Avon Bearings are covered with a rust preventative/preservative coating in order to protect them during shipment and storage. This coating must be removed from the bearing before mounting. An all-purpose industrial strength cleaner can be used.

Remove any nicks or burrs from the bearing that may have been caused during shipping and handling, using a hand file.

Clean the bearing, including pilots and mounting holes, one last time to ensure that they are free of foreign materials.

The equipment mounting surfaces must be machined flat and any weld spatters, chips and/;or contaminants removed. Unpainted surfaces are required and mounting surface must be rigid.

Though shimming is not recommended, if shimming is required, shim material must be the same as the mounting structure material.

Note that excessive distortion caused by non-flat mounting surfaces or insufficiently rigid structures will result in higher torque and localized loading, most likely leading to reduced bearing life.

Use eye bolts in the mounting holes for handling and moving the bearing. If slings are used, use only nylon web type or equivalent in order to avoid damage to the bearing.

Lift the bearing into position for mounting. Position the loading plug and the spot marked with a "G" on the opposite race 90 degrees from the loading axis whenever possible. These are the unhardened "soft spots" in the induction hardened raceways. They should be located perpendicular to the axis of principle loading.

Mount the bearing to both surfaces of the machine, aligning it with the bolts. Always us Grade 8 bolts or better. Do no distort the bearing's races to align it with the bolts. Do no tighten bolts at this time. First, check the bearing torque by rotation and record the results.

If the gear backlash is adjusted by means of locating the bearing with respect to a fixed drive system, it should be done at this time. The point of minimum gear clearance on the bearing is marked on the face of the gear teeth with paint.

Tighten all bolts by the method recommended and to the level of preload as instructed by the bolt manufacturer. The preferred technique when tightening the bearing mounting bolts would be to tighten in the order depicted in
Figure 2.

Continue tightening bolts until all bolts are tightened and the bearing is uniformly secured to the structure. Note that improper bolting can cause failure of the equipment.

Recheck the bearing torque and compare it to the first reading. If the torque of the mounted bearing has increased significantly over the first reading, the bearing is being distorted. This condition needs to be corrected before continuing. Periodic torque checks should be taken during the bearing installation and compared to the first reading. There should be no significant difference.

Adjustable drive gears can now be adjusted for proper backlash.

Before the equipment is put into operation measure and record the tilting clearance of the bearing. This will establish a base measurement for subsequent repeat measurements, which should be taken periodically in order to determine the amount of wear that has occurred in the bearing. The wear present in the bearing raceway is evidenced by the change in the axial motion of the bearing.

Tilting clearance can be measured on equipment that allows both a positive and negative application of moment loads. Measuring points as depicted in Figure 3 below should be permanently marked around the circumference while the center of gravity of the load is kept in a specified position. Measurements are then taken between the lower mating structure and the bearing mounted to the upper structure and the bearing mounted to the upper structure, as shown in Figure 4.

Take the measurements as close as possible to the outer bearing race to eliminate mounting surface deflection as a possible contributor to clearance measurements.

Using dial gages that have an accuracy of at least .001", begin by applying the maximum backward moment and set the dial gages to zero. Next, apply a forward turning moment. Record the first measurement.

At least once every twelve months repeat the measurement procedure, using the same loads as originally used, and compare the readings with the base values originally recorded. The difference between the two represents the wear that has occurred in the bearing. Shorten the time intervals in between measurements as the wear increases.

Tables 3 and 4 show the maximum allowable wear values. If wear values are exceeded, contact Avon Bearings to discuss bearing repair or replacement recommendations.

Lubrication of the Bearing

The bearing raceway should be lubricated with a heavy-duty extreme pressure grease. A list of suggested manufacturers and trade names is shown below for your convenience. Please note that these are not the only manufacturers of this type of grease

Minimum re-lubrication, whether or not the bearing is used, is every six months. Slow rotating, intermittently used equipment should be re-lubricated at least after every 100 hours of use. Equipment that is turning continuously or that operates in an adverse environment, should be re-lubricated after every 8 hours of use, or more often if required.

While adding grease, the bearing should be rotated to spread the grease throughout.

If the bearing has an integral gear, the gear should be coated with an appropriate grease. Mobil Gear Lube 275 or Gearite HVY supplied by the Union Oil Company are some suggested greases for manually applied exposed gearing.

If the gear is enclosed, protected or shrouded (except enclosed gear boxes) the same type of grease as is used for the bearing raceway may be used for the gear.

Because the meshing action of the gear teeth and pinion teeth tends to push the grease out of the critical areas, the gear should be lubricated more often than the bearing. Small amounts of the lubricant should be applied to the point of mesh between the gear and the pinion.

Slow rotating, intermittently used gears should be re-greased every eight hours, more often for moderate to fast rotating or continuous operating gears. The gear should be rotated while lubricating for even distribution.

General Maintenance

Periodically perform a visual inspection at a minimum of every six months. Inspect the seals to ensure they are properly inserted into their grooves and that they are wholly intact and preventing contaminants from entering the bearing.

Bolts should be checked periodically to ensure proper pre-tension. Improperly pre-tensioned bolts can fail, causing damage to equipment and/or harm to human life.

Store bearings in the horizontal position in the wrapping and containers in which they were shipped. Do no store outdoors or in an environment that is not temperature controlled.

If a bearing is not used within one year, carefully unwrap it and apply new grease, rotating the bearing to distribute the grease evenly throughout. Cover the outer metal surfaces with a rust preventative coating and rewrap the bearing for storage.

Bearings manufactured and sold by Avon Bearings Corporation carry a warranty on workmanship and materials for one year from date of shipment. All other warranties and liabilities as described below apply:

WARRANTIES: Seller warrants to the original buyer that the goods supplied hereunder which are manufactured by seller will, at the date of shipment, conform to the drawings, samples or specifications furnished by the buyer. Defects in material (other than defects in material required by specifications) and workmanship are warranted whether or not the buyer has furnished drawings, samples or specifications. Whether this warranty has been breached shall be determined by an inspection by seller which may be made at buyer's plant. The obligation of seller and buyer's sole and exclusive remedy hereunder shall be limited, at seller's option, to repair or replacement of any nonconforming goods, F.O.B. seller's factory; or, in the event seller determines that it is unable to remedy by repair or replacement of any nonconforming goods, buyer's sole and exclusive remedy shall then be refund of the purchase price, or so much of the purchase price as has been paid by the buyer. Goods may be returned at the expense of seller only upon receipt of buyer of definite shipping instructions from seller. Buyer's failure to give prompt notice within 90 days upon discovery of any alleged lack of conformity with specifications or defect or buyer's failure to permit inspections by seller constitutes a waiver by buyer of all claims with respect thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing warranty and remedies, seller shall have no obligation hereunder if the goods became defective in whole or in part as a result of improper installation, maintenance or disassembly or as a result of removal, improper use, use in excess of or beyond rated capacities, alterations, or misapplication of the goods, and seller shall have no obligation for damage resulting from abuse, flood, fire or acts of God. Notwithstanding the foregoing warranty and remedies, seller shall also have no obligation hereunder if the nonconforming goods have, in seller's opinion, been maltreated so as to cause further damage. A lack of the goods shall not, when such part is capable of being repaired or replaced, mean that the whole of such piece is non-conforming.

Buyer and seller agree that seller makes no representations as to, and that the buyer has sole responsibility for, compliance with the regulations and standards issued under Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 or any other safety and health statutes, regulations or ordinances which may be applicable to these goods.

Except as set forth herein, and except as to title, it is expressly agreed (a) that there is no warranty of merchantability or fitness for particular purpose, not other warranty, express, implied or statutory, nor any affirmation of fact, or promises, by the seller with reference to the goods which extends beyond the specifications, if any, mutually agreed upon by the seller and the buyer and (b) that the buyer acknowledges that it is purchasing the goods solely on the basis of the commitments of seller expressly set forth herein. No person is authorized to change or add to any of seller's obligation s under this warranty.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: In no event shall seller be liable for anticipated profits or for incidental or consequential damages. Seller's liability on any claim of any kind for any loss or damage arising out of, connected with or resulting from this agreement or from the performance or breach thereof, or from the design, manufacture, sale, delivery, resale, inspection, repair, operation or use of any goods covered by or furnished under this agreement, shall in no case exceed the price allocable to the goods or unit thereof which gives rise to the claim. Seller shall not be liable for penalties of any decsription.

NOTICE: Specifications, dimensional data and other information provided in Avon Bearings' literature is subject to change without notice. Though all information has been carefully compiled and thoroughly reviewed, Avon Bearings assumes no responsibility for possible errors and/or omissions.

It is recommended that the user contact Avon Bearings to ensure the information being utilized is correct and current.

NOTE: The Bearing Storage, Installation and Maintenance Manual is provided as a guide & reference primarily for personnel who are actually installing the bearings. Design engineers should contact Avon Bearings engineering Department for complete installation instructions.