In the heavy and automotive industries, a device such as a bearing is widely used. Having various shapes and sizes, these parts play an indispensable role in production. Therefore, it is important that the spare part be of appropriate quality and durability.
The SKF bearing has such characteristics. Reviews say that the Swedish company - the manufacturer of these parts holds a confident superiority among similar companies. Its products meet high quality criteria and are valued worldwide. Moreover, it does not matter whether it is a small automobile spare part or a giant bearing for an oil plant.
Product range
In order to make it more convenient for consumers to navigate a huge range of products, the company has released several catalogs corresponding to the sections that indicate the bearing marking, decoding of the name and purpose. And the SKF general catalog contains about one thousand one hundred pages and only gives a description of additional directories. This document has been translated into sixteen languages, for convenience of buyers from different countries, among which there is Russian.
General concepts in the catalog comply with international standards and generally accepted systems (ISO and SI). The company's marketing policy takes into account the interests of consumers in most countries.
Separate catalogs were issued in several sections:
- precision bearings;
- seals;
- pivot bearings and rod heads;
- bearing housings ;
- needle bearings;
- bearing accessories;
- bearings and bearing assemblies type Y.
The catalog for acquaintance can be downloaded on the SKF bearings website.
SKF Bearing Cost
Many people think that the price of SKF bearings is too high. But all this is justified by the quality of products and company policy, which is that the buyer is provided with products of the highest quality with an assortment of additional services.
For example, anyone can make a call to an authorized SKF dealer using the hotline if you need to clarify the technology for installing a part in a car or the question of its originality. In addition, to guarantee the sale of certified products, SKF advises buying spare parts only at specialized sites where the sale of fakes is excluded. Naturally, all this also increases the value of the goods.
The price category of SKF bearings in the Russian market is within five thousand rubles for the original and from one hundred rubles for the analogue.
SKF Bearing Designations
SKF bearing designations consist of a base part and an additional part, which are an alphanumeric combination.
To decrypt it, you need to know that the basic designation has from three to five characters and gives the concept:
- about the type of bearing;
- basic design;
- standard sizes.
Additional - clarifies information:
- about the details of the bearing;
- differences from the basic design and its options.
Specificity is that the additional designation can be placed in front of the base and called the prefix and after it (suffix). If, for clarification (decoding), the bearing marking contains more than one additional designation, then they follow each other in a strictly specified order.
What does the combination contain?
The numbers and letters, as well as their combinations in the marking of bearings, carry the following meaning:
- the first letter or first digit or combination of numbers and letters indicates the type of bearing;
- the next pair of numbers is a series of dimensions that complies with the ISO standard: the first digit is a series of heights (B, T) or width (H), and then a series of diameters (D);
- the closing two digits in the main designation correspond to the bearing code - if you multiply this figure by five, you get the diameter of the spare part, expressed in millimeters.
ABMA standard inch tapered roller bearings are labeled differently — as dictated by ANSI-ABMA Standard 19 — with the prefix K. This is to prevent confusion with the various SKF bearings. Customer reviews say that it is very convenient and functional.
Standard and special bearings
The Swedish company also produces very rare bearings:
- rotary support devices for linear movement;
- Thin-walled with a fixed height of the cross section.
The designations of these spare parts are fundamentally different from the rest.
Also in the products, two groups can be distinguished - standard and special. Bearings with standardized dimensions are included in the standard, and a special one is designed for individual orders. In the latter case, spare parts are manufactured according to the technical requirements of the customer and marked by the drawing number.
In the case of an order, the full marking of the SKF bearing (reviews confirm this) is marked only on the packaging, and on the spare part itself it may be partial.
Car parts
The company manufactures products not only for industrial enterprises, but also for automobiles. Important parts that are not economized are the hub bearing and the support. The branded SKF rear or front wheel bearing is the best purchase for a car (according to driver reviews).
Wheel bearings are divided into single row, double row, closed on both sides by a contact synthetic seal. It all depends on the brand of car on which the spare part is installed. The purpose of this bearing is to transmit movement to the front or rear wheel from the pin.
The rear and front bearings cannot replace each other, since they differ in the values of the outer and inner diameters. In addition, in machines with ABC, front bearings with a built-in magnetic strip are installed. The rear ones contain it as a separate part. This is caused by the frequent replacement of the rear bearing, since it receives a large variable load. In modern car models, the hub unit is non-separable for the ability to withstand high loads.
Another important automotive part is the thrust bearing. It provides a movable connection of the suspension with the body and the shock absorber of the car and affects the angle of the wheel.
Without this quality detail, a car will not be able to make a maneuver, which violates the safety of driving.
What to fear
Very often, high-quality bearings of the Swedish brand live longer than the units where they are installed. After the expiration of the useful life of the device are written off, and the remaining parts from them (still in good condition) under the guise of illiquid assets are handed over to the appropriate company. There they are cleaned, polished, giving a presentation. This hides the true condition of the part, even if the landing dimensions change as a result of processing (sometimes up to one millimeter).
It is not necessary to say that such a restored bearing will serve much less than the claimed resource and can lead to unpleasant consequences.
Illiquid parts are much easier to distinguish than fakes: they are delivered without packaging, you can often see signs of abrasive treatment and smell the oil (the part is soaked for cleaning).
Distinguished from fake
It is no secret that they are always trying to fake the products of any world brand; here it is very important to be able to distinguish such a product so as not to lose money on the lack of quality. Most often, replicas are sold in China and forged so skillfully that it can be very difficult to distinguish them at first glance.
To determine the counterfeit bearing SKF experts advise the following:
- pay attention to the packaging - it should be individual cardboard for small products and wooden - for large industrial designs;
- the spare part must bear a clear factory brand with the country and brand - on fakes, letters and symbols have smooth outlines;
- a distinctive feature of the original is the weight - it is heavier than a fake;
- specialists can distinguish a replica by vibration diagnostics;
- the package must contain: SKF bearing number, country of manufacture and barcode print;
- carefully inspect the part - there should be no chips, scuffs, burrs on it.
It should also be borne in mind that the Swedish concern has branches in different countries, so names such as Germany, Italy, Japan and some others may be present in the marking of parts.
Product Analogs
Often a situation arises when the urgent part is not needed at the warehouse of the trading organization. In this case, experts advise you to purchase SKF bearing analogues. Customer reviews suggest that there are firms that produce similar quality products. It will be distinguished by marking and a more affordable price, but not quality.
Such products can be purchased from the following companies:
- Schaeffler Gruppe's FAG, INA, LuK produce high-quality bearings for all industries;
- NTN - high-quality production of complex bearings, Japan;
- Koyo - Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts;
- NSK inferior to Swedish quality, but superior to European, Japan;
- IBC is an Austrian company manufacturing precision bearings.
From the above it follows that it is better to purchase high-quality analogs at an average price and not be afraid that they will fail every minute, than to buy a fake for a penny and expect trouble.