Bearings
Mounted and unmounted bearings for industrial machinery, from deep-groove ball bearings to heavy spherical roller units. GDS Supply carries the Regal Rexnord bearing families — Sealmaster, Rollway, McGill, and Browning — searchable by manufacturer catalog number.
Bearings by Category
Shop Bearings by Brand
About Bearings
The bearing group is split first by whether the bearing comes in a housing. Mounted bearings are supplied in a pillow block, flange, take-up or hanger housing that bolts to the machine, in ball, tapered roller and spherical roller forms. Unmounted bearings are the bearing alone, for a machined housing: cam followers, cylindrical, deep groove ball, spherical roller, needle, angular contact, self-aligning ball, tapered roller and thrust bearings. Insert bearings and cartridge units are the replaceable heart of a mounted unit. Rod ends and spherical plain bearings carry linkage motion, and bearing parts and kits cover adapters, end caps, shields and take-up frames.
Also known as: industrial bearings, ball and roller bearings, mounted bearings, bearing units, anti-friction bearings
Series in this category
- Mounted ball bearings — Sealmaster Gold Line and Browning pillow blocks, flange units, take-ups and hangers, the largest group in the catalog.
- Mounted tapered roller bearings — Sealmaster RPB pillow blocks, flange units and take-ups for heavy radial, thrust and combined loads.
- Mounted spherical roller bearings — Sealmaster USRB unitized units where dynamic misalignment and heavy loads meet.
- Unmounted bearings — McGill CAMROL cam followers and SPHERE-ROL spherical bearings, Rollway cylindrical, deep groove, angular contact, self-aligning, tapered and thrust bearings, and needle bearings.
- Insert bearings and cartridge units — Replacement inserts for mounted housings and cartridges for a bored hole.
- Rod ends and spherical plain bearings — Male and female rod ends and spherical bearings for linkage and angular motion.
- Bearing parts and kits — Adapter sleeves, end caps, back side shields and take-up frames.
Related guides: Bearing selection guide, Bearing lubrication basics, Bearing clearance codes, ER bearings explained, Pillow block bearing sizes, Cross-reference help
How to choose bearings
- Let the shaft and the housing constraints narrow the type
- Shaft diameter and housing style are often fixed by the machine. Small shafts carry light loads and point to a ball bearing; larger shafts and higher loads point to tapered or spherical roller bearings. On mounted units the equipment also decides between a pillow block, a two-bolt flange, a four-bolt flange or a take-up.
- Size on load magnitude and direction
- Ball bearings suit light to moderate loads and roller bearings moderate to heavy ones, with full-complement rollers for the highest loads and for oscillating motion. Radial load is the usual case; thrust needs a contact angle, so tapered roller and double-row spherical roller bearings carry combined loads best, and a combined load is converted to an equivalent radial load before life is calculated.
- Separate static misalignment from dynamic
- Static misalignment is a fixed angle between shaft and housing; mounted ball bearings, certain mounted roller bearings and spherical roller bearings take a limited amount of it. Dynamic misalignment is a varying angle from a shaft that is bending or running eccentric, and spherical roller bearings are the type suited to it. Beyond the bearing's limit, contact stress rises and life falls.
- Allow for expansion, noise and shock
- Where the shaft grows with temperature, one bearing is fixed at the drive end and the other is an expansion type that lets the shaft float. Fans and other noise-sensitive drives favor ball bearings with concentric locking and, on mounted units, the air-handling option. Vibratory conveyors and shock loads favor roller bearings, which carry the load over a larger contact area.
- Choose seal, grease and clearance for the environment
- Labyrinth seals suit dry, low-contamination running with least drag; rubber lip seals suit wet and dirty conditions to 250 degrees F with high-temperature versions to 450; felt seals filter light to moderate contamination to 200 degrees F, or 400 with Nomex felt. Increased internal clearance is for hot or fast running, reduced clearance for shock, vibration and oscillation.
Specifications explained
| Specification | What it means |
|---|---|
| Rolling element | Ball, cylindrical roller, tapered roller, spherical roller or needle roller, which sets load capacity, speed and how misalignment is handled. |
| Bore size | The shaft diameter, in inches or millimeters. Sealmaster and Browning mounted units encode inch bores in sixteenths in the part number. |
| Dynamic load rating | The basic rating used to calculate bearing life against the applied load, listed in pounds or kilonewtons. |
| Radial clearance | Internal clearance between rolling elements and raceways: C2 less than standard, standard, C3 and C4 progressively greater. |
| Seal type | Labyrinth, felt, rubber lip, spring-loaded or V-ring, which decides drag, temperature limit and how much contamination the bearing excludes. |
| Housing style | On mounted units: pillow block, flange block, cartridge block, take-up or hanger, which is how the bearing attaches to the machine. |
| Misalignment | The angle the bearing is rated to take up, and whether that is static only or dynamic. |
| Ability to relubricate | Whether the bearing has a grease fitting or lubrication holes, or is sealed and greased for life. |
Common questions
Ball bearing or roller bearing?
A ball bearing makes a small elliptical contact with its raceway, which keeps friction and heat low and allows higher speed, but limits it to light and moderate loads. A roller bearing makes a line contact over a larger area and carries moderate to heavy loads and shock, at lower speed. Tapered and double-row spherical rollers also carry thrust in combination with radial load.
What is the difference between a mounted and an unmounted bearing?
A mounted bearing is supplied inside a housing that bolts to the machine, such as a pillow block or flange unit, with the insert self-aligning in the housing to take up static misalignment. An unmounted bearing is the bearing alone and needs a machined housing and shaft seat to the manufacturer's fit recommendations.
What does C3 mean?
C3 is an internal radial clearance greater than standard. Spherical roller bearings are made to industry-standard clearance ranges, with C2 below standard and C3 and C4 above it, and the choice depends on the fits and the temperature difference between shaft and housing in service. Other bearing types use clearances set by the manufacturer.
Which seal should a bearing have?
It depends on speed, contamination, temperature and lubricant. A non-contacting labyrinth seal is for dry, clean, faster running and cannot be blown out by over-greasing. A rubber lip contact seal handles wet and dirty conditions to 250 degrees F. A felt seal filters light to moderate contamination with less drag than a rubber lip and purges old grease on relubrication.
