What are the best mounted bearing features I should be looking for?
- EXTENDED INNER RING – Since shafting is almost always undersized, it can “cock” in the inner ring, which can reduce bearing life by up to 66%. Longer inner rings reduce the cocking angle, and extend bearing life.
- ANTI-ROTATION DEVICE – The bearing’s outer ring needs to be able to self-align in the housing, without spinning and wearing out. An anti-rotation pin gives you the best of both worlds.
- TRUE BEARING STEEL – Some mounted bearings have carbon steel inner rings, based on the reasoning that the inner ring wears more evenly than the outer ring. But 52100 bearing steel has a yield strength of 325,000 lbs; carbon steel has a yield strength of only 53,000 lbs. Both rings should be true bearing steel.
- STEEL FLINGER – Protects the seal from damage, and provides a labyrinth to keep contaminants away from your grease.
- STEEL RETAINER – An all-steel retainer will be stronger, more heat-resistant, and more rigid than a plastic retainer.
- ANNEALED SETSCREW PORTS – When the race hardening process also hardens the setscrew ports, these can become distorted and brittle, leading to cracking or reduced holding power. Annealing the ports relieves the distortion and makes the threads more ductile.