wheel bearings: Timken/Koyo vs SKF/BCA/Beck etc? (1 Viewer)

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e9999

e9999

Gotta get outta here...
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OK, getting ready to do a wheel bearing adjustment/repack/replacement on the front.

Read a bit about it. Everybody mentions Timken and Koyos. Consensus seems to be to go with Timken and Autozone to save $$. Local industrial supply outfit can order Timken, but their prices are stratospheric. I caught the guy exactly doubling the cost he got from the distributor (not a bad margin, eh?). But Autozone, Kragen, and the several online outfits I checked all carry bearings like Beck/Arnley, BCA, Motor City etc. Not seen Timken or Koyo at all.

The Marlin Crawler kit looks like a great buy actually, with Koyos. However, I may have to do the job this weekend so local sales would be a plus. So I got to ask, what do you all think about these other brands (Beck, BCA etc)? Avoid at all costs and hold off for Timken and Koyo; or adequate quality?

opinions?

thanks
Eric
 
>> Beck/Arnley, <<

Beck Arnley is a distributor; they don't make bearings or anything else AFAIK.

According to Rick (Landtank,) the AZ bearings are Timkens. Check his posts for the p/n.

-B-
 
do you have pep boys in the area? take a look at all thier bearings, the ones arround here about half were Koyo's in SKF boxes had to go to many Pep bos to get a full "ship set", I did not beat dan's price by any large magin, if you count gas and time I am probalby in the hole

the SKF's bearings in SKF boxes were made in Mexico, Honest hard working people but not exacly known for quality manufacturing like the US & Japan, they probalby would work but I would stick with know good brands Timkin and Koyo

also quite a few of them at both pep boys and auto zone had used bearings in the box, guess there is a good scam going around here, clean them and min wage counter guy will take them back, what pissed me off worse is I went back a few weeks later (did fronts are rears at different times) and the A$$hole had put them back in stock after I told him they were used instead of ordering new ones :mad:
 
didn't think about Beck not being the manuf. That's how they are listed at Autozone and Kragen. Indeed, could well be a Timken in actuality. But they have to order them too.
Yes, there is a Pep Boy. May try that also.

Or wait till next weekend and order from CDan or Marlin.... Maybe best.

Dang, guys, it pays to just order stuff well in advance so one is always ready for the sudden available free time...

thanks
E
 
e9999,

I've found that there are two repair options:

A - do it right, use Toyota parts, from Cdan. This requires planning ahead to have the parts on hand, and the time blocked out to do the work, and all the research to know how to do it correctly.

B - do it however you can to get by. This happens when something happens, unexpectedly. (For example, my wife comments that "the brakes are making a funny sound" - and I discover that a pad is worn near to the bone.) I usually go with quick/cheap parts. This gets me by until option "A" can happen.

Learning every day...

Best Regards,
 
e9999 said:
Dang, guys, it pays to just order stuff well in advance so one is always ready for the sudden available free time...
Click to expand...
That was my excuse when I ordered the birf repack stuff from Cdan about 4 months ago, I finally got to it a week or so ago, but had all the parts ready, though it took about a day to make sure I had all the tools lined up. I also ordered the Amsoil synth grease a week ahead of time from G.I. Joes (local sports/auto store).

Good luck, I think you've got another record number of posts prior to actually doing what it is you are talking about doing. :D :cheers:
 
SKF is a French company and the only manufacturer that we can use on our equipment and still hold tolerances. We've tried other manufacturers and they just wouldn't hold up. Now I don't know if they have several lines of bearings but in our field they are considered the best.
 
Marlin's Kit of CDan are the only ways I would go.

I have the Marlin Kit in mine and they are Koyo bearings and KOK seals.
 
SKF or CR(Chigaco Rawhide) outers will be Koyo, price about $15 each. Inners I have not been able to find Koyo besides Toyota.
SKF or CR rear semi floaters bearing will be Koyo, price on these are under $20 vrs over $50 from Toyota.

FWIW another aftermarket brand that is normaly rebox good stuff is Auto Specaity. for rotors ya get Brembo's, for master cylinders you get Aisin.
 
tucker74 said:
SKF is a French company - they only manufacture bearings in France (if it said Mexico - it was not SKF).
Click to expand...


the ones I saw were etched SKF and "made in Mexico" dont know if they have a plant there or just liscencing the name and I am not the only one who has seen them, SKF also owns 5 plants in China

http://www.birfield.com/archives/html/3FE/2003-07/msg01354.html

"What do you guys think of the SKF bearings that Napa sells? They are
made in Mexico and have a "lifetime" warranty, whatever that means.
It's all I kind find here. Am I better off putting my scored 135,000
mile Koyos back in?"

http://saabnet.com/tsn/bb/99/?bID=1236

"I replaced all the bearings with SKF made in Mexico from TheSaabSite.com"


http://members.vpchat.com/hdr/MG-Archive/Feb2003/0414.html

"Today I went into the warehouse and checked the bearings in the bin boxes. One set is FAG boxed, made in Korea the other set has mixed stock of: FAG made in Korea and SKF made in Mexico."
 
Guys, why are you all going to auto parts places? Bearings are bearings. in my yellow pages there is a listing for "Bearings". I looked there and called an industrial equipment supplier listed there and gave them the bearing part numbers posted on this site. The price for all 4 outer and inner wheel bearings excluding tax was the equivalent of US$50 for Timkens or an extra $4 for Koyos.

They could also special order the unusual 13 roller knuckle bearings cheap if I could have waited a week.
 
no habla espanol, did the babble fish translation of that still not sure what It means???

"From 1920 SKF it commercializes bearings in Mexico, initiating in 1968 the manufacture of its products under the name of IBISA, as of 1988 takes the name from SKF"



semlin said:
Guys, why are you all going to auto parts places? Bearings are bearings. in my yellow pages there is a listing for "Bearings". I looked there and called an industrial equipment supplier listed there and gave them the bearing part numbers posted on this site. The price for all 4 outer and inner wheel bearings excluding tax was the equivalent of US$50 for Timkens or an extra $4 for Koyos.

They could also special order the unusual 13 roller knuckle bearings cheap if I could have waited a week.
Click to expand...

I went to my local bearing supplier they wanted much more than the part stores and did not have the bearings in stock in either Koyo or Timken, that is one of the problems of living in suburban GA, pretty much if the “big box stores” don’t stock it or is it does not fit a Chevy or Ford your SOL, very few specialized items

Where I grew up there was a large bearing house that always had what I needed
 
semlin said:
Guys, why are you all going to auto parts places? Bearings are bearings. in my yellow pages there is a listing for "Bearings". I looked there and called an industrial equipment supplier listed there and gave them the bearing part numbers posted on this site. The price for all 4 outer and inner wheel bearings excluding tax was the equivalent of US$50 for Timkens or an extra $4 for Koyos.

They could also special order the unusual 13 roller knuckle bearings cheap if I could have waited a week.
Click to expand...


well, I did check the local "Industrial supply" places for Timken bearings. They were a bit more ($113 for the 4 front ones) than Autozone ($98) and about twice as much as the best online auto parts place I found ($54).

Evidently there are large variations in prices around...

E
 
e9999 said:
well, I did check the local "Industrial supply" places for Timken bearings. They were a bit more ($113 for the 4 front ones) than Autozone ($98) and about twice as much as the best online auto parts place I found ($54).

Evidently there are large variations in prices around...

E
Click to expand...

Don't know what the deal is, but I bought Timkins from Autozone when I did the front a couple of months ago. $52 for all four wheel bearings and races. I'm going to try and call them this weekend to see if they've gone up as I guess I'll need another set for the rears at some point.

BTW, what's the preferred method for cleaning out old bearings if going the repack route?

:beer:
Rookie2
 
Rookie2 said:
Don't know what the deal is, but I bought Timkins from Autozone when I did the front a couple of months ago. $52 for all four wheel bearings and races. I'm going to try and call them this weekend to see if they've gone up as I guess I'll need another set for the rears at some point.

BTW, what's the preferred method for cleaning out old bearings if going the repack route?

:beer:
Rookie2
Click to expand...

let us know what you find out about Autozone, am curious.

Bearing wise, I just clean the excess grease off with a paper towel and then soak it in solvent and go at it with a toothbrush. Been wondering whether this Sears repacking gizmo is worth having...

E
 
RavenTai said:
no habla espanol, did the babble fish translation of that still not sure what It means???
Click to expand...

It means you were right - after 1988 SKF manufactures bearings under the brand name in Mexico. I bought Timken inner/outer wheel bearings w/ races and SKF trunions w/ races for under $60 locally...my SKF were made in France. Must have gotten lucky?

Good Luck!

Tucker
 
Some of my Timkens from Autozone were from France, most from USA. I don't remember which.

I ordered the complete set of everything from Cdan for both trucks, that's a great deal. I've only done one axle so far, who knows how long 'till I use all the parts. I didn't order the bearings and had to source them locally in mid project when I found mine bad. The advantage of bearings from Autozone is I can return them easily if I don't need them, so I'll get them just before doing each axle and either use or return them.

I wonder if the Autozone price for a complete set of '97 Landcruiser bearings would be more than for the Timken bearings separately? They don't stock the complete set, but might have all the bearings if you give them the Timken numbers. It might be worth checking the individual prices when ordering them.
 
Clean it best you can, rinse it out, toss it in the dishwasher? I have a partswasher available. Packing is best done inside a ziplock sandwich bag. Grease and bearing go in, shove grease in one edge 'till it comes out the other all the way around. That's the best bearing packer I know of.
 
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