How to change a bearing on a concrete mixer?

Household concrete mixers are mechanical (manual), with an internal combustion engine or electric drive. All of these species have a similar design. When preparing a concrete solution in a mixer, the bearing assembly is subjected to the greatest load. Over time, even if the rules for operating the equipment are followed, it fails. In the event of a breakdown, you should not look for a replacement for the broken unit - the bearing on the concrete mixer can be changed with your own hands, returning the functionality to the mixer.

With intensive use of a concrete mixer, one of the 2 bearings most often breaks. Signs of its failure:

• extraneous noises in the drum, similar to crunching or crackling;
• sudden stop of the drum even at low loads;
• slow start of the unit;
• noticeable backlash when rocking the bowl by hand.

There are several reasons why a part fails prematurely. The most common is unit overload. With an increase in the permissible load on the equipment (all standards are indicated in the technical documentation), the bearing assembly breaks down much faster.

Other less common causes include moisture, sand, small stones or other foreign matter getting under the bearing housing. And the unit fails due to a previously installed low-quality part.

To prevent premature bearing failure, it is necessary to clean the unit from the remnants of adhered concrete after each use, and also make sure that moisture, dust and sand do not get into the mechanism. There is no need to overload the equipment and try to make more concrete mix at a time than is acceptable in the recommendations from the manufacturer. It is important to properly care for the mixer and perform timely maintenance.

If you need to change the bearing of a concrete mixer, you can resort to the services of craftsmen. However, this will take time and will require serious financial investments. To save money, it is recommended to do the repair yourself. It is not difficult to set up the unit yourself. To do this, you need to arm yourself with the necessary tools and theoretical knowledge.

For work you will need:

• 2 new bearings (standard part size 6203);
• a set of wrenches of different sizes;
• hammer or sledgehammer;
• Bulgarian;
• metal insert;
• thinner or gasoline for cleaning parts;
• a solution designed to "oxidize" the bolts (wd-40 is suitable for this purpose);
• screwdrivers of various configurations and sizes;
• pliers and pullers (you can use a vice instead).

Separately, it should be said about the choice of bearing. They are of 3 types - caprolon, bronze or steel. The former are the most popular. When choosing, you need to give preference to parts with a washer - they are able to withstand large mechanical loads and protect the internal device from the ingress of mechanical particles.

To remove the damaged part, you need to get to it - for this you will have to disassemble the mixer.First of all, turn the container over so that the traverse is at the top. After that, using a wrench, you need to unscrew the bolt connecting the equipment shaft with the crosshead. Further it is necessary:

• remove the washer and grover;
• knock out the shaft from the traverse (for this, an insert with suitable dimensions and a hammer are used);
• disconnect the drum from the bed;
• remove the adjusting washers.

The next step is to detach the support structure from the pear. Many craftsmen warn that the retaining nuts located on the outside will rust over time. Such a negative process is inevitable, since the installed hardware comes into contact with moisture when preparing the working solution. To facilitate their removal, it is recommended to pre-treat the nuts with wd-40. After 10 minutes, you can try to unscrew the fasteners.

After removing the fasteners, it is necessary to separate the bowl support from the drum, then separate it into 2 parts. To do this, knock out the shaft with bearings. Damaged parts are dismantled using special pullers or vices.

Before assembling the unit, it is recommended to pre-clean the shaft from dirt and rust using gasoline or an acetone-based solvent. After removing the formations on the parts, the new bearings should be pressed onto the shaft. For this, it is convenient to use a special puller. In its absence, pressing is performed by uniformly tapping with a hammer on the inner races of the bearing assemblies. These work must be carried out carefully, tapping should be carried out through a block of wood.

The next step is to install the shaft in the lower part of the support, fix the second half on the upper bearing. After the performed manipulations, you need to fix the support to the drum using bolts, nuts and washers. To prevent the bolts from turning inside the structure, they must be held with a wrench - in this case, you cannot do without help. Before fixing the support, its perimeter should be processed in the areas of contact with the drum, for this you need to use any silicone-based sealant. Thanks to this additional processing, the bearing unit will be reliably protected from accidental moisture penetration.

The last stage includes the placement of the adjusting washers, the installation of the shaft in the hole and its fixation with the clamping bolts.

After the performed repair manipulations, it is necessary to assess the performance of the concrete mixer. To do this, you need to turn on the equipment at idle, no load.

Timely bearing replacement is important - neglect of such work often leads to breakdown of other units of the unit and their more expensive adjustment. The instructions given in the article will help to perform high-quality repairs of a worn-out part, which, in turn, will help to extend the life of the equipment.

For more information on how to change the bearing on a concrete mixer, see the next video.