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Detroit Ball Bearing / Applied Technologies

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Brian in MI

Member
Does any body do business with them here in Michigan? I needed a bearing for a idler pulley, local AGCO wanted $45 for the bearing. Went to the Flint store ant it was closed, had to then drive 45 min to the Saginaw store. Had clerk measure bearing and rifle through manuals, and then was told it was a "Special Bearing" (47mm OD 5/8" ID) Counter person said it was an agricultural bearing and they don't carry them. They wanted $27 plus $5 shipping to the store, plus the hour drive back to get it.

Seems like they keep getting worse about having bearings in stock, especially Ag bearings. I asked why they don't carry AG bearings, was told Saginaw is industrial not ag, I must of halucinated all the corn, soy bean, and beet fields to and from the store.
 
I took a wheel bearing and race to the Grand Rapids store one time. Been so long ago that I don't remember the price,but it was OUTRAGEOUS. They told me it was because the inside was standard and the outside was metric. Never heard of such a thing,but that was their claim.
 
You have to watch all the industrial houses on Ag stuff. We deal with applied/kaman/motion and others. I was rebuilding some rollers on my round baler. NH wanted $45 each per bearing for a fafnir bearing. I got the bearing number and called the local Applied office. They ordered the bearing and drop shipped it right to me. I didnt ask the price since we have an OEM account and get very good pricing. My cost was $47! Could have bought it cheaper at NH!
 
Combination of metric and English standards has become sort of common in automotive and farm equipment, small engine lawn equipment industries. How about a late Pontiac brake line with one end fitting metric and one end english/american SAE? Friend had that in his shop last week. Bearing to fit a SAE sized shaft from previous model with a new housing from a european design would get that kind of bearing as cheaper then recasting existing housing/mount or new shaft that would have to have some other new metric parts. Cheaper for manufacturer, spare part as dealer only would not be inconvenient for dealer who then has a locked in customer parts base. RN
 
Seen those before on lawnmowers and such. Seems I bought one locally a few years back for around $20. Full metric versions are only a couple bucks. If you dont need it yesterday, take a look around on ebay. Can get brgs pretty cheap there if you can find what you need. usabearingsandbelts dot com also has bearing listings w/ dimensions. Good luck.
 
Place I have done biz with: Bearing Service, Livonia, Michigan. Phone: 734-591-0400
I find their prices pretty good. Btw, the metric / english stuff is because some suppliers have never converted to metric, and some have. So a manufacturer buying parts has to adapt different parts into their design. Not an intentional thing.
 
Remember that the bearing you want is passed through channels a couple of times and marked up, like auto parts. You wont like what I have to say but what you went through doesnt shock me at all. I have dealt with Det. ball bearing in the past. The last time I talked with a person in the Pontiac store the woman was as dumb as a stump. The manangement seems to think that a warm body is just as good as an educated person for that position---Wrong!
A Metric/English bearing would sound expensive to me.
 
Went through this on a couple of Massey bearings years ago. Went to the supply house and found no difference on price. Manager told me certain OEM items are flagged in the pricing system as items that have a mandated selling price per the manufacturer. Had a GM car where I had needed wheel bearings. Got the number off easy enough only to be told GM will not allow that number to be sold outside of GM as well as having to buy the bearing and mount assembly from them.
As far as dumb help goes, most places do not want to pay the salary to bring in an experienced person. When I worked at Central Tractor in the 90's they were always trying to find a way to run a store with a manager, cashiers, and warehouse people (no salespeople). If they could put all the items in one gigantic vending machine to save on labor, they would. I still have issues with the quality of TSC's store help.
 
I just realized somebody might get the impression I'm saying the auto bearing assembly/mount could only be got from GM. I'm saying that GM required any aftermarket source to sell the assembly complete rather than just the bearing in order to make the bearing available outside of GM.
 
What has turned me off from them is the stupid explanations I get about bearings. The problem I have is when the bearing is obsolete from AGCO, NH, etc.. I go to Applied, they then tell me that bearing was made special for that mfg and I'am sol. I then go to TSC or equiliviant and see they have cheap Chinese POS bearings that are the same as the one I have. How can TSC get it and not Appl, I would gladly pay the diference to get a Fafnir, Timken etc. Guess I'am forced to get the crap China bearing and replace it every year.
Sorry for making you listen to my rant. Just tired of dealing with Idiots.
 
In this world, be glad they knew what it was and COULD get it.
The last bearing I needed was a 205 flangette for a 1" shaft on my Ford baler pickup.
I think I was on the fourth (store) call and second counter person at that location before I found someone who knew what a 205 series flangette was.... then he finally found the insert but had to order the flangettes. All this to replace he bearing that I had borrowed from my neighbour on a Saturday... I don't know how some of these people stay employed. It's little wonder we've lost a couple of bearing suppliers around here in the last number of years.
I'm at the point where I try to keep ahead anything I think I'll need and carry a couple rolls of shim stock to afro engineer any other insert within 1/4" that will come close if I'm stuck for something. It's sad. Really, really SAD.

Rod
 
I hear ya Rod.
Seems as the economy here in MI gets worse, prices go up, and customer service goes in the toilet.
Getting tired of dealing with people who don't know s%$t, and don't care it your item gets fixed or not.
 
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