diy bearing blocks/pillows???

[jk95ht]

im wondering if anyone has made or attempted to make bearing blocks, as im looking at a photo of one and thinkn the hardest part would be making it round.....
reason being they rnt very cheap (atleast here in aus) and im thinkn about attempting to make one, does anyone think its possible?

 

[jk95ht]

ok if i got ONE bearing block which is 50mm long (width of kart being about 500mm), would i be able to place this in the centre, and let it be the only one, or would i need two (one for each side)?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SCS16UU-Line...50?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item20b8711622

 

[landuse]

In my mind you will definately need one either side. The axel is not going to be sturdy enough just with 10% of it being supported in the middle of the kart. What if your one wheel goes into a ditch or hole. The bearing block will probably get broken

 

[fowler]

yes u could make one
but the first would be must greater

 

[oldbikerarlo]

ok if i got ONE bearing block which is 50mm long (width of kart being about 500mm), would i be able to place this in the centre, and let it be the only one, or would i need two (one for each side)?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SCS16UU-Line...50?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item20b8711622

This bearing is not a rotation type bearing it is for a shaft to slide back and forth

 

[Bluethunder3320]

LOL that sucks.


what about a small section of tube cut and welded to the frame, and press a bearing into it?

 

[r_chez_08]

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-360.html

 

[redsox985]

Check these and maybe give them a call asking about shipping to AUS.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial

 

[jk95ht]

This bearing is not a rotation type bearing it is for a shaft to slide back and forth

im looking for a 15 or 16mm block
thanks for that, im just trying to find really cheap ones......
i cant just use a set up with just steel tubing and no bearings can i?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Of course you can.
I certainly wouldn't suggest it for a number of reasons.
If pillow blocks are a tough find for you, look into flange mount bearings.

 

[jk95ht]

Of course you can.
I certainly wouldn't suggest it for a number of reasons.
If pillow blocks are a tough find for you, look into flange mount bearings.

one of them reasons being the axle wont move as freely(but this go kart wont be doing insane speeds, it will only be a 49cc engine)what are the others?
and i had a quick look on ebay and couldnt find any flange mount bearings in aus

 

[Doc Sprocket]

1) Friction- there's nothing you can do to lower the friction to equal bearings. Nothing.
2) Grease- the tubing must be slightly oversized to allow for grease- however, due to the kart's weight, the shaft will always be smashed up tight to the top of the tube. This will quickly hog out the top portion of the tube, and/or wear down the axleshaft. The sloppier the fit gets, the faster the wear occurs, until there's enough play to allow a bend or break
3) Bushings- you could use bronze (oilite) or nylon bushings, but by the time you've replaced them a few times you've paid for bearings, and then there's the labour to rip it all apart quite frequently for regreasing, which won't slow down the wear by much anyhow. AND you'd need to engineer a way to retain these bushings in the tube.
4)None of this addresses lateral loads either- you'd need thrust washers or thrust bearings to provide a bearing surface as the axle tries to move side to side in the tube. Proper bearings don't require this.
5)Debris- When it gets in the tube, and it will unless you find a way to seal it ($), that will chew away at the fitment.

Seriously. You're building a go-kart. You've had to source everything else- get some bearings.

Surely all the other Aussies around here have found something reasonable.

 

[jk95ht]

1) Friction- there's nothing you can do to lower the friction to equal bearings. Nothing.
2) Grease- the tubing must be slightly oversized to allow for grease- however, due to the kart's weight, the shaft will always be smashed up tight to the top of the tube. This will quickly hog out the top portion of the tube, and/or wear down the axleshaft. The sloppier the fit gets, the faster the wear occurs, until there's enough play to allow a bend or break
3) Bushings- you could use bronze (oilite) or nylon bushings, but by the time you've replaced them a few times you've paid for bearings, and then there's the labour to rip it all apart quite frequently for regreasing, which won't slow down the wear by much anyhow. AND you'd need to engineer a way to retain these bushings in the tube.
4)None of this addresses lateral loads either- you'd need thrust washers or thrust bearings to provide a bearing surface as the axle tries to move side to side in the tube. Proper bearings don't require this.
5)Debris- When it gets in the tube, and it will unless you find a way to seal it ($), that will chew away at the fitment.

Seriously. You're building a go-kart. You've had to source everything else- get some bearings.

Surely all the other Aussies around here have found something reasonable.

ohk, thanks for that..... my brother is going to see if he has any bearing blocks etc laying around so i may be lucky.......

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Hit your local scrapyards, too (I think you call them "Tips".) You can find pillow block and flange bearings in all sorts of things. I got a nearly new set of 3/4" pillows from a discarded commercial ventilation fan. In fact, I got the shaft, too- these parts became the jackshaft on my kids' kart.

 

[jman231994]

I'm in the same situation as you except i've got a 30mm axle. I found 30mm bearings and blocks for 10 dollars in the US but the postage was 18 each so for a set of two it would have gone over 50 dollars. Not what I wanted. I looked at making them too.

I was thinking of bending some flat bar into a circle and then welding a thin ring on the inside of one side to hold the bearing there and then making another ring that bolts onto the other side to lock the bearing in place. Then a solid piece of flat underneath welded to the circle with some gussets for strength. Bearings for it werent that expensive so it seemed feasible. But in the end i gave up and just started saving up for some proper kart bearings and cheap flanges hahaha.

If you think you can pull it off go ahead and give it a try, then get some photos up haha.

 

[fowler]

pillow blocks will be easy to come by

i dont know what shops u are useing but motorbike or gokart shops will rip u off

if go on the net then get them from america

or if u try industrial and farming based shops they should be cheap

 

[jman231994]

They're easy enough to find alright but it's the price thats the problem. I called one place and they wanted $130 for two bearings and two housings. Thats just rubbish when I can get similar stuff for ten bucks a piece from the US. Postage is a pain though!

Also Fowler could you give me a better description of these industrial/farming shops? When I think of a farming shop I think of Landmark or something like that but I'm pretty sure they dont sell bearings :S So yea can you tell me one with a website with some decent info cause I really have no idea what it is hahahaha

I have noticed that high end gym equipment sometimes uses pillow blocks aswell.

 

[machinist@large]

Nice thread everyone. We'll try to throw this a reference on our blog post about where to get Australian pillows next week.

Australian Pillows

fftopic: This thread is about pillow block BEARINGS; NOTpillows.

 

[r_chez_08]

Its spam