This is a more generic mechanical topic, but my recently completed EV project used a dozen 4-bolt mounted bearings, all the same generic < $7 model. They're supposed to be self-adjusting with the bearing able to swivel within the housing, but they've been inconsistent - some swivel easily out of the box, some take a bit of force to get moving, and some I just can't get to swivel at all. I can't see any obvious cause.
Some of the bearings spin noticeably more easily than others, though I don't think any have enough resistance to be a real problem at low speed. The inconsistency bothers me, though. And about half of them had their grease fittings fall out after the first 12 hours of use.
Are these cheap bearings worth using? McMaster-Carr's equivalents are about 5x the price. If the $7 bearings are no good, what's a decent quality alternative?
Do their grease fittings work right, assuming they're not missing? If I give one a shot of grease, most seems to come out between the bearing and housing. There are holes in the outer race so I'm assuming that's how the grease is supposed to get in, but I don't know how much is getting in there.
I was using them in an environment of extraordinarily fine and powdery alkali dust, and some of them came out pretty funky. I've disassembled the entire vehicle down to the last nut and bolt to clean and rebuild it. My dust protection idea failed and ended up shoveling dust directly into the chains and bearings. When I rebuild it I want to add better protection, and components more resistant to dust and corrosion when the protection fails.
Thanks!
Some of the bearings spin noticeably more easily than others, though I don't think any have enough resistance to be a real problem at low speed. The inconsistency bothers me, though. And about half of them had their grease fittings fall out after the first 12 hours of use.
Are these cheap bearings worth using? McMaster-Carr's equivalents are about 5x the price. If the $7 bearings are no good, what's a decent quality alternative?
Do their grease fittings work right, assuming they're not missing? If I give one a shot of grease, most seems to come out between the bearing and housing. There are holes in the outer race so I'm assuming that's how the grease is supposed to get in, but I don't know how much is getting in there.
I was using them in an environment of extraordinarily fine and powdery alkali dust, and some of them came out pretty funky. I've disassembled the entire vehicle down to the last nut and bolt to clean and rebuild it. My dust protection idea failed and ended up shoveling dust directly into the chains and bearings. When I rebuild it I want to add better protection, and components more resistant to dust and corrosion when the protection fails.
Thanks!