Grease Caps: Why Do Grease Caps Lengthen The Life Of Bearings?

Posted August 20, 2015 by admin

When it comes to bearings, there’s a delicate balance between over-greasing, and not greasing enough. Doing one or the other may end up ruining your ball bearings, or drastically cutting its life-span. Sound like a tricky issue? It may seem that way at first, but once you come to understand why your bearings need grease, the easier time you’ll have with your bearing maintenance.

Grease caps are the peg-like covers found at the center of a wheel and are a necessary component of keeping your ball and roller bearings in tip-top shape. Often time’s grease caps go ignored until your bearings are already cracked and broken. If you want to increase your bearings designed lifespan, then you’re going to want to start paying attention to grease caps.

One of the hard-hitters in taking down your bearings are the elements: dirt, debris, water, salt, and sand that can be transferred from the road into your vehicles bearings. Bearings need lubrication, and using grease caps will ensure your bearings are running smooth and clean while reducing the odds of debris and other contaminants getting stuck inside your bearings. Grease caps improve the function and lifespan of your bearings by ensuring that they receive proper lubrication and come in all different varieties to fit every possible application. These caps can be either threaded, or press-on.

No matter which type you choose, keeping a grease cap on your vehicle is an absolute must. To ensure the best possible protection of your ball bearings, clean and repack your bearings with grease at least once a year. This is essential in wheel bearing maintenance. For more information on bearings and grease caps, or to request a personal quote, feel free to call VNC Bearings at 800-862-3211.

What Are Cam Followers And How Do They Aid Bearing Solutions?

Posted August 17, 2015 by admin

A cam follower, or track follower, is a type of bearing that comes in two parts. The first part is the cam, a mechanical pierce that slides or rotates in a specific motion. The second part is the follower, a traveling component that moves along the cam’s surface. This bearing is highly versatile and can be used for all different types of machinery, including vehicles and pumps.

cam followers

 

The application of cam followers is part of the reason this bearing is so unique. While there are differences in cam followers, the typical bearing is made in a cylindrical roller fashion and is attached to its machine component using a hexagonal nut. This unit is often mounted to its mate using either a yoke or stud style cam follower. This bearing makes for a quick, simple, and convenient attachment.

Cam followers are designed to recreate specific motions and contain anti-friction elements that allows them to take on high radial loads. One of the upsides of using cam followers is that they are able to evenly distribute loads while reducing distortion and absorbing shock through their thick outer rings. Variations of this roller bearing allows for high speeds but decreased loads, and may allow the bearing to hold more lubrication over a longer period of time. This ensures your bearings stay smooth, operate fluidly, and stay free of harmful debris and road salts that can cause decay in your bearings.

Need help selecting a particular bearing for your application? At VNC bearings, we know our cam followers. Already know what you need? Visit our online catalog of Cam Followers, or contact us at 800-862-3211 for more information on how to best use cam followers and get the best life out of your bearings.