Front drive shaft carrier bearing

[Cole]

High Angle makes a Stainless Carrier bearing, thats what I had in my buggy. It has had the same Carrier bearing since it was built and never had an issue with it. Might want to check into that. sorry I don't have a picture.

 

[patooyee]

There are two kinds of carrier bearings in general. The one with the short shaft and 2 yokes as pictured above is relatively new in the 4x4 world and uncommon in the OEM world. It is actually a 3-piece drivshaft.

The other uses a shaft that goes through the bearing with a single yoke such as bee513 mentioned. This is very common in OEM setups and the offroad world. It is a 2-piece shaft.

They both have their ups and downs and there is a place for both IMHO. I'm not going to rehash it all here because it has been beat to death on Pirate already. If you hate Pirate and refuse to go there, that's your loss.

 

[Jep72m]

This is the one I bought from WOD is beefy as hell.

 

[TBItoy]

High Angle makes a Stainless Carrier bearing, thats what I had in my buggy. It has had the same Carrier bearing since it was built and never had an issue with it. Might want to check into that. sorry I don't have a picture.

well technically High Angle doesn't make it, they just use/sell a high quality stainless housing pillow block.

any industrial supply store/power trans supplier will have them

 

[Cole]

well technically High Angle doesn't make it, they just use/sell a high quality stainless housing pillow block.

any industrial supply store/power trans supplier will have them

Either way I ordered it from High Angle, was the easiest way for me to explain what I had.

 

[InDaShop]

What Cole said, the stainless one is what you want to grab if you go that route, not the other same size cast version. There are pics around of the damage my cast unit did to my buggy when it fragged. Dewired it all practically! No ****.
Cheapest place i found is www.thebigbearingstore.com
But definitely price check, and the replaceable bearing is a PN# that Tractor Supply carries so if you ever have that fail its not some super custom piece.
I had a custom one built housing back then via a machinist that Kelly "Blacksheep10" sourced it was trick as hell, but super cost prohibitive. I wouldnt do it again. But know its still in service and not failed on in the 5 years its been used.

On my new car though Im using a unit from Wayne Isrealson "ZukIzzy" at Alltech Motorsports in Menefee, CA. My main reason its an oilbath setup vs. grease.

 

[KyTrash]

well technically High Angle doesn't make it, they just use/sell a high quality stainless housing pillow block.

any industrial supply store/power trans supplier will have them. Got a link or anything, Nick ?

 

[InDaShop]

I added it above.
The Big Bearing Store seemed to have the cheapest prices, and they ship fast. But shop around.

 

[TBItoy]

Re: Re: Re: Front drive shaft carrier bearing


Just google pillow block bearing, tons of industrial supply places will come up, and you can sort through what they offer, usually by shaft/bearing through size, material, mounting width, etc

 

[billstoy]

I run a tractor supply pillow block .. it has lasted 3 years.

 

[InDaShop]

I run a tractor supply pillow block .. it has lasted 3 years.

Thats the cast one that will explode on you once it gets a crack from shock loading. The bearing in it is really good though.

On the right is the Tractor Supply unit minus the bearing.

Here what that Tractor Supply one will do to ya.

I was just super unlucky because all of my wiring and plumbing ran on a rail over the top of that pillow block.

 

[Technician]

What size pillow block is that?

 

[KyTrash]

Thats the cast one that will explode on you once it gets a crack from shock loading. The bearing in it is really good though.

On the right is the Tractor Supply unit minus the bearing.

Here what that Tractor Supply one will do to ya.

I was just super unlucky because all of my wiring and plumbing ran on a rail over the top of that pillow block.

NASTY.

 

[bee513]

i bet that could of have happen because of no slip between case and pillow block i have seen it before and after slip was installed no problems

 

[patooyee]

i bet that could of have happen because of no slip between case and pillow block i have seen it before and after slip was installed no problems

x2

 

[Technician]

i bet that could of have happen because of no slip between case and pillow block i have seen it before and after slip was installed no problems

I didn't know there was a need for a slip. Hmmm got me thinkin?

 

[patooyee]

I didn't know there was a need for a slip. Hmmm got me thinkin?

Even with a solid-mounted drive train, things move a little. That means the distance from t-case yoke to carrier bearing changes just a hair. (It will change more with rubber or poly mounted drive train.) Without slip in that intermediate drive shaft the length changes are forced into either the bearing or the bearing housing.

My theory on the big seller HAD SS housing bearing being so popular is that some don't understand this length change and they eventually crack or shatter a cast housing. They figure, "Oh this **** was weak!" Then they buy the SS version because Jesse says it is strong. Lo and behold, they stop breaking housings because now it is SS! But then the bearing doesn't last as long. Or then they crack trans tail housings. Or whatever the next weak link is. Some never have an issue at all because the life span of a buggy is nothing compared to the designed life span that the bearings are intended. They might last 5 years in a buggy whereas they might be designed to last 30 years in an OEM vehicle. But everyone builds a new buggy every 3 months these days so who would know that the bearing wasn't going to last?

Most OEM 2-piece shafts use a rubber encapsulated bearing, even in applications as large as over the road tractors. (Does anyone think we are applying more torque than a 1500 ft/lb diesel hauling 200,000 lbs or cargo out of a stop light?) The beauty of those is that the rubber flexes to accommodate this length change. I think a lot of people see the rubber bearings with sheet metal brackets and say, "Oh, that's a good idea, but I'm going to make mine even more bad-ass by getting one of these here cast or SS bearings with no play in them." They don't stop to think why the play was there to begin with.

There's nothing wrong with the cast or SS bearings, but they change the design of the system that people think they are copying. People see that OEM doesn't have a slip and don't figure they need one but they do if they don't use a rubber bearing like the OEM did.

 

[mcutler]

Re:

I too have the cast block with no slip in my buggy. Poly mounted drive train plus poly mounted atlas tail housing support; ls2, th350, atlas. Going on 3 years no breakages, still on same u joints in driveshafts as well. Had thought I would move to the 3 piece or at least put a slip in the jack shaft; but ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[patooyee]

It could be that poly / rubber mounted drive trains are enough to soak up the length change for some.

My brother used to have a little Toyota buggy with stock rubber mounted drivetrain and doubler. In low gear the drive train would shift all around and he kept breaking the jack shaft right at the small part where it went through the cast carrier bearing, 2 or 3 breaks before we finally figued out that something had to change. I replaced the cast bearing with a rubber encapsulated one and all problems were gone from then on using the same jack shaft.

 

[xjpaddler]

Jj is dead on about the slip in the jackshaft ! The more angle that the shaft is in, means the more slip it needs. No slip in the jackshaft will also cause vibs at higher speeds, but go unnoticed at lower crawling speeds.