550xp mkii needle bearing conundrum

[lurch_917]

i know it may be different from the 550 but on my 560 i regularly give the bearing a tiny tiny bit of grease through the hole in the crank then every 3-4 cleans i pull the clutch remove and clean the bearing and shaft . never been a problem also keeping your chain sharp means larger chips not dust .

[Stubby]

7 hours ago, lurch_917 said:

i know it may be different from the 550 but on my 560 i regularly give the bearing a tiny tiny bit of grease through the hole in the crank then every 3-4 cleans i pull the clutch remove and clean the bearing and shaft . never been a problem also keeping your chain sharp means larger chips not dust .

Would you be willing to give my house a quick birthday 🙂

[spudulike]

8 hours ago, lurch_917 said:

i know it may be different from the 550 but on my 560 i regularly give the bearing a tiny tiny bit of grease through the hole in the crank then every 3-4 cleans i pull the clutch remove and clean the bearing and shaft . never been a problem also keeping your chain sharp means larger chips not dust .

So, basically you need to grease your hole!!

[adw]

I am sticking to my guns and say the bearing should periodically be greased, it’s easy to do on the pro saw via the hole in the crank, I have seen many machines with worn crank journals in this area caused by dry rollers in the bearing, knock the brake on and they stop, I have not seen any full of detritus , but a pump of grease would help to push an accumulation out, so my best advise is grease the bearing.

[lurch_917]

4 hours ago, spudulike said:

So, basically you need to grease your hole!!

yep nought like a bita lube in yer hole 😜

[john87]

I know Echo tell you to grease the bearing. Other makers may differ...

 

john...

[jannick]

On 08/11/2022 at 04:53, stewmo said:

My 550xp seems to be chewing through needle bearings. 

Just had one go today that is only 5 weeks old and some days or even weeks the saw doesn't even get used. The one before that lasted 3 months. 

When I took the last one off it was almost melted on to the inside of the clutch drum. And today the same sypmtoms......chain spinning on idle and when chain brake applied the saw stalls, presumably because the crank can't turn. So I am assuming when I take this one off it will be same.

Once is an oddity but twice....makes me want to know what is going on? Is there a deeper issue here that needs correcting as well? 

Thoughts welcome!!

 

Well, it has beed an old post, but i just met the same problem, so i'd like to share my thoughts. It may be:

 

1.Lack of lubrication. Needle bearings need to be lubricated regularly to prevent them from overheating and melting. If the saw is not used often, the needle bearings may not get enough lubrication and can prematurely wear out.

2.Dull chain. A dull chain can cause the clutch to drag and overheat, which can also damage the needle bearings.

. Dirty clutch drum. A dirty clutch drum can cause friction and heat, which can damage the needle bearings.

[spudulike]

Pretty rare for a bearing to fail in such a catastrophic way. I have seen it on 261s and 362s but that is just the way they are....or were when first released and for a few years after.

On Husqvarnas, I reckon the outboard clutch makes changing the bearing more difficult and probably puts a bit more load on it and that makes them get a little wobbly over time. I have seen crank wear on old 346s and wobbly bearings on a number of machines just through lack of maintenance.

I reckon it is one of those items that should be changed any time the drum or clutch springs are renewed.

All machines are different but saws like the 346, 357, 550 and 560 need a little TLC whereas some are just bulletproof in this area.

Over-tightening the chain can destroy them pretty fast.

[adw]

How long are you leaving the saw idling for?