SKF Hardware, Fasteners and Fittings

About SKF

Heavy duty trucks and commercial vehicles rely on high-quality systems and components to operate properly. These include the steering and suspension, transmission, engine and cooling, and braking systems. All these have specific functions that are crucial to the vehicle's overall operation. That is why fleet managers and operators must observe periodic maintenance to ensure they are in good condition at all times.

However, conducting regular vehicle maintenance must not only be focused on the larger and more crucial components, such as the engine, transmission, and brake parts. It must also include smaller components like the bearings and seals. Proper lubrication is critical to maintaining these smaller parts, and this is where SKF comes into play.

SKF is a worldwide developer, designer, and manufacturer of bearings, seals, and lubrication systems. It has been helping improve everyday life and develop industries since 1907. Sven Wingquist, its first Managing Director and among its founding members together with Axel Carlander, was the one who invented the double-row self-aligning ball bearing.

Two years after SKF’s founding, a subsidiary called SKF Ball Bearing Co. was formed in the United States, particularly in New York. Currently, this is known as SKF USA, a major supplier of seals, bearings, and lubricants to original equipment manufacturers through its more than 4,000 U.S.-based authorized distributors.

SKF takes pride in its corporate headquarters building, which is now located in Landale, Pennsylvania. It has been designated as a solar-powered and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certified facility—the highest LEED certification awarded to the healthiest, highly efficient, and cost-saving green building.

SKF Parts

SKF offers diverse products and services, but what makes it stand out is its comprehensive lines of rolling bearings, industrial seals, and lubricants. All these SKF parts are developed to meet the highest quality standards while observing positive environmental practices to uphold SKF's global commitment to reducing its CO2 footprint.

Rolling Bearings

SKF’s rolling bearings are designed to guide and support oscillating or rotating machine elements, such as axles, wheels, or shafts. They enable high rotational speeds while reducing heat, wear, noise, and energy consumption since they are made to provide high precision and low friction. They are also affordable and come in a vast assortment to meet your specific requirements. Here are two of the most sought-after SKF bearing lines:

Ball bearings

SKF ball bearings are the most commonly used type of rolling bearings. They come in many different designs and variants, including deep groove, insert bearings, angular contact, self-aligning, thrust ball bearings, and thin-section bearings. These are customizable to ensure you get only the right rolling bearings for your fleet.

• Deep groove ball bearings - These are considered the most versatile since they have low friction, are easy to install, require less maintenance, and can accommodate axial and radial loads in both directions.
• Insert bearings (SKF Y-bearings) - Their designs are based on sealed deep groove ball bearings in the 62 and 63 series. The only difference is that they have a convex outer ring, and in some cases, they have an extended inner ring with a specific locking device for a fast and hassle-free installation onto the shaft.
• Angular contact ball bearings - This type of rolling bearing comes with inner and outer ring raceways that allow it to accommodate combined loads (radial and axial loads).
• Self-aligning ball bearings - These have two rows of balls, two deep uninterrupted raceway grooves in the inner ring, and a common sphered raceway in the outer ring. Two versions are available for this type: open or sealed.
• Thrust ball bearings - Unlike the deep groove and the angular contact bearings, these thrust ball bearings are designed to accommodate axial loads only.
• Angular contact thrust ball bearings - These bearings are originally designed to support the rotary tables of drilling rigs, but they may also be used for other applications. Their features include high axial stiffness, low friction, high load carrying capacity, high-speed performance, and can accommodate radial and axial loads.
• Thin section bearings - This type of bearing is designed to create space, save weight, provide excellent running accuracy, and enhance design flexibility.

Roller Bearings

Roller bearings perform the same function as the ball bearings, only that they use cylinders (rollers) instead of balls to maintain the separation between the bearing’s moving parts. They also come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, and they can be customized for specialized situations. Some options also use flanges, cages, and multiple bearing rows for higher performance.

• Cylindrical roller bearings - These bearings are designed to meet the challenges of applications faced with high speeds and heavy radial loads. They are available in two designs: sealed or split, and they are categorized into: single row, high-capacity, double row, four-row, single row full complement, double row full complement, and SKF Cooper split.
• Needle roller bearings - The cylindrical rollers of this type of bearings are small in diameter relative to their length. They are made with modified raceway or roller to avoid stress peaks for an extended bearing service life.
• Tapered roller bearings - These bearings are composed of a cup (outer ring) and cone assembly (inner ring, cage, and rollers). They are made tough to ensure they can accommodate combined loads and provide low friction.
• Spherical roller bearings - This type of bearing boasts a high load carrying capacity and comes in two designs: open and sealed.

Industrial Seals

No one knows how seals work with bearings better than SKF. The company uses only the most advanced sealing technologies, designs, and development processes to create the best-quality seals that outlast the competition. These seemingly small components may look simple. But they do play a crucial role in your vehicle’s operation.

Power Transmission Seals

CR Seals, which is a part of SKF since 1990, has been setting industry standards for industrial and automotive shaft seals. This is represented as power transmission seals in SKF. Among the most notable products under this category include:

• Radial shaft seals - These seals are composed of two main parts: a cylindrical outer covering and a sealing lip. These sit between two components in relative motion or between stationary and rotating components.
• Cassette seals - Designed to provide excellent grease or oil retention and superior protection against solid or liquid contaminants, these seals are primarily used in wheel-end applications, including tractors, construction equipment, off-highway trucks, and agricultural and forestry machinery.
• Wear sleeves - SKF is known for its Speedi-Sleeve line, a well-proven solution to overcome worn shaft problems. These sleeves provide enhanced sealing system performance, especially when combined with SKF’s radial shaft seals.

Hydraulic Seals

SKF’s wide range of hydraulic seals is explicitly designed to seal the opening between different components in the hydraulic cylinder. Some of the options included in this product lineup are piston seals, rod and buffer seals, wiper seals, and guide rings and guide strips.

Lubricants

More than 36% of premature bearing failures can be attributed to poor lubrication. SKF knows this all too well, so it offers the right lubricants for your specific applications. Here are the benefits of SKF lubricants:

• Widely available and designed to deliver consistent quality
• Factory tested to perform under real conditions
• Made to meet or exceed quality standards

Shop SKF Products at FinditParts.com

Find great deals on SKF parts only here at FinditParts.com. Whether you need SKF bearings, seals, or lubricants, we’ve got them all for you at very reasonable prices. Simply check our online catalog for the specific SKF product you need, place your order online, or give us a call for assistance. FinditParts is committed to making online shopping easy and convenient for you. With our quick lookup feature, you can simply enter the part number or cross reference in the search bar, and the exact-match result will be provided to you in seconds. But if you don’t have a specific part number in mind, you can always contact us so we can assist you in finding the right part for your vehicle make, model, and year. Call us for your specific queries today!