Meet the 300 Series heavy-duty ball bearing

For industrial fan and blower applications, heavy-duty ball bearings, like the Rexnord Link-Belt Series 300, deliver high capacity, high speed and minimal vibration with less maintenance and turnover than roller bearings. Let’s look at the key advantages, as well as head-to-head test results.

Advantage: Capacity
Roller bearing units in this industry are loaded to no more than 7% of their rated load carrying capacities. Although ball bearings generally have less load-carrying capacity than roller bearings, it is not a limiting factor for industrial fans and blowers. The 300 Series Heavy-Duty ball bearing can run much faster than a roller bearing at typical fan and blower loads. This allows them to run cooler with far better lubrication conditions, resulting in longer bearing life.

Advantage: Speed
By design, ball bearings run much faster than roller bearings. And because ball bearing sets don’t “slide” like roller bearings, there is less friction which means greater service life.

Advantage: Operating Temperature
Ball bearings are designed to run cooler than roller bearings. The point of contact between the ball and the raceway creates a smaller contact area, resulting in less friction (which would generate unwanted heat). The result? Again, longer bearing life. (See graph.)

Advantage: Low maintenance/cost
Because grease life doubles for every 10-degree drop in running temperature, a cooler-running heavy-duty ball bearing – like the 300 Series -- lets you save on both maintenance time and grease costs. Using less grease with longer grease life is the secret to longer fan life.

Advantage: Quick installation
The Link-Belt Series 300 Heavy-Duty ball bearings offer the Rexnord SHURLOK® tapered adapter to ensure a tight grip of the bearing to the shaft and minimize overall vibration.

In conclusion, switching from roller bearings to heavy-duty ball bearings adds up to significant bottom-line benefits, including:

• Cost savings on installation, grease and bearing changeovers
• Reliability through increased uptime, bearing life and fan and blower service life

If you have questions about the Rexnord Link-Belt Series 300 or any other bearing-related issues, call (317)273-5781 or email  [email protected]. For videos and other demos, visit our YouTube channel.