Transmission bearings question

[wrndln]

I need to buy some transmission ball bearings. I noticed Bert's bearings are about $32 each - USA made it says. Bratton's has the bearings for $8 or $9 each with no information on who and where they were made. That is a 3 fold price difference. I like to save money, like most people, but I want good quality bearings. Sometimes price isn't the key factor for quality, but many times it is. Both companies say their bearings are sealed, which is a good thing, I think. If anyone has purchased either bearings, please post their experience with them.
Rusty Nelson

https://www.brattons.com/main-drive-gear-bearing.html

https://parts.modelastore.com/show_Product.asp?ID=3663

[mike657894]

buying bearings for other things. when the U.S. ones cost 30 the china ones cost 10. the low miles a hobby car gets the china bearings will hold.

[Tom Endy]

I have been buying and using transmission bearings from Bratton's for many years. They are foreign made. I have never had a problem with them and I have rebuilt hundreds of transmission using these bearings.

There was a recent fordbarn post that identified poor quality transmission roller bearings that failed and it was documented with photos. The poor quality was obvious. The supplier was not identified. I immediately checked my stock of transmission roller bearing I had obtained from Bratton's and found them to be the correct ones. The next time I spoke with Walt Bratton I asked him about these poor quality bearings on the market. He was not aware of them. He told me he has been using the same bearing supplier for many years.

Tom Endy

[RandyinUtah]

Just yesterday I was looking at my friends trans
mission which was dismantled because of noises coming from it which he didn't like. The bearings we shot with less than 15 thousand miles. They were both stamped made in China.

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by RandyinUtah

Just yesterday I was looking at my friends trans
mission which was dismantled because of noises coming from it which he didn't like. The bearings we shot with less than 15 thousand miles. They were both stamped made in China.

Which bearings were shot, the three roller bearings or the two ball bearings that are at the front and rear of the transmission?

If it was the three roller bearings, did each roller element have a small axle on the end that fit through a hole in the end cage? This is the correct way they should be constructed. There are poor quality reproductions on the market that are not constructed this way and they are prone to failure.

Tom Endy

[Floats]

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Hi Tom,
Do you perhaps have a photo of the ‘small axle’ in the roller bearings. I am busy doing my gearbox as we speak and have not noticed the little axles.

[john charlton]

A few years back I rebuilt my AA trucks 4 speed transmission ,the bearings had water damage as the 4 speed suffers from rain water down the reverse guard rod on the shifter . They are not shower proof like a 3 speed if the roof is not weather proof .Thats why you need a Budd cab !!! . My local bearing factor had all the bearings on the shelf much cheaper than my local Model A Ford parts dealer .Rather than buy from from an "A" parts house it could be cheaper to go to a bearing factor . I recently rebuilt a back axle ,they had all the bearings except the pinion double race which they ordered in . They do not hold Chinese bearings unless you want them ordered in . They buy direct from Timken,SKF etc etc . They have told me the market is awash with fakes normally on Ebay etc etc . They start in China then to Romania then through Germany to UK so buyer beware .

John in cold dull day rain on the way (we should send it to Cape Town) Suffolk County England .

[Floats]

Hi John,
Yes please, we desperately need rain and lots of it in Cape Town.
Regards
Chris
Visiting South Cerney, UK

[Kevin in NJ]

Are the bearings you have bad? Are the original bearings?

Get them completely clean and look at the surfaces. If there no odd spots on them they are probably fine depending on how much you really plan on driving the car. I only use major name brand parts if I go new. You do not have much choice on country of origin these days. Of course, I always try to by NOS if I can, but you really need to look for rust. I have not bought many because they had some minor rust on the bear race areas.


When you get the new bearings, inspect them. I have seen some new bearings that have been on the shelf for a while with rust spots. It is time consuming, but it needs to be done.

[Terry, NJ]

John, How true! I usually check with my favorite bearing house whenever I have to buy a bearing. Years ago, I needed some small bearing for my J.D. combine. J.D'.s price? $10.+ apiece. My favorite bearing house? (Trans-bearing, Wall, NJ) $1.+ apiece. This does not hold true for everything, but it's always worth a phone call.
Terry

Originally Posted by john charlton

A few years back I rebuilt my AA trucks 4 speed transmission ,the bearings had water damage as the 4 speed suffers from rain water down the reverse guard rod on the shifter . They are not shower proof like a 3 speed if the roof is not weather proof .Thats why you need a Budd cab !!! . My local bearing factor had all the bearings on the shelf much cheaper than my local Model A Ford parts dealer .Rather than buy from from an "A" parts house it could be cheaper to go to a bearing factor . I recently rebuilt a back axle ,they had all the bearings except the pinion double race which they ordered in . They do not hold Chinese bearings unless you want them ordered in . They buy direct from Timken,SKF etc etc . They have told me the market is awash with fakes normally on Ebay etc etc . They start in China then to Romania then through Germany to UK so buyer beware .

John in cold dull day rain on the way (we should send it to Cape Town) Suffolk County England .

[wrndln]

I found a document that shows the 2 ball bearings used in a model A transmission as 208PP and 306PP. There are USA made bearings with these PN's on eBay. Can someone verify this are the correct PN's for model A ball bearings?
Thanks
Rusty Nelson

[700rpm]

Rusty, I am of the school of "buy quality, and buy it once." As you know, RnR on a tranny is a PITA. For projects like this I tell myself to spend the money, because a year from now I will have "X" and I won't miss the money. But when I did my last trans I got most of my bearings from Bratton's, as I trust them, and I was unaware of Bert's. The Bratton's bearings seem fine after some 5000 miles. If it were me now, I'd call Steve at Bert's and ask him why his bearings are so much more expensive than his friendly competitor.

I have also bought USA bearings from a local jobber; I think the last pilot bearing I bought there was about $4. I like to patronize our Model A suppliers, but I also like to support local businesses and avoid shipping costs.

[Jim M]

I just rebuilt my transmission last month with bearings from Bert's. GREAT!

[wrndln]

Great discovery!!! I was searching through my model A parts for several hours yesterday, as I vaguely remembered have some transmission bearings someplace. This morning I stumbled onto the box, unmarked of course, that had a number of 208PP and 306PP sealed bearings. I am pretty sure 208PP and 306PP are the correct bearings for a model A transmission. They were in my basement - strange. This happen more often as I age. Several were USA made, two or three were made in Japan and the other ones had no "made in" markings, but look good. There were mostly FAFNIR bearings. I marked the box they were in, so the next time I need bearings for my next two model A's I can easily find them. Sorry for the wild goose chase.
Rusty Nelson

[Purdy Swoft]

I have allways had good service from transmission bearings from Brattons . I don't know if they have changed suppliers since I last bought transmission bearings from them . Berts,Brattons and Snyders usually sell the best replacement parts that are available .

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by Floats

Hi Tom,
Do you perhaps have a photo of the ‘small axle’ in the roller bearings. I am busy doing my gearbox as we speak and have not noticed the little axles.

Attached photo is a pair of transmission roller bearing from Bratton's. Note there is a hole for each roller element in the end cage that a small axle protrudes through. You can just see the axle on the one laying down,

The poor quality bearings being sold by a mystery supplier has no axles at the end of the elements. Instead the roller end is rounded and it fits into a dimple in the end cage.

There was a recent post on this forum that showed a failed poor quality bearing.

Tom Endy

[BillCNC]

USA Made, ... Pft!

Obviously USA made isn't what it used to be and I wouldn't doubt that the parts are made elsewhere and PACKAGED in the US which would allow them to say it's made in the USA.

My PROOF;

I have plenty of parts bags from ALL the major vendors, yes Snyder's also that needed REWORKING, most didn't fit correctly, ... especially the brake components.

I now try to by locally as it's easier to go through all their parts to pick the best ones that they currently have in stock.

I'm not playing the shipping return game anymore. NOPE! I say; Step up, ... or step off!

Sorry for the rant, but I just spent 4 hours reworking NEW brake parts and I really don't think it's going to stop with just the brake parts.

Regards
Bill

[Floats]

TKS Tom,
The photos are much appreciated and I now know what you mean by ‘little axles’ in a previous post. I’ll make sure I get ones like that.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by 700rpm

Rusty, I am of the school of "buy quality, and buy it once." As you know, RnR on a tranny is a PITA. For projects like this I tell myself to spend the money, because a year from now I will have "X" and I won't miss the money. But when I did my last trans I got most of my bearings from Bratton's, as I trust them, and I was unaware of Bert's. The Bratton's bearings seem fine after some 5000 miles. If it were me now, I'd call Steve at Bert's and ask him why his bearings are so much more expensive than his friendly competitor.

I have also bought USA bearings from a local jobber; I think the last pilot bearing I bought there was about $4. I like to patronize our Model A suppliers, but I also like to support local businesses and avoid shipping costs.

These are also my thoughts on the matter. The cost of the bearings is minor compared to the cost/hassle of R & R the gearbox, stripping it and reassembly. Do it right, do it once is a good philosophy.
That said, just because something is made in the USA doesn't mean it is automatically top quality. European and Japanese (these days) are worth a look. Chinese and Indian, not so much.