Machinery with direct crop contact faces two main sources of wear and damage, from crop load and from airborne water and debris that always threatens to foul drive trains and penetrate seals.

Although similar equipment is used in industrial settings and faces comparable challenges, resilience of agricultural machines is more critical. Crops are perishable and, especially in places like the British Isles, gathering them in must take full advantage of breaks in frequent adverse weather conditions.

Breakdowns in the field are a serious issue. More time will be wasted recovering the vehicle or bringing out the required spare parts and tool kit. Because the shields and seals are critical, removing them and refitting them properly can be time consuming (and not refitting them properly will be a costly mistake).

For these reasons, no one should contemplate fitting second rate baler bearings from unknown manufacturers or using bearings not specifically designed for baler stresses and conditions. At Simply Bearings, we supply only proven top quality replacement idler roller bearings from companies like Peer, matched specifically to the job.

As the bale grows, especially over bouncy ground, there is often some shaft deflection that applies considerable stress onto supporting bearings which is also transmitted to the idler, so all idler roller bearings must be cast from metals of the very highest quality and be appropriately constructed. Our Peer idler roller bearings are specifically designed with an internal construction that withstands the stresses of baler shaft deflection.

Hex-bore bearings are optimal for distributing the stresses encountered by balers and the various shaft positions required on a combine, so are used in the majority of baling machines (if you have an unusual requirement call us - we will source any bearing you need). Non-chain-driven rolls typically use larger baler bearings than chain driven ones.

Fine but abrasive crop and soil dust has an amazing knack of penetrating shields and seals protecting the baler bearings that support the transverse rollers. Surprisingly, perhaps, the problem seems to be worse when the baled material is damp (and particularly with short cuts of grass). Standard bearings seals are simply not up to the job of withstanding it. Not only would you have an early bearing failure but its deterioration can also lead to sufficient friction to then ignite a fire in dry weather conditions.

Our Peer bearings have seals specifically optimised for the high contamination rigors of the application and safer for use in the field.

Since two bearings support the roll spanning the width of the bale chamber, it is sensible to replace both at once. The load and wear on one will not normally be different from that on the other, so replacing them individually simply means two down-times instead of one. In fact, when you have a problem with any one bearing it is sensible to examine all bearings for potential replacement at the same time. This is also something to do before the beginning of each season.