Cutterhead bearing blew out on me at 3am Sunday

I was working a night shift on the Mississippi near Baton Rouge and heard a grinding noise that got real bad fast. Shut everything down and found the bearing on the port side cutterhead was hot enough to smoke. Had to call the shop foreman at 3am to come help me swap it out with a spare we had onboard. Took us about 4 hours in the dark with flashlights and a lot of cussing. Anyone else ever have a bearing seize up in the middle of a shift like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley5955d ago

Blew out" is right, bearings seize not blow but yeah that sucks.

diana_bell745d ago

Oh man, I've gotta push back a little on that. In my experience, bearings can definitely blow just as often as they seize. I've had them shatter the cage and send ball bearings flying, which is a real blowout. Seizing is more of a gradual heat and friction deal where things weld together. Blowout is more sudden, like when a bearing races cracks and the whole thing lets go at once. Either way, yeah it sucks when it happens mid-use.

the_gray5d ago

Whoa wait, ball bearings shot out? I mean, that sounds insane. Did you actually see that happen or are you just guessing? I've had a few seizes over the years but never actual flying metal bits. That's like a grenade went off inside the hub or something. Honestly kind of scary to think about if you're riding at speed when that happens.