Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozarkdude
Curious. Have you ever rebuilt or worked on a differential, or set up pinion or differential bearings? All of them preload the pinion and side bearings, but depending on manufacturer and application, some are assembled with quite significant amounts of preload.
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Yes, I agree that they are assembled with preload under certain conditions.
Why cause undue loading on the bearing if it can be avoided? The life of a bearing is dependent on loading and running time. If the load can be minimized, the life of the bearing is increased significantly.
Many of the cited examples can survive with preload due to a splash oil feed that can remove any heat generated. This is not the situation with a typical automotive wheel bearing.