guide roller bearing question

[limbrat]

I have a base model log master lm1. I was greasing the guide rollers this evening and when i pulled the grease gun off the front of the guide roller came with it. I never turned it up to look in it, just shuved it back in got a piece of wood and a hammer and drove it back in place like a dust cover on a trailer axle. I will call log master on monday, but i was wondering if someone could tell me if its a dust cover that push off cause it got to much grease or if i got a problem. when i fired the saw back up it seamed to be fine. according to the manual the bearing is a 6304rs. Sorry no pictures i hadnt been able to do that since gustave.

[Larry]

6304 is a common bearing.  Not sure what the rs suffix stands for.  I just bought some that were the sealed style and paid $3 plus change each.

[sgschwend]

6304rs is a sealed bearing.  Sounds like you knocked the seal out which I think is just clipped on (not really pressed on).  I did not think sealed bearing were setup for greasing since they are "sealed",  not sure how that works.

[Chuck White]

Some sealed bearings are greasable!

For instance, the blade guide roller bearings on my WoodMizer.  Some WoodMizers don't have that grease fitting and are truly sealed.

They only get one (1) shot of grease every 4 hours of operation.

Much more than that would probably dislodge the seals.

[limbrat]

I hit it about three pumps so i probley just pushed it out. At three dollars apiece im guessing a6304rs must be like a idler bearing that rides inside the guide roller housing. It has a zerk on the front of it so i been hitting it every time that i hit the pillow block bearings, i better slack off before i burn them up might even need to pull some grease out to take the pressure off. thank you much for your responces.

[Brucer]

From the wonderful world of plant maintenance ... never give a sealed bearing more than one shot of grease. If you do ... well, you already know what happens. :(

Ideally when you grease a sealed bearing, you're just pushing in a bit to replace the small amount that leaks out (due mainly to heat) when the bearing is running.

[tyb525]

I wish my mill had greaseable bearings. Seems like they would last longer since you can give them a squirt every so often to make sure they don't run dry.

[Magicman]

Mine are sealed.  The guides wear out before the bearings.

[Tom]

I had a set of bearings like that too, magicman.  I finally got tired of looking at them and put them on the mill.  :D

[Quinn]

Limbrat,

I have the LM4, and if it's like mine, it's just a dust cover.  They actually use a freeze plug from an engine block and drill a hole in the middle for a zerk fitting.  Just press it back in.  If you lose it in the sawdust (like I did), you can get a replacement at any auto parts store.  I'm switching to sealed bearings to avoid greasing (I was told my originals  are not  sealed).

[eamassey]

Sealed bearings can be either "RS" or "2RS".  That is, sealed one side or sealed both sides.  You can, of course, take a "2RS" bearing and pop off one of the seals so that is regreaseable through a hole in the mount or housing.   The problem with a seal-one-side bearing with provision to grease from the open side is that it is easy to pop out the seal with excessive grease pressure.  A better solution in many cases is the use of a "shielded" bearing -- that is a metal non-contacting cover, that will allow excess grease to flow through, without knocking out the shield.  Some larger bearings can be greased through a port hole drilled by the manufacturer in the outer race.  Fully sealed bearings are great in lots of applications, but if you are on the edge of bearing performance, either by heat, or RPM, or contamination-- regreasable is a much better choice, unless, that is, you are a forgetful regreaser, then always go fully sealed.
(Sealed bearings can be regreased with a needle attachment on your grease gun, if you are the careful type.  This would be a one-or-two times for the life of the bearing--certainly not daily or weekly.)

Now, 6304 bearings for $3.  Sure, I buy that kind too, . . . .sometimes.  But if the application is real critical, do yourself a favor and insist on either US, Japan, or Germany manufacture bearings (carefully, many "US brand" bearings are made other places) ......  at a cost of $9 to $16.    Those cheap bearings are sometimes real good, but I have found them to not be consistantly good.
eam

[limbrat]

Thank you i called this morning and like Quinn said its a dust cover. Best thing it aint broke and it looks like when it does get some slack in it wont be much to change. Once i get all that extra grease pressure washed out.

[ely]

i had a problem with the roller guide bearings on my lm 2000. when i first got it the bearings were seizing up within just a couple months.

i went to the parts store and bought 2 new bearings that cost me 8 bucks each. they were stamped made in russia on one and made in china on the other. same boxes same brand.

fast forward about 2 months and they started to get stiff on me.
i went online and found the bearings for less than a buck apiece. they were 9 dollars for a bag of ten.
my dad told me"i bet those are high quality" i told him" im pretty fast at pressing them out too"

the bulk bearings were all stamped just like the made in russia bearing that i bought in town. came in the same little individual packages. just no box.
i have used a total of 4 of the bulk bearings since 06, and have gave 2 of them away.

i think the problem on my mill is the mixture of soap and other stuff i use in the water tank. i have less of a problem because i started squirting the bearings with the same oil can that i use on my wiper pads. when i finish for the day i run the band until its dry the squirt the oil on the band rollers. then when i stop i soak the bearings both sides with oil.
oil= kerosine and bar oil 50/50

if a bearing tries to give me more problems i will needle a bit of grease thru the rubber seal or i will remove the shield and put the grease into the bearings and pop the shield back on.

[Larry]

On my old Kasco mill the guide bearings were wide open and soapy water washed the grease out quite quick.  I found I could peel the seal back just enough to get a needle in loaded with marine wheel bearing grease.  It's water repellent or something and did extend bearing life a bit.

eamassey has it right on the bearings.  Sometimes when I need more than a couple, or odd bearings I order from Accurate Bearing.  They will give you a quality choice usually...and a bit more than $3 bearings.

[Planman1954]

I had the exact same problem on my lumbermate. When I first got it (used) the bearings were loose, and the guide did not turn properly. I went to the auto parts store, bought a replacement, and hammered it in. It worked for a while, and then I had to do it again. Then one day I had some 30 weight motor oil in my hand. I had put a little bit down on the rollers for the track in the sponge thing, and then just put some on the roller guides. You know, I haven't had a problem since. I guess I'll just keep putting a little on there from now on.

[ely]

i have seen some mills that use the sheilded bearings on the front and back but where they have the grease designed to come out between the bearings they have removed the inside sheilds to allow grease to the bearings.

i have been wanting to drill the shaft holding the roller guides on my mill i have just not ever done it. i thought i could put a small shim in between the bearings with a cut out gap that lined up with the grease hole i drill in it. i would just tap the front of the bolt and put the zerk out there like WM did.