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Sealed Ball Bearing Mains From Anti-Splat-Aero

PerfTech

Well Known Member
...We have a few of these modified wheel set-ups out for testing as well the ones on my RV-9. About 200 hours now and everyone loves this modification. Below are a few photos of the mains on my plane with the new bearings installed before I put them back on. We can do all or part of this service as you desire and our turn around time is only a day or two. I have had several requests for this service so if you are also interested or have suggestions please E-Mail me or give us a call for more info or pricing. (909) 824-1020...:D
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I normally think of a "sealed" ball bearing as being one that has actual rubber seals to contain the lubricant and protect it from contamination. The ball bearings in your photo appear to be more along the lines of "shielded" ball bearings. This article has a couple of paragraphs that explain the difference between the two types.

If they are actual sealed bearings, then I can certainly see the utility of this modification. Sealed bearings have become the defacto standard for undriven automotive wheels (for example the rear wheels on a front-wheel-drive car). They often if not usually last the service life of the car with no service whatsoever. Which is good, because the "service" typically consists of discarding the whole hub and replacing it with a new one from China.

But if the bearings are just shielded, I'd worry a bit about their long-term serviceability. With shielded bearings, over the long term the grease will migrate through the gap between the shield and the inner race, and dust and dirt will migrate in. It is a question of when, not if. That is certainly no worse than the stock conical bearings, but conical bearings are easily cleaned out and repacked with new grease.

Also, do you include a spacer between the inner races of the two bearings? Ball bearings designed for radial loads are typically not very accommodating of the kind of axial loading you get when the axle nut is tightened but there is no spacer to maintain the correct distance.

Thanks, Bob K.
 
I normally think of a "sealed" ball bearing as being one that has actual rubber seals to contain the lubricant and protect it from contamination. The ball bearings in your photo appear to be more along the lines of "shielded" ball bearings. This article has a couple of paragraphs that explain the difference between the two types.

If they are actual sealed bearings, then I can certainly see the utility of this modification. Sealed bearings have become the defacto standard for undriven automotive wheels (for example the rear wheels on a front-wheel-drive car). They often if not usually last the service life of the car with no service whatsoever. Which is good, because the "service" typically consists of discarding the whole hub and replacing it with a new one from China.

But if the bearings are just shielded, I'd worry a bit about their long-term serviceability. With shielded bearings, over the long term the grease will migrate through the gap between the shield and the inner race, and dust and dirt will migrate in. It is a question of when, not if. That is certainly no worse than the stock conical bearings, but conical bearings are easily cleaned out and repacked with new grease.

Also, do you include a spacer between the inner races of the two bearings? Ball bearings designed for radial loads are typically not very accommodating of the kind of axial loading you get when the axle nut is tightened but there is no spacer to maintain the correct distance.

Thanks, Bob K.

...These bearings are top of the line angular contact sealed bearings with a metal protector over the rubber seal for use in harsh environments (impervious to most chemicals, dirt and salt bombardment. These are Timken brand part # RA-103-RR2 AG. They are rated at four times the capacity of the wheels and three times the speed. You can go to Timken.com for all engineering information as we did. If the guys that wrote the book are correct these should outlast the airplane 200 times minimum, and require no maintenance whatsoever. Thanks, Allan...:D
 
...These bearings are top of the line angular contact sealed bearings with a metal protector over the rubber seal for use in harsh environments (impervious to most chemicals, dirt and salt bombardment. These are Timken brand part # RA-103-RR2 AG. They are rated at four times the capacity of the wheels and three times the speed. You can go to Timken.com for all engineering information as we did. If the guys that wrote the book are correct these should outlast the airplane 200 times minimum, and require no maintenance whatsoever. Thanks, Allan...:D

You didn't mention if there is a spacer between the inner race of the two bearings. Bob is correct, a spacer is needed between the bearings to carry the axle-nut torque load; does this modification have it?
 
You didn't mention if there is a spacer between the inner race of the two bearings. Bob is correct, a spacer is needed between the bearings to carry the axle-nut torque load; does this modification have it?

....There will be no axle-nut torque load if properly installed. Just like the original bearings, you run the axle nut up hand tight and install the cotter key and you are done. This is a direct replacement that installs just like the originals and eliminates the aluminum spacers. Also, just like the originals, should a bearing problem arise, the inner races can turn on the spindle rather than locking-up, twisting off the spindle or locking the tire. Thanks, Allan...:D
 
Anti Splat Aero Modifictions

I have had it all done to my 8A. I installed the anti splat nose job, got the lip skid and had my wheel bearings replaced along with having the tire balanced and trued. So far I have found an improvement both with ground handling and taxiing and landing. Have not had as vigourous nose wheel shimming since the modifications were done. I am happy with what has been done.
 
....There will be no axle-nut torque load if properly installed. Just like the original bearings, you run the axle nut up hand tight and install the cotter key and you are done...

The difference there is that the original conical bearings are capable of reacting much greater axial loads than ball bearings.

In the auto industry they get away with using ball bearings in wheel hubs by carefully positioning the bearings in the hub and providing a spacer between the inner races. With both the inner and outer races precisely located, the two bearings share the axial loads equally. So far as I can tell, this is standard engineering practice for ball bearing installations.

In the absence of that critical inner race spacer, all of the axial loads are borne by one of the two bearings in the wheel; the other just floats axially on the axle.

Here's a quickie sketch of what I mean. The upper section shows the wheel hub design you propose. The bottom section shows the wheel hub design used on the rear wheels of my Dodge Neon:

wheel-hub-ball-bearing.gif


Thanks, Bob K.
 
with spacer

with spacer seems to be a better design. ball bearing and race tolerance may not allow for an equally shared load upon initial installation but after some wear they should begin to share load. spacer tolerance would need to be tight. nice diagram. learn something every day here.
 
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I've seen first hand the consequences of leaving out the spacer that went between two sealed bearings on a motocross quad....that was a seriously ugly crash and it didn't take long for the bearings to fail.

Is this the same thing? I'm not at all sure, but I do know that when I set the plane onto it's mains I'm not always pointing perfectly down the runway...and there is quite a bit of side loading. I love the idea of sealed bearings in there, but it will take quite a bit more assurances before I risk my life and that of my passenger (to say nothing of the airplane) on this one. A wheel bearing departing on a tail dragger just has to be a bad day, though again...I'm no expert.

I am subscribed to this thread though, because as I said I like the idea of sealed bearings and would love to put them on my canoe...er, I mean my project.
 
more info please

Allen,
Love your work and will be a customer soon.

Can you give more info, like a link to the Timken part number page. I used the info you gave and spend a few minutes on Timken's site and couldn't come up with a detail sheet.

Could you give us a drawing/sketch of how the bearings are mounted.

I understand what Bob and others are saying, one is the bearing moving and the other is the bearing failing. Remember, we are comparing this to what we know works and even though we hear you and a customer say it works, we need to know or understand how it won't fail on us.

I like the whole idea of this. I have serviced many wheel assemblies and always thought, this is very basic and old technology and always ask the cleveland folks at SNF and OSH when we will see better components? This year, they said they have a new rubber seal out to replace the old felt pads on the outter part of the assembly......geezzz seems like a very small improvement from my perspective. Allen is really taking a outside the box approach to updating an old design, Thanks Allen.
 
...when I set the plane onto it's mains I'm not always pointing perfectly down the runway...and there is quite a bit of side loading...

The side loading on the wheels and bearings is not just when you touch down sideways or when you are turning. The nature of the RV landing gear, especially those with steel-rod gear legs, is that the toe angle of the tires cannot be precisely controlled. So there is almost always some side-loading as the two tires push towards each other or pull away from each other, even while you are taxiing perfectly straight.

Thanks, Bob K.
 
Allen,
Love your work and will be a customer soon.

Can you give more info, like a link to the Timken part number page. I used the info you gave and spend a few minutes on Timken's site and couldn't come up with a detail sheet.

Could you give us a drawing/sketch of how the bearings are mounted.

I understand what Bob and others are saying, one is the bearing moving and the other is the bearing failing. Remember, we are comparing this to what we know works and even though we hear you and a customer say it works, we need to know or understand how it won't fail on us.

I like the whole idea of this. I have serviced many wheel assemblies and always thought, this is very basic and old technology and always ask the cleveland folks at SNF and OSH when we will see better components? This year, they said they have a new rubber seal out to replace the old felt pads on the outter part of the assembly......geezzz seems like a very small improvement from my perspective. Allen is really taking a outside the box approach to updating an old design, Thanks Allen.

...When we set out to do this modification we contacted Timken and had their engineering department recommend the best possible bearings for this application. We told them the bearings that are currently in use and after they stopped laughing, and explaining how antiquated aircraft are. They began telling me that for some reason aircraft never change and they refuse to move into this century, this is what they said is the absolute best available bearing for this job, installed exactly as they specified. This part number is RA-103-RR2 AG. Below is a link to the specs on these and after looking at them it is obvious that they are many times overkill. The extended dynamic load rating for these is 4,900 Lbs each and static load range is 2,500 Lbs each. When you look at these numbers times four it is obvious. See link below; Thanks, Allan....:D
http://app5.websitetonight.com/projects/2/4/7/3/2473370/uploads/Ball_Bearing.pdf
 
...The extended dynamic load rating for these is 4,900 Lbs each and static load range is 2,500 Lbs each. When you look at these numbers times four it is obvious. See link below; Thanks, Allan....:D
http://app5.websitetonight.com/projects/2/4/7/3/2473370/uploads/Ball_Bearing.pdf

Those radial loads are all well and good, but what is their rating for axial (thrust) loading? That is the real concern here. And whatever it is, you can't multiply it by four, since without an inner race spacer all of the axial loading will be taken up by one bearing in each wheel.

Thanks, Bob K.
 
another concern

As an engineer and a skateboard father, I have to agree with Bob. I would not use these ball bearings without an inner spacer. The spacer allows the pre load to be set and proper preload is very important to ball bearings. In addition, the spacer allows the inner race to be secured and kept from turning. The sealed ball bearings have some inherent drag. If the inner race is not secured and allowed to float, the inner race will turn on the axle, the "bearing" then becomes the inner race and the axle. In short order, the axle will start wearing, overheat, lose temper and then bad things start to happen. I would recommend a spacer be used. The skateboard guys stopped using inner spacers to save money and most skateboards I see have this problem with the bearings no longer working as bearings. JMHO, your mileage may vary.
 
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Sealed bearing mod

Seems that a spacer, being discussed, would not be much of a problem to ad to the mod, although I am not an engineer.
 
Wow! Many Thanks

... I came to our office today as usual and proceeded to our e-mail to answer questions and check orders Etc. To my pleasant surprise we are practically inundated with orders and inquiries on this new main wheel modification. It isn't even lunch time and we have six more firm orders and fourteen inquiries.

[ed. Couple sentences that I interpreted as disrespectful removed by me - maybe I read it wrong, as the typed word sometimes doesn't convey emotion accurately. Edited title, also. dr]
 
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Antisplat wheel mods.

This Antisplat wheel mod will also sure make it nice for repairing a flat; rotating or changing tires.
 
Based on your company videos I am led to believe that the nose wheel does get a spacer. Why is it desirable on the front but not needed on the mains? In fact, the video says that the front gets tightened down to prevent things from rotating on the shaft, which is exactly one of the concerns expressed in this thread.
 
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I'm with Steve. This is an interesting idea and I want to believe but I have some concerns.
 
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Neat setup--

It is amazing how many people struggle to understand the difference in a ball bearing and a cone and cup type bearing, and the preload issue.

How much for just the bearing mod? No tire trueing or balancing.
 
Neat setup--

It is amazing how many people struggle to understand the difference in a ball bearing and a cone and cup type bearing, and the preload issue.

There is no difficulty understanding the difference here. The fact is that if you tighten these sealed bearings only hand tight, they will, with a very small amount of wear, begin to turn on the axle shaft. To prevent this, you would need to preload them axially which will in time only accelerate the wear, and so on. Similar bearings are the standard in cars, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, etc. and always have a center spacer. I believe Bob K. voiced legitimate concerns and was rewarded with what came across as sarcasm.
 
Based on your company videos I am led to believe that the nose wheel does get a spacer. Why is it desirable on the front but not needed on the mains? In fact, the video says that the front gets tightened down to prevent things from rotating on the shaft, which is exactly one of the concerns expressed in this thread.

...Actually the front wheel is a completely different type of application. The front fits inside of the fork and the 3/8" bolt is in essence the axle. It is not very substantial when used in this manor. You can not tighten it up as this will lock the wheel if you are using tapered bearings. Thus when it is stressed even a small amount it deflects and a misalignment of the bearings occurs. This in turn makes the entire wheel, tire and spacers lock and spin in the fork exerting considerable force on the gear leg and galling the fork and spacers. The center spacer on the nose wheel is necessary so you can tighten the bolt without locking up the assembly. These tapered roller bearings were actually designed to be on a spindle mount like the mains and other than being messy and requiring service they do a pretty good job. They are several times overkill for the job being done on these airplanes. The same part number bearings are used on many older GM products, Camaro, Firebird, some 3/4 ton trucks Etc. where they last a couple of hundred thousand miles under very severe conditions or the equivalent of perhaps a half a million landings.
...Now the stock mains are these same roller bearings being used as intended on a spindle. You do not tighten them up tight with the spindle nut or they will burn up. You only turn the spindle nut to remove side play and then install the cotter key. Nether the old roller or new ball bearings will turn on the spindle as nothing has changed. If a piece of dirt or foreign material gets in the rollers the bearing will lock and spin on the spindle and is designed to do so. The new bearings we use are fitted the exact same way and only require removing the play just like the originals. When I submitted to Timken a detailed drawing of the aluminum wheels we use on our RVs they told me that the wheels under all axial and radial load conditions will fail long before the bearings. I am not saying these new bearings are stronger than the original bearings, but the original ones are far and away overkill and do require regular attention. I prefer the new maintenance free set-up that we are offering and have complete faith in the engineering department of Timken Bearing. They make every type of bearing available including the originals we are removing and I have no reason to think they would mislead us on this application. I will say this, a center stack-up spacer will have no negative effects and will distribute the load over the two bearings evenly. We will provide one if you desire it, but it isn't necessary if you are not comfortable with this then for sure, please do not purchase this service. I will be happy to discuss this and answer any questions I can so feel free to call us. Regards all, Allan...:D
 
There is no difficulty understanding the difference here. The fact is that if you tighten these sealed bearings only hand tight, they will, with a very small amount of wear, begin to turn on the axle shaft. To prevent this, you would need to preload them axially which will in time only accelerate the wear, and so on. Similar bearings are the standard in cars, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, etc. and always have a center spacer. I believe Bob K. voiced legitimate concerns and was rewarded with what came across as sarcasm.

... The new bearings will have no more tenancy to rotate on the spindle than the tapered rollers as they are far less drag than the roller bearings.
...Perhaps I do need to apologize to Bob K. I was only trying to tease him a little and went about it obviously in the wrong way. Sorry for that Bob, guess I owe you one, or visa-verse. In a previous post I said we will provide a center stack-up spacer to anyone who desires one. Thanks, Allan...:D
 
Agree with the need for a spacer...

If you have a single sealed ball bearing the inner race is locked to the axle by the torque of the retaining nut, right? You could apply as much torque to the nut and still not affect the bearing preload one bit. Unless you are using bearings in a very low stress environment like a lawnmower, childs wagon, etc (using a simple cotter pin on the axle), you lock the inner race to the axle with the retaining nut torque. In an instance where you have more than one bearing, there must be a method to lock all the inner races to the axle through one nut - and that simply requires a solid spacer. This spacer needs to be exactly sized to be slightly larger than the wheel so that no matter how tight you get the nut, there will be no induced sideload on the bearing. This also should take into account the rate of thermal expansion of the aluminum and the axle.

In any case, simply using the nut as a "cap" to keep the wheel from falling off is a mistake, IMHO. Since you can't even touch the inner race with the nut without inducing sideload (without a spacer), you are counting on only the residual friction of the inner race on the axle to keep it fron turning, and that will eventually bite you. Once that inner race spins, you are buying a new gear leg.
 
If you have a single sealed ball bearing the inner race is locked to the axle by the torque of the retaining nut, right? You could apply as much torque to the nut and still not affect the bearing preload one bit. Unless you are using bearings in a very low stress environment like a lawnmower, childs wagon, etc (using a simple cotter pin on the axle), you lock the inner race to the axle with the retaining nut torque. In an instance where you have more than one bearing, there must be a method to lock all the inner races to the axle through one nut - and that simply requires a solid spacer. This spacer needs to be exactly sized to be slightly larger than the wheel so that no matter how tight you get the nut, there will be no induced sideload on the bearing. This also should take into account the rate of thermal expansion of the aluminum and the axle.

In any case, simply using the nut as a "cap" to keep the wheel from falling off is a mistake, IMHO. Since you can't even touch the inner race with the nut without inducing sideload (without a spacer), you are counting on only the residual friction of the inner race on the axle to keep it fron turning, and that will eventually bite you. Once that inner race spins, you are buying a new gear leg.

... This is the way ALL RVs are made!!!!!!!!!!
Also several billion automobiles front wheels!!!!!!!!!
 
Allan, maybe if you show a cutaway view of the bearing and show how it is designed to take side loads, it would help resolve this issue.
 
auto vs rv

My old plymouth and my old landcruiser both used tapered roller bearings. In both cases, the inner shaft was tapered so when the inside bearing's inner race was preloaded it would lock onto the inner shaft. To remove the inner race, I had to beat on it or heat it with the torch. The inner race for the outer bearing was kept from turning with a special washer that was keyed into a grove in the axle. The washer sat between the inner race and the nut. Based on these two designs the inner race of the tapered bearings were keep from rotating by the design of the spindle and keyed washer. JMO
 
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... This is the way ALL RVs are made!!!!!!!!!!
Also several billion automobiles front wheels!!!!!!!!!

That is true for the RVs, there is nothing much keeping the inner race from spinning on the axle which is a lackluster design.

However, this is not true for the automobiles. For example, Most cars that use tapered wheel bearings eliminate the inner race and the bearing rides directly on the tapered spindle shaft. Those that do retain the inner race of the bearing have the race pressed onto the shaft or retained using a splined or keyed shaft and inner race.
 
Axial load rating

I am intrigued by the idea of eliminating the need to repack bearings every year. However...

Wikipedia says "Tapered roller bearings are bearings that can take large axial forces (i.e., they are good thrust bearings) as well as being able to sustain large radial forces." If one were contemplating replacing field-proven tapered roller bearings (RV main wheel bearings) with ball bearings, I think one would want to see good data to support the notion that the replacement bearing can handle both the radial and axial forces.

For my RV-10, the main wheel bearing is an LM29749 in an LM29710 cup. According to page 147 of the relevant Timken catalog (http://catalog.timken.com/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.5.9.9&BookCode=trb12flx#), the stock RV-10 bearings are listed with a dynamic rating of 2830 pounds of radial thrust and 1610 pounds of axial thrust.

As noted earlier, the Timken Ball Bearing Catalog (http://catalog.timken.com/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.5.9.9&BookCode=tbb12flx#), page D57, lists the bearing used by Anti-splat (RA103RR2) as having a dynamic load rating of 4900 lb. Thats good. The catalog, however, lists no axial thrust rating.

... When I submitted to Timken a detailed drawing of the aluminum wheels we use on our RVs they told me that the wheels under all axial and radial load conditions will fail long before the bearings.

Even if that statement regarding ultimate failure loads is true, how does one know what axial loads the RA103RR2 can routinely tolerate without excessive wear or damage? We don't seem to have the data to know whether the RA103RR2 is as capable as the LM29749 in ability to handle axial loads day in and day out.
 
Tim,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the RA103RR2 would be classified as a deep groove ball bearing. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any tech data on the Timken site about the axial capacity of their ball bearing assemblies. However, another well known manufacturer, SKF, has this to say:

If deep groove ball bearings are subjected to purely axial load, this axial load should generally not exceed the value of 0,5 C0. ... Excessive axial loads can lead to a considerable reduction in bearing service life.

(source)

Using the load rating (Co) from the catalog, 2500 lbs, these bearings are theoretically good to a side load of approximately 1250 lbs.

Now the million dollar question: Is 1250 lbs of side load capability enough? That's tough, but here's a stab at it:

Assumptions:
-Full gross weight, 1800lbs
-Single wheel carrying aircraft weight at 1G (one-wheel touchdown)
-Coefficient of friction between tire and surface 0.8 (FAR 23.479)

Ideally, the wheel tire would skid sideways before the bearing exceeds its axial load capability. Without a spacer between the bearings, the entire axial load is carried by a single bearing. The maximum axial load that the tire can generate is then 1800*.8 = 1440 lbs. Under these conditions, it appears the bearing is slightly overloaded.

Commentary:
There are of course several additional factors that should be taken into consideration. The radial touchdown load should be combined with the axial load in this scenario. This further increases the overall load on the bearing. On the other hand, the axial loads applied are likely to be of short duration. These short overload periods may reduce bearing life, but the overall bearing life may still be more than adequate. Adding a spacer between the two wheel bearings should approximately double the capacity.

In short, the analysis suggests that this new bearing, as installed, may or may not be up to the task. On to the real world testing!
 
ball bearings in axial load

When I was working on F16s, we used ball bearings for axial loads too. These bearings had a dot on one side of the inner race, and a dot on the other side of the outer race to indicate load direction. If these ball bearings are truly meant for axial loads of any significant value, they should have a dot on the two races indicating assembly direction. In the pictures of the bearings, I do not see a dot on either race. I would be leery of using them for axial loads. Do we have any bearing experts out there who can weigh in?
 
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As I live in France and near to the Beringer factory which has recently moved to the Gap Tallard airfield I went to their recent Open House and bought one of their nose wheels for my RV6A. I must say I am very pleased with this product.
Coming back to the thread concerning the use of ball bearings with the main wheels, Beringer whose company specialize in producing aircraft wheels and break systems do a main wheel and break kit for RVs.
With their main wheel they also use ball bearings however they replace the standard RV axle with a tapered axle so as to clamp the inside bearing and hence make sure that both bearings support the axial load. If you look at the link below and scroll down to page 17 you can see this in detail

http://www.beringer.fr/cat/catPlaneEn.pdf

I have no connection to the Beringer Company however I must say their products seem to me to be top quality and if I were to build another RV I would go with the complete Beringer wheel and break system. It maybe a little more expensive than the Matco one which Vans provide as standard but to me it seems to be of much higher quality.

Barry RV6A F-PRVM
 
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Thank You!!!!!!!!!

As I live in France and near to the Beringer factory which has recently moved to the Gap Tallard airfield I went to their recent Open House and bought one of their nose wheels for my RV6A. I must say I am very pleased with this product.
Coming back to the thread concerning the use of ball bearings with the main wheels, Beringer whose company specialize in producing aircraft wheels and break systems do a main wheel and break kit for RVs.
With their main wheel they also use ball bearings however they replace the standard RV axle with a tapered axle so as to clamp the inside bearing and hence make sure that both bearings support the axial load. If you look at the link below and scroll down to page 17 you can see this in detail

http://www.beringer.fr/cat/catPlaneEn.pdf

I have no connection to the Beringer Company however I must say their products seem to me to be top quality and if I were to build another RV I would go with the complete Beringer wheel and break system. It maybe a little more expensive than the Matco one which Vans provide as standard but to me it seems to be of much higher quality.

Barry RV6A F-PRVM

....If you go to this link as suggested and take a look at the line drawing on page 17 you will see that the inner bearing is a slip or sliding fit on the axle with no taper where the inner bearing rides. This arrangement places 100% of the side loading on one bearing (the very small outside one) and none on the inner. This outside bearing is rated at less than half that of our bearings and is used by them all the way up to their 26"& 29" diameter bush set-ups. The aluminum axle they are selling for the 500x5 size category doesn't even begin to approach the strength of the 6000 series spring steel used on the Vans aircraft mains. Please don't think I am trying in any way to degrade, down-play or cut short Beringer or there products as they are some of the finest in the world. I am sure there engineering staff did their homework before designing their entire line of very expensive wheels, axles and bearings. It appears, perhaps we are over building and under pricing our service and parts? It just my be that we can get by with a much smaller, much cheaper bearing like they do. Allan....:D:D
 
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take a look at the line drawing on page 17 you will see that the inner bearing is a slip fit on the axle. This arrangement places 100% of the side loading on one bearing

I did notice that, and try as I might, I could not figure a way to import it here for folks to look at.
 
Southern California RV-10

...If someone in Southern California is building an RV-10 I would like to see and measure the wheel and brake components. I will most likely be offering this set-up for the 10s as well and hate to go buy everything to evaluate the feasibility. Thanks, Allan...:D
 
STILL LOOKING!!!!

...If someone in Southern California is building an RV-10 I would like to see and measure the wheel and brake components. I will most likely be offering this set-up for the 10s as well and hate to go buy everything to evaluate the feasibility. Thanks, Allan...:D

STILL LOOKING
For a 10 to measure. Allan...:D
 
Bearing Mod For Mains!

....Just a reminder that we are now doing the sealed bearing modification on all models of RVs and most all other home builds and experimentals. ....:D
 
Hey there Allan.

I haven't mounted up the catto prop you sold me about a year ago...

In regards to your pst above, i was at your website and do not see a listing for the main gear bearing mod or the cost. Im interested in the mod for the mains on my -4.

Thanks!
 
Hey there Allan.

I haven't mounted up the catto prop you sold me about a year ago...

In regards to your pst above, i was at your website and do not see a listing for the main gear bearing mod or the cost. Im interested in the mod for the mains on my -4.

Thanks!

....Wow! You are correct, I forgot to put it up there, guess the senility is begun to take it's toll. The price is the same as the front wheels. Thank you for letting me know. Allan....:eek:
 
Just ran across this thread and am interested in sealed, easily torqued bearings on my RV-7A. I don't think the RV-7A has a spindle like in the earlier Beringer diagrams... does the RV-10? Anyone know how the Beringer wheel bearings are supported on an RV-7?

Thanks,
Russ
 
Wheel bearings

This is not the first time Ball bears have been used for wheel bearings. I own another experimental that has Ball bearings and was a original design. And the plane is treated a lot rougher than RV would ever be treated.
Keep up the good work Allen.
 
To kick off an old post again, are there any high time users if this bearing upgrade who are able to give feedback on the product? I?m up for my first bearing repack and I?d rather take the time to convert to a lower maintenance solution. Repacking bearings reminds me why I never buy shimano bicycle hubs. They just need to get with the 21st century.
Tom.
 
bearings

I am not a high time user but I did the mod on all my wheels about a year ago. I love it. No more packing bearings and the plane rolls so smooth.
 
Thanks Matt. No more takers? This mod has been out for a while so I was expecting that there would be some longer term users with experience to share, unless I'm the only one that doesn't like re-packing wheel bearings every annual inspection.

Tom.
 
I also had them install in the wheels on my new -7 build, but I?m still in the building process so I haven?t had a chance to try them out yet. For me, it was a no brainer and I wanted them installed from the get-go. Hopefully I?ll be giving them a good workout before long!
 
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