IndyIan
Veteran Member
I just had my left front wheel outer bearing fail. Heard an odd screechy tearing sound, looked under the hood, and then the axle and saw the leaking seal. Dropped the loader and skidded on the back wheels and bucket to the shop. Took some thinking and and some extra weight on the rotary mower to get it up the last hill, but I made it without using the front axle again.
I've got most of it apart now, and it looks like nothing else had a chance to be wrecked, just some bearing cage and race shrapnel, and a quite a bit of fine sand size metal, from the bearings I presume? Cases and gears look good. The inner bearing is a touch noisy with no real play but I'll do it too, and the bottom bearing of the vertical drive shaft as it seems a bit noisy.
I'm thinking I should get the best outer bearing possible, and double row spherical bearings seem to be a good idea for the outer bearing as it has the most loads at the lowest rpms. Something like this I think? SKF It has 5-10 times the fatigue load rating of a decent 6309 deep groove ball bearing? And they are designed for low rpm, high loads. No one seems to publish axial load ratings for 6309 ball bearing or 21309 spherical bearing, but I would assume the spherical would be at least as high if not much higher?
I still have to do some more reading on all this stuff, to ask some intelligent questions at the bearing shop, but I think this makes sense, and I like the idea paying more for that one bearing and likely never having to change it again, or if it fails, it shouldn't be as catastrophic, just gets noisy and eventually loose like a car wheel bearing?
If anyone else has tried this, I'd like to hear how its going?
I've got most of it apart now, and it looks like nothing else had a chance to be wrecked, just some bearing cage and race shrapnel, and a quite a bit of fine sand size metal, from the bearings I presume? Cases and gears look good. The inner bearing is a touch noisy with no real play but I'll do it too, and the bottom bearing of the vertical drive shaft as it seems a bit noisy.
I'm thinking I should get the best outer bearing possible, and double row spherical bearings seem to be a good idea for the outer bearing as it has the most loads at the lowest rpms. Something like this I think? SKF It has 5-10 times the fatigue load rating of a decent 6309 deep groove ball bearing? And they are designed for low rpm, high loads. No one seems to publish axial load ratings for 6309 ball bearing or 21309 spherical bearing, but I would assume the spherical would be at least as high if not much higher?
I still have to do some more reading on all this stuff, to ask some intelligent questions at the bearing shop, but I think this makes sense, and I like the idea paying more for that one bearing and likely never having to change it again, or if it fails, it shouldn't be as catastrophic, just gets noisy and eventually loose like a car wheel bearing?
If anyone else has tried this, I'd like to hear how its going?
