Bearings manufacturer Bearings Inter-national (BI) and manufacturer of conveyor pulleys, forging and plate rolling Bosworth, both divisions of bearings and power transmission company Hudaco Trading, have successfully fulfilled a R25-million order placed by project house DRA for the supply of pulley assemblies, complete with Cooper split bearings, for the first phase of the Associated Manganese Mines of South Africa’s new Khumani iron-ore mine, in the Northern Cape.

This is one of the largest orders executed by Hudaco Trading into the materials handling industry in Southern Africa.

This fast-track order comprised some 
450 conveyor pulleys with a shaft size up to 300 mm, some with dual drives, fitted with Cooper split bearings in the trapped position. Cooper product manager Matthew Tyler says that these are among the biggest and most heavily loaded pulleys currently running in South Africa with Cooper split bearings.

The technical support and spares stockholding are being managed by BI’s branch in Kathu, not far from the new mine.

“There are significant cost savings associated with Cooper’s range of split roller bearings. These bearings are adding value across the spectrum of South African industry, 
notably in the materials handling and mining sectors. The savings lie in their longevity and reduced installation and maintenance downtime, as the split bearing makes for quick 
access, easy changeover and low maintenance, compared with conventional bearings.

“By installing these bearings in trapped applications, they can be easily inspected and maintained without removing adjacent equipment or machinery,” he adds.

Most pulley assemblies fitted with Cooper split bearings have been designed for a theoretical life of 100 000 hours. This amounts to over 11 years of continuous operation. A typical split bearing change can result in a reduction of up to 80% of the down time 
associated with traditional bearings.

He says that a sealing arrangement also performs well above the norm. Cooper bearings use a swivel cartridge that takes up 
initial misalignment, so that the seal 
remains in perfect concentricity with the shaft. This seal is achieved even in the harshest of 
environments, providing increased lubricant retention, eliminating contamination and 
increasing bearing life.

Tyler says that Cooper’s current manufacturing lead times are significantly shorter than those of conventional bearing manufacturers.

Cooper’s exclusive relationship with BI dates back to 1937, making BI one of its most longstanding distributors worldwide.

Cooper regional sales manager: UK Bob Atherton says that BI has innovated the marketing of Cooper split bearings to such a fine art on the African continent that its approach has become a model for other distributorships.

Cooper pioneered the world’s first split roller bearing in 1907 and in the Cooper assembly, the bearing, cartridge and pedestal are split in halves.

“Although Cooper bearings are just one aspect of BI’s multifaceted operation, BI is strong in all the markets it serves and reflects its one-stop-shop philosophy of going much further than just selling bearings by providing customers with a total engineering solution to their requirements,” concludes Atherton.

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