From farming appliances to processing equipment, our bearings specialists have provided industry-leading bearings solutions to Australia's booming agricultural industries for over two decades.
What are agricultural ball bearings?
You may wonder what constitutes an agricultural bearing compared to a standard roller bearing. In truth, there is little difference in make-up or performance, and bearings used in agricultural engineering are also used in many other industries.
There are, however, things that are required of agricultural bearings compared to other industries. Agricultural appliances, vehicles and equipment work in harsh and dirty conditions; therefore, these bearings must be robust and reliable.
Examples of characteristics that agricultural bearings must contain include:
- Reliability of performance
- Long service expectancy
- High performance under heavy load
- The ability to sustain performance under high vibration and heavy impact
- Tolerance to extreme temperature and weather changes
- Be resistant to dust, dirt and moisture
- Must be easy to install, service, maintain and replace
- Low maintenance design and much more
There are many types of machinery and appliances that are used in agriculture, from the farm to the manufacturing plant, including:
- Tractors
- ATVs and UTVs
- Trucks
- Mowers
- Ploughs
- Backhoes
- Conveyors
- Separators
- Mulching machines
- Seed drills
- Loading appliances
- Sprayers and irrigation machinery
- Harvesting appliances
- Quarries and Crushers
- Balers and much more
Australia's agricultural industries are at the heartbeat of this country, and farming, produce processing, and transport professionals need to have agricultural bearings they can rely on for appliance and mechanical performance.
The anatomy of an agricultural bearing
There are many types of agricultural-grade bearings, with over 20 common types used on Australian agricultural appliances and machinery. However, all these agricultural bearing sub-types will have some common design features.
For roller bearings to be considered appropriate or approved for agricultural applications, they will often contain some or all of the following characteristics:
- Made of a robust, rust-resistant steel
- Have a high-performance seal to prevent dust, debris and moisture from entering the bearing housing
- Have self-lubricating and low-maintenance design properties
- Be rated with heavy load capacities at low or high speeds
- Have a third party or industry governing body approval for agricultural use
Of all these bearing subtypes, there are three common designs:
- Round bore agricultural bearings
- Square bore agricultural bearings
- Round and square bore flange mounted agricultural bearings
The round and square bore refers to the shape at the bearing's central fitting or mounting point, which is designed to fit common fittings in agricultural technologies.
A flanged mounted bearing features mounting points on a flanged exterior with a range of hole configurations for attaching to processing machinery or other utilities commonly found in Australian agrarian industries.
Queensland Bearings: Australia's trusted agricultural bearings supplier
Our agricultural bearings catalogue features a comprehensive selection of world-class agriculture bearings used in common and uncommon agrarian equipment across Australia.
We also stock relevant equipment for bearing fitting and maintenance, including:
- Bearing tools
- Bearing pullers
- Agricultural grade rubber seals
- Oils and lubricants
- Degreasers
- Industrial cleaners and much more
For more information about agricultural bearings, or any of our other bearings and industrial supplies, call our helpdesk on 07 3265 3622, or if you're are in the Brisbane region, head into our warehouse at 2/260 Zillmere Road, Zillmere, just 18 kilometres north of the CBD.