Jabiru Nose Wheel Bearing

[kiwiaviator]

Does anyone know an equivalent bearing for the PB0029N nose wheel bearing? I imagine it will be a standard off the shelf type that I can get from an automotive shop.

[onetrack]

There is no equivalent bearing to Jabiru bearing P/No PB0029N in any bearing cross-reference catalogue that I have access to - and I can usually find one.

It's quite likely that Jabiru have initiated their own part numbering system that is not cross-referenced by any major manufacturer. You have two options;

 

1. Look for a number on the actual bearing itself, and cross-reference that number.

2. Take the bearing to a bearing supplier, and get them to measure it and produce a suitable equivalent or replacement.

 

Don't buy any Chinese-manufactured/branded bearings, their bearing quality is still suspect. Stick with the major "known" brand names in bearings.

[kiwiaviator]

5 minutes ago, onetrack said:

There is no equivalent bearing to Jabiru bearing P/No PB0029N in any bearing cross-reference catalogue that I have access to - and I can usually find one.

It's quite likely that Jabiru have initiated their own part numbering system that is not cross-referenced by any major manufacturer. You have two options;

 

1. Look for a number on the actual bearing itself, and cross-reference that number.

2. Take the bearing to a bearing supplier, and get them to measure it and produce a suitable equivalent or replacement.

 

Don't buy any Chinese-manufactured/branded bearings, their bearing quality is still suspect. Stick with the major "known" brand names in bearings.

Thanks onetrack. That was the next step. Yes there are some dubious quality bearings out there.

[440032]

PB0029N is a Jabiru number only.

Good advice, there will be numbers etched on the existing bearing, it will be something commonly available NSK or SKF.

Bearing shops like CBC Bearings will only have good quality stock, wherever it is made.

https://conbear.com.au/bearings/

 

 

[kgwilson]

Just like the taper roller bearings for my Matco TSOed wheels. They have a Matco number and exorbitant price but are standard Timken taper roller bearings. The number is right there on the edge of the roller cage.

[facthunter]

If it's not metric these days, it's more than double the price  The best type is tapered roller but it may be a double  sealed ball bearing. Measure the dimensions and go on line but buy from a good supplier.  Nev

[Jim188]

[Bruce Tuncks]

I was amazed and impressed how CBC bearings tracked down a Libelle bearing for me. These  bearings may have been common in Germany in the 60's but they were hard to find now in Australia.

[facthunter]

I think that one is shielded which is not as good as sealed for grease retention.  They are even used in wheelbarrows  (a cheap version).  Nev

[Thruster88]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

I think that one is shielded which is not as good as sealed for grease retention.  They are even used in wheelbarrows  (a cheap version).  Nev

2RS means it has rubber seals both sides. Z is the steel shield type, those are not completely sealed 

Edited December 14, 2022 by Thruster88

[onetrack]

Good choice. The SKF Explorer range of bearings are premium grade bearings, and the "RSH" refers to rubber seals with high performance, the rubber seals are double-lipped and have improved abilities to keep grease in, and water out.

 

Table 2 on Page 4 of the SKF catalogue below, outlines the differences between the RSH and RS1 seal types.

 

https://www.acornbearings.co.uk/downloads/catalogues/bearings/deep-groove-ball-bearings/skf-explorer-deep-groove-ball-bearings.pdf

[facthunter]

Those bearing types are used on Multi V belt drives for Car water pumps and alternator drives and last for years in extreme conditions/ Grass can enter and damage the "thinnish" seals if there's no protective cover.  Lift the wheel  regularly and check no roughness or play evident. If any water gets in it's not going to last long.  Nev

[Jim188]

Out of interest,

 

I really don't understand why so many Jabiru owners come here to get their parts advice.

 

If you are in Australia, why not just contact Jabiru via email or phone and order your parts. I have found the Jabiru team always supply me with a great service and there is no debate if they are the right parts or not, as with those wheel bearings, I ordered from Jabiru one day and they arrived the next. 

 

Can I tell you a story about the Jabiru Team at Bundy, in my aircraft log book, the builder of my aircraft who lived on the east coast of Australia was on a trip around Australia, shortly after landing at Perth, the refueler stepped back into the Jabiru prop and cracked it. It was late in the afternoon Queensland's time, but they rang Jabiru, the option was there to replace it with a fibre prop, but it meant more work and time for Jabiru to cut out the spin and set the pitch of the prop. 

 

So the Jabiru team got to work that afternoon/evening and then got the prop on a flight back into Brisbane that night. The next morning in Perth the prop arrived with the spinner and all the bolts to mount the new prop without hassle. In my aircraft log book it tells the tale and they departed from Perth only 80 minutes later than their planned time of departure.

 

This would not have happened if this was and imported aircraft and really the Jabiru team does a great job in servicing their flock, so spent a few more dollars where you by supporting our aircraft manufacture.    

 

 

Cheers

Jim188        

[pmccarthy]

Some importers keep stocks of spares including props, and respond promptly.

[kiwiaviator]

3 hours ago, Jim188 said:

I have found the Jabiru team always supply me with a great service and there is no debate if they are the right parts or not, as with those wheel bearings, I ordered from Jabiru one day and they arrived the next. 

Totally agree Jim. When I lived in Australia, I found the team at Jabiru to be very helpful. I even got to visit them one year ago when they containerised my 230 for export to NZ. Friendly and accommodating.

 

I own an engineering company in NZ and buy bearings on a daily basis. It would be the definition of insanity for me to order a common bearing from Australia in terms of cost, freight and lead time.

 

Having said that, I encourage Jabiru owners in Australia to buy local and support the manufacturer.

[Jim188]

I did cast a fairly wide net about other imported aircrafts. My apologise to all those other aircraft owners who do have Australia dealers that give them a great back up service and who have invest large sums in having good parts inventory here in Australia.  Hat's off to them as well and I will say the same thing to those aircraft owners, try to support your aircraft dealer the best you can and where you can with your parts needs and I don't have any interest in an aviation business. 

 

But, I am a small business owner and know, if you don't support your aircraft dealer, they may not be there when you really need their help and advice to fix your plane, and now you are waiting those 4 month to get some part for the other side of the world not knowing if you have everything you need or the correct way to fix your beloved plane correctly.    

 

Cheers

Jim188

 

[onetrack]

I have a distinct aversion to many imported products simply because they nearly all seem to have major cost factors in their purchase cost, related to pensions/social security blankets/property values/hidden taxes/exorbitant profit levels, and probably a few other factors, that I can't think of at present.

 

Add in exchange rates that fluctuate daily, and shipping rates from overseas that have trebled in the last 2 years, and imports - unless carried out on a large scale - are generally a lot more costly than any equivalent local products.

I think many Australians suffer from the intrinsic belief that because the item is manufactured in Europe or the U.S., it must be far better designed and engineered. I personally don't think that's necessarily the case.

 

I think the simple problem we have with local manufacturing, is that it needs to have a reasonable level of export sales, along with local sales - as local sales are generally inadequate to provide a steady level of manufacturing income - particularly when you're concentrating on a niche market.