Carlton stump grinder bearings

[John464]

We've been through 4 sets of cutter wheel bearings in under 600hrs. Carlton tells me these bearings should last about 300hrs. Dave at Global equipment says he knows a guy that had the same set for over 1,000 hrs.

-We grease them everyday as per the Carlton instruction manual.

-A rep over the phone at Carlton said to grease them every 10 hrs.

-Rexnor aka Link Belt, whom makes the bearings, states depending on conditions, every day - 1 every 6 months

My mechanic says we are putting too much grease in them and causing the seals to blow out. He said you should only grease them once a month, since they are sealed you shouldnt lose any grease. Only to purge them once a month to replace old grease with fresh grease. Old grease he tells me is better than new grease every day, cause seals can only take so much purging before they blow?

WHO REALLY KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT?


As you can see i am getting conflicting opninions. I do not know what to do. But this is getting expensive! PLEASE HELP!

 

[Eq Broker]

Hi John,

I just spoke with the customer who has had so much success with his bearings. He said he greases his grinder 1 time per day at the end of the day. He does this while the bearing is warm in order to purge the bearing of contaminates. He had a 2" bearing last 1,500 hours. The seals on the Rexnord/Linkbelt are purgeable. You grinder does have issues. I would recommend checking the following:

-Make sure your shaft isn't cockeyed as this could cause the bearing to fail.
-It could also be the shaft. When removing a bearing that is bad, you would feel a groove in the shaft causing the bearing not to seat and it is just spinning on the shaft.
-Running dull teeth can also cause bearing failure.
-You can't just buy plain Rexnord/Linkbelt bearings that look just like the cutter wheel bearings. Check your bearings and see if you see 2 small set screws in the housing. If
you don't, they're the wrong bearings. These set screws hold a crucial component in the bearing and help stop failures on stump grinders.

I hoped this helps and call me tomorrow if you need any help.

Dave
Global Equipment Exporters
770-966-9056

 

[Naked Arborist]

Synthetic grease may also help. The part about greasing bearings when "hot" is very important to keep the seals from being blowing out.

 

[John464]

Hi John,

I just spoke with the customer who has had so much success with his bearings. He said he greases his grinder 1 time per day at the end of the day. He does this while the bearing is warm in order to purge the bearing of contaminates. He had a 2" bearing last 1,500 hours. The seals on the Rexnord/Linkbelt are purgeable. You grinder does have issues. I would recommend checking the following:

-Make sure your shaft isn't cockeyed as this could cause the bearing to fail.
-It could also be the shaft. When removing a bearing that is bad, you would feel a groove in the shaft causing the bearing not to seat and it is just spinning on the shaft.
-Running dull teeth can also cause bearing failure.
-You can't just buy plain Rexnord/Linkbelt bearings that look just like the cutter wheel bearings. Check your bearings and see if you see 2 small set screws in the housing. If
you don't, they're the wrong bearings. These set screws hold a crucial component in the bearing and help stop failures on stump grinders.

I hoped this helps and call me tomorrow if you need any help.

Dave
Global Equipment Exporters
770-966-9056

Heya Dave,

The bearings I have came from you guys, so they are ok. Upon pulling the bearings today he noted the shaft is messed up. The mechanic went ahead and ordered a new shaft from Carlton today. I had the bearings on my shelf as back up. Didnt have the shaft. After it was too late I told him I could of got it from the folks at Global MUCH cheaper, faster and and friendlier... but he didnt communicate with me. So...we have a new shaft being overnighted from Carlton:bang: My fault cause I told him to order whatever he needed to get this machine back to me asap..

Dave...you guys are awesome. Real pleasure working with you. You should just carry every part that Carlton makes so I never have to deal with them again.

 

[John464]

Perhaps my shaft has been screwed up all along, which could explain why the last two sets of bearings didnt last long at all? Come to to think of it...He might of mentioned that eventually the shaft will need to be replaced...Probably should of been replaced two times ago.. Hmmmm... Im hoping I can get some time out of them this time around...

Grease when hot. Ok. My shop guy lubes and fuels at 6am every morning all of our equipment...Guess the stump operator should be greasing when he loads trailer..Got it. Thanks

 

[Eq Broker]

When greasing the bearings make sure the operator sees new grease coming out the sides of the bearings. This will purge the contaminated grease. I would also have the mechanic slightly drill into the shaft for the set screws on the locking collar. We usually use blue Loctite on the set screws.

I appreciate the compliments and if you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,

Dave
Global Equipment Exporters
770-966-9056

 

[lone wolf]

I have a Vermeer and have been having lots of trouble getting the shafts both squared as a result it keeps burning up cutter wheel shaft bearings! What is the trick to getting them straight? Which one do you square first the jackshaft or the wheel?

 

[Eq Broker]

Lone Wolf,

I would square up the jack shaft first after making sure the shaft is okay. A steel straight edge or small level will work when checking that the bearing housing are even. You can also measure that the bearing housings are even by the slot opening for the mounting holes. I would do the same with the cutter wheel bearings.

Jack shaft and cutter wheel bearings must be spherical roller bearings. I had a customer who thought he could get off cheap by installing a ball bearing on his jack shaft. In less than 10 minutes the bearing exploded. Ball bearings are used in a slow speed application as they can't handle the high revolutions and heat.

Hope this helps!

Dave
Global Equipment Exporters
770-966-9056

 

[lone wolf]

You square up the engine and the jackshaft first then the jackshaft to the wheel next.


I've very careful about keeping the wheel bearing out of the dirt/chip mix when grinding.

Ok I will try that now and see if I can get this thing squared.

 

[Creeker]

We've been through 4 sets of cutter wheel bearings in under 600hrs. Carlton tells me these bearings should last about 300hrs. Dave at Global equipment says he knows a guy that had the same set for over 1,000 hrs.

-We grease them everyday as per the Carlton instruction manual.

-A rep over the phone at Carlton said to grease them every 10 hrs.

-Rexnor aka Link Belt, whom makes the bearings, states depending on conditions, every day - 1 every 6 months

My mechanic says we are putting too much grease in them and causing the seals to blow out. He said you should only grease them once a month, since they are sealed you shouldnt lose any grease. Only to purge them once a month to replace old grease with fresh grease. Old grease he tells me is better than new grease every day, cause seals can only take so much purging before they blow?

WHO REALLY KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT?


As you can see i am getting conflicting opninions. I do not know what to do. But this is getting expensive! PLEASE HELP!

Not far behind you John, my first set of bearings at Au$465 bloody each lasted 170 hours. (I won't report my thoughts here :msp_ohmy: )

The sticker on the SP4012 says grease daily/purge. I did this religiously even if the job on the individual day was an hour.

When they failed I was told by the local distributor that I was over greasing and causing the problem and to only grease every 6-8 machine hrs.

Pity my crystal ball wasn't delivered with the machine !

The current set of bearings has done 220hrs and showing signs of wear. I grease them regularly, but only four or five strokes of the greasegun and not to purgeing on a daily basis.

Tip that I got from here, engage the lever after adjusting belts, the play in the bearings will put the shafts out of alignment when the pressure comes on them, adjust accordingly.....

Some previous history of similiar problems will be found with a search re SP4102.

Hope it comes together mate !!

 

[Eq Broker]

Hi Creeker,

I can save you money on your next set of bearings and various other components as well. You can email me with questions you may have at [email protected] .

Thanks,

Dave Wild
Global Equipment Exporters
New and Used Heavy Equipment For Sale and Export: Construction Equipment, Trucks, Heavy Machinery at Global Equipment Exporters
1-770-966-9056

 

[Creeker]

We have met Dave ( per email ), many thanks for your help.

To any Aussies reading, the above gentleman is very helpful. :msp_smile: