Bearing material.

[Rio_Grande]

The Cultipacker I am reworking needs new bearings. The old ones look like bronze, or an off color brass.

I have looked at several options and they are all outrageously expensive. What is everyone else using in this enviroment to get this old stuff running again?

Jeff

 

[Egon]

Would wooden bearings be a possible fit?

 

[Youare]

Depending on the size bearing you need there may be bronze bushings the correct size available from supply houses like McMaster-Carr.

There are many different types of bearing material available depending on the hardness of the shaft that is turning inside the bearing. You may be able to find a local machine shop that will make the parts you need, most of them are pretty hungry for work and might cut you a deal.

Randy

 

[SensibleNick]

Don't be tempted to make them out of brass: it's terrible as a bearing material and generally only ever gets used due to confusion with bronze.

A fair few machinists will probably have some bronze bar in stock... do you have anyone local machinists you know of? A crate of beers would usually get that sort of work done over here.. :thumbsup:

 

[Baby Grand]

You might consider oil impregnated bronze:
http://www.anchorbronze.com/sinteredbronze.htm
I had good luck with this material for a pilot bearing for an automotive transmission input shaft. Do a quick PV calculation and see if it makes sense. Do the bearings have any kind of dust seals? I'm not familiar with cultipacker construction - they seem pretty minimal/simple.
-Jim

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Can you adapt it to modern bearings?
BEARINGS, DISC - Agri Supply

Enco has some bronze stock on sale if you have lathe access:
Enco - Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Machinery, Measuring Tools, Cutting Tools and Shop Supplies

 

[payton]

I don't know how much these cost but I rememberer my friend who is a machinist telling me about them, I don't rememberer what he was doing with them.

Graphite Plugged Bearings, Self Lubricated Wearplates & Metaline

 

[/pine]

I'm curious as to what type of bearings are needed and exatly what "options" the OP means?
I agree that it sounds like bronze and it's likely that they are a standard size...I've replace them in several old table saws...

Bronze bearing (not solid bronze) is porous and there is usually an oil hole in the casting or journal etc that is used to saturate the bronze bushings..

For wood bearings....

scroll down to "uses" (4th paragraph)
Lignum vitae

 

[pat32rf]

What kind of speed, ID, OD are we talking about? I just scrapped an old cement mixer that has been running (off and on) for twenty years with a simple oil soaked spruce wood bearing....

 

[Soundguy]

I got a disc with old grey iron bearings..

soundguy

 

[Fahmahdave]

Rio Grande,
The company I work for makes wood bearings regularly for some of the old Massey cultipacker and disk harrows. We can build to any spec's you have. They are all parafin impregnated rock maple and last for years in regular use.
Check it out Woodex-Meco.

Good luck, Fahmahdave

 

[turbo36]

Rio Grande,
The company I work for makes wood bearings regularly for some of the old Massey cultipacker and disk harrows. We can build to any spec's you have. They are all parafin impregnated rock maple and last for years in regular use.
Check it out Woodex-Meco.

Good luck, Fahmahdave

Cool!

 

[Rio_Grande]

The wood bearing would be cool,,, But I have to repair this on the cheap and nothing custom is cheap

HEre is what I am working with.
Inner oart of the shaft is 1.730 outer end is 1.400 Not sure how I am going to deal with the odd sizes.

 

[KWentling]

Those dimensions equal 44 and 35.5 MM respectively so they are metric.

Kim

 

[Scotty370]

Rio Grande,
The company I work for makes wood bearings regularly for some of the old Massey cultipacker and disk harrows. We can build to any spec's you have. They are all parafin impregnated rock maple and last for years in regular use.
Check it out Woodex-Meco.

Good luck, Fahmahdave

Excellent, educational, and user-friendly website! Thanks for sharing! I thought wooden bearings, in this day an age were 'hooey'! Not anymore! TNX! ~Scotty

 

[Suz]

The Cultipacker I am reworking needs new bearings. The old ones look like bronze, or an off color brass.

I have looked at several options and they are all outrageously expensive. What is everyone else using in this enviroment to get this old stuff running again?

Jeff

How about pouring some babbitt bearings? It's easy to do and cheap.
They will last for years as long as you keep them greased.

 

[R W]

Rio Grande,
The company I work for makes wood bearings regularly for some of the old Massey cultipacker and disk harrows. We can build to any spec's you have. They are all parafin impregnated rock maple and last for years in regular use.
Check it out Woodex-Meco.

Good luck, Fahmahdave

Thanks for for informing us of this great website.

 

[Rio_Grande]

Agree on the web site, Definately cool.

I am not familliar with the process of pouring a babbot bushing but you can bet I am searching as you read this,

 

[Fahmahdave]

The wood bearing would be cool,,, But I have to repair this on the cheap and nothing custom is cheap

HEre is what I am working with.
Inner oart of the shaft is 1.730 outer end is 1.400 Not sure how I am going to deal with the odd sizes.

Rio,
If you can possibly post a photo or a real good description of the shaft (total length, all diameters, step lengths, etc) or let me know the manufacturer and model number, it may not be as bad as you think.http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/images/smilies/2/thumbsup.gif

 

[ampa]

Babbit bearings is what the old Chevy cars of the 40's used on the rods/main bearings....I don't know about keeping them greased would prolong their life...most of my fathers old cars he bought where the mains and the rods were knockin' so bad....some needed the cranks turned and rebabbit the rods...sometimes his mechanic could file the rod caps if they weren't too bad....to get his old Chevys back on the road again....but the main cause was lack of changing the oil or it burning it and runnin' it low on oil that the oil pressure be @zero...I think those days normal oil pressure was around 15 lbs....when extensive work was done like pistons/pins/rings
etc... it was called an engine overhaul... @ a cost of around $100.00 total price.....but gone are the days of a quick cheap fix.....enter the the new high speed engine and rod inserts...still much like the old babbit material just quite a bit thinner........and pricer.....Ampa.....