Extending the life of ball bearings

[RX1Jim]

The life of all of the "sealed" ball bearings can be gretly extended with a little maintenance. I put the word sealed in quotes since the seals actually do only a fair job in keeping out contaminants. Water works its way past the seals and stays in the bearing. Most of the damage is done to the bearings in the off-season as the water and warmer temps allow the balls and races to rust. I remove all of the sealed ball bearings at the end of the season, pop off the seals and clean out the old grease and crud and relube them with a water resistant synthetic grease. Since I have to trailer my sleds 6 hours to my sledding home base, I perform this service on the drive axle bearing (speedo drive side) after every trip. It only takes 30 min. and I find a samll amount of water in the bearing every time. Rust and corrosion due to water is the major cause of bearing failure. I installed 4 stainless steel bearings in the rear skid frame as an experiment to see if they will last longer. They are a bit expensive, I'm about to remove and inspect them.

 

[apltx08]

Keep us posted on the STAINLESS bearings if they held up any better and if the $$$ is worth it or not.

Every fall I pull out my rear skid and STRIP-IT!

Meaning, all idlers are inspected and get new bearings $3.00 ea +/-, new set of hyfax/slides, check all bushings, inspect rails and arms for any cracks or bends and give a fresh coat of paint, get the oil in my shock changed and re-charged...all that for about $200.00 and a couple of hours in the garage wrenching with the boys and getting CRANKED up for the coming season!

 

[dexter]

you guys need to check this out... http://www.vxb.com/

excellent service and same as dealer bearings... I have had excellent luck with these.. I buy them in a pack.

 

[yamadoo]

Guys I am not sure what bearing to buy from a site like that. I have alway just gone to the dealer. I have had 7+thousand miles from my original ( do pop the seal and relube) but was going to replace this year.

What bearing part number or size do we need to order for Apex drive shaft?

Thanks

 

[dexter]

the drive shaft is not available there as it is tapered. Correct? I should have specified, sorry. I get all my wheel bearings from these guys.. they are a fraction of the cost. search the site or call them as they are very familiar with the yami's and 6205 etc bearings.

 

[grader]

the drive shaft bearing is not tapered, the jackshaft bearing has the tapered bore. re packing the expensive bearings is a good practice, but i just replace the skid bearings yearly and not worry about them during the riding season.

 

[thinksnow]

you guys need to check this out... http://www.vxb.com/

excellent service and same as dealer bearings... I have had excellent luck with these.. I buy them in a pack.

I have to disagree with you on this website. I bought a bunch of bearings from this site. One set of bearings were fine and are working great. Another set of a different size were totally wrong. I called them and they said I was wrong. I had the old bearing and thier NEW bearing in my hand. They were the same part number but a different size. The NEW bearing didn't even need to be pressed into the wheel. They were totally loose. I called and asked for a return. They gave me an RMA and I returned. Six monthes later I called and they said that they got them back and they said that the bearing was within specs. They said that I could take them back or get a refund. I asked for the refund. Again a couple monthes and nothing. I called AGAIN and talked to the same person and they said that the refund was on the way. Ya right, I got 1/4 of the price I paid and they wouldn't refund anything more. Now they won't even accept my calls. I am done with them.......

 

[grader]

i have seen 2 bearings marked 6205 that are different. one is metric with a 25mm bore, the other is standard wth a 1 inch bore (25.4mm).

 

[Len Todd]

you guys need to check this out... http://www.vxb.com/

excellent service and same as dealer bearings... I have had excellent luck with these.. I buy them in a pack.

If you are talking about using the ceramics, they are not typically considered for high impact applications. They are O.K. for motors that run for long periods. Also, at -50 degrees, they are even more fragile.

I would think stainless steel bearings would have a tendency to Gaul in extreme cold conditions.

It pays to re-lube the bearings. Especially right after the season ends, to get the water out. I have some of the OEM bearings that I have re-lubed which have lasted longer than two replacements on other similiar wheels.

 

[dexter]

I have never run the ceramic.. just regular ones.. I repack them like mentioned and they last a few seasons usually.