Quote:
Originally Posted by porkchop
Almost every class 8 truck and almost every semi trailer on the road uses oil bath bearings. Almost every one. Exclusively.
Bill
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Sorry Bill and others this is not a case of all planes have wings and if they don't they won't fly.
Across the class 8 I would say the majority have oil bath, but far from all. Those that operate in the far N usually have grease and the reason for that is the low temps they encounter.
As for oil bath in semi's, like trains not only does it make sense but it's the most common. That said Class 8 is not exactly a car or a trailer hauling apples. Class 8 IIRC is 33,000 or more, they are also rolling heavy almost every day driving hundreds of thousands miles a year. Good truckers are going to inspect those oil baths at every stop as they are built to be visually inspected from a walk around.
Also you will find that those who haul extreme loads tend to go with grease over oil bath since the grease can handle extreme pressures. Red Line which is some of the highest extreme pressure oil you can find runs about $75 per gallon.
Take away: Oil bath certainly has it's place, it has been in use for over 100 years, but it comes with an overhead of more inspections, maintenance and a higher cost of servicing, you just cannot pour a little 30 wt in there and let it go. If you want to use that is your call but don't do it blindly, know what is involved.
Your wallet, your rig...
Putting a wing on a 5th wheel will no make it a plane!