings just because they can. Ellis

jackinok · Dec 10, 2012

my thinking is theyve both been the same number of miles so i replace them if at all possible. of course in a bind i'll leave a old one,think everyone probably would if they needed a machine back up and running.

JohnS1970 · Dec 10, 2012

All new bearings go in when somethings apart. Old bearings that seem okay would be kept for a Saturday aftrnoon repair, but having said that there's usually a pretty good stock of new bearing sitting on my personal inventory shelf. May sound expensive and wasteful to some, but you have to put a price on your time .

kyhayman · Dec 10, 2012

Other than some multi hundred dollar make in gear New Holland bearings I try to do like you do. I tried to save some money on my truck when I had ball joints put in. The antilock sensor wire broke on one side so I got to buy one of those 400 dollar bearings, figured the other one would be ok since that bearing wasnt bad. Less than a thousand miles later it was toast and it ruined the axle and all the brake work on that side.

Bearing replacements???

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