Tips for replacing these bearings?

[Phil Thien]

Hi.

My JP-155 (Ryobi, made in Japan, the good stuff) is I think around fifteen or so years old now. I've owned it for about 1.5 of those.

It seemed to be getting noisier so an investigation was in order.

I broke it down enough so I could run it w/o the belt. Motor sounds fine.

So I broke it down more to get to the head, removed it, and the bearings are each in bad shape. One is "crunchy" and the other spins way too easily.

My problems:

(1) The sheave looks like a press fit, and pretty close to the bearing.

(2) The bearings are very tight to the head.

I need some sort of bearing puller that can get these off, something that doesn't need a lot of clearance behind what it is pulling. There are a couple of notches in the head where it looks like a bearing puller could fit in.

Any ideas?

[Myk Rian]

Put it in the freezer overnight.

[Phil Thien]

Put it in the freezer overnight.

Right so the aluminum should shrink more than the steel. I had thought of that but didn't think the difference would be enough.

No real downsize to trying it.

Edit to add: Well there is a steel shaft which I imagine is press fit into the aluminum cutterhead. So any freezing would change both dimensions pretty equally.

[Charles Wiggins]

Bearing separator?

https://youtu.be/R25zsdW8Ewo

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Those bolt holes are threaded, right? You need a puller, like this:

[Phil Thien]

Okay, wife went to bed so I had a chance to look at the thing closely.

The sheave is actually threaded on. I was able to remove that.

The bearing on that side was removed with a cheap bearing puller I have. It didn't have a ton of grip, but enough grip to get the bearing moving.

The other side is really on there and it won't come off. I think a bearing separator would be the correct tool but I don't have one and even Harbor Freight charges $45. I suppose I could check w/ the auto parts stores and see if they have one I could borrow.

[Alan Marchbanks]

You might try a rental store for the tool. First, I would try a couple of wedges under the bearing.

[Jim Matthews]

Go to a machine tool shop with $20 and the replacement bearing in your pocket.

Breaking the aluminum with handtool methods is a risk to consider.

[Bill Huber]

Okay, wife went to bed so I had a chance to look at the thing closely.

The sheave is actually threaded on. I was able to remove that.

The bearing on that side was removed with a cheap bearing puller I have. It didn't have a ton of grip, but enough grip to get the bearing moving.

The other side is really on there and it won't come off. I think a bearing separator would be the correct tool but I don't have one and even Harbor Freight charges $45. I suppose I could check w/ the auto parts stores and see if they have one I could borrow.

I got one from Auto Zone, you pay for it and then they give you your money back when you bring it back, they call it tool loan. I don't know if you have Auto Zone up there or not.

[Fitzhugh Freeman]

I recently replaced a few bearings on tools with the HF puller. I don't have a press so I used it to put them on as well. Keep that minimal experience in mind but my take is a machine shop is likely the right way, simply because they can put the bearing back on correctly. If you will have others to do in the future it starts making sense to get the tools, of course.
It was harder than I expected to get the bearing started on the shaft perfectly straight using the puller. It only had to be a little off to cause damage. That said, I did manage and the machines run so much quieter. I don't doubt you could manage as well or better, it's just that this seems like a case where you some want to use the wrong tool for the job. In one of the six bearings I found it had play, but only noticed after I put it on. I was left unclear whether it was bad to start or if I damaged it in getting it on. I never forced it hard out of line but did have to restart it once - had it just started a little when I felt it was off center. Someone else will be able to tell you if they are very easy to damage this way or only somewhat easy. I asked the eBay seller, making clear I was not seeking a replacement, just wanted to have a better idea of what I was doing. They responded and had a replacement on the way (in the system, obviously not in the mail) in under a minute, said it could have been a bad one. I'm still not sure.

Also, be very sure you only press on the inside race when the bearing is on a shaft, and the outside race if it is in a hole without the shaft.

The HF kit did a fine job splitting the bearings away from sheaves etc where there was almost no space and made quick work getting them off.
Well, that's a beginner's take on what you might find.

[Phil Thien]

The tip form the OWWM guys was that if the OD of the bearings was larger than the shaft (or in this case, the head) to use a metal working vise and tap the shaft out. I ended up using my woodworking vise (wood faces removed). I only had maybe 1/16" of overlap on each side, but it did tap out quite easily.

So the head is in good shape, no damage so now I just have to source a couple of replacement bearings. I've decided to just order some (6200-2RS and 6201-2RS) from McMaster. The original were shielded, these will be sealed. I was going to order bearings from eBay but I'm concerned about counterfeit bearings, and also old bearings that have been sitting on a shelf for 20 years and have poor lubrication. The McMaster stuff should be pretty decent.

The highest running speed is at the limit of the sealed bearings (shielded can run faster) but I don't use it for extended runs and I often reduce the speed to reduce the screaming (although maybe I won't have to do that now).

Wish me luck getting the replacements on.

[Rich Riddle]

Phil,

Don't let them know at OWWM you are working on an Asian import. Discussions about those items is taboo.

[Phil Thien]

Phil,

Don't let them know at OWWM you are working on an Asian import. Discussions about those items is taboo.

I didn't, I posed the Q as a general purpose one.

They're good guys, always helpful, just don't want the Asian stuff rubbed in their faces.

And I think they're more tolerant of old Japanese stuff than current Chinese/Taiwanese stuff.

[David Kumm]

Sealed bearings are OK to buy NOS as you can remove the seal and replace the grease. SKF Explorer are a little higher quality than most with just a slight upcharge. Dave

[Phil Thien]

Sealed bearings are OK to buy NOS as you can remove the seal and replace the grease. SKF Explorer are a little higher quality than most with just a slight upcharge. Dave

Are there any online sources for the SKF Explorer? I found a 6201 on eBay but not the 6200.

The bearing market is kinda interesting. It would seem like the ideal product for a web store and yet a lot of sites really are quite terrible (incomplete lines, incomplete data, no shipping/stock information, etc.).