George,
I ended up at etrailer after a fairly exhaustive search for all of the hard parts contained in my order. I found Timken bearings, but not all of them. I found SKF seals but they were 4 days out plus for delivery. The cost of USA made name brand bearings wasn't the issue for me, it was availability.
As you may know, the axle that takes those 3" OD inner bearings with such a small 1 1/2 spindle is an old, possibly very old Ag or boat trailer axle. They are meant for high load, but slow speed use. In comparison, the bearings you sent while appearing to be of good quality to the naked eye are also much smaller rollers indicating a higher speed bearing but of less maximum load capacity. None of this really matters when you have such a hard time finding the parts needed to complete the job in question. I simply state this for your information, but certainly, you were already aware if the differences in sizing and load capacity. It's doubtful that the trailer in question will EVER see enough load to make any difference in performance whatsoever, so please don't take my statement as a complaint.
As for the seals, they are the correct dimensions, and I did find your website helpful in double checking my cross reference work between brands. I'm also sure they will work just fine, but they do lack an innerspring to hold the tension of the inner lip seal against the spindle's seal area. Again, they will do the job, at least at first but I'd guess they won't last nearly as long and aren't a double lip seal design as the SKF, and National brands were. I'm not complaining one bit here, I promise. The cost factor differences were dramatic to say the least. The 2 inner bearings and 2 inner races made by Timken were equal to ALL 4 bearings and races, plus the seals from you guys.
Look, I realize that stocking such expensive and nearly obsolete parts made in the USA isn't a business model for anyone who wants to stay in business very long selling something that can be found down the street at nearly the same price. I understood what I was ordering before I ever started putting things into the cart on your website.
As a heavy equipment mechanic of 30 years experience, I promise your parts will get the best of treatment and a proper start to their life, hopefully, a long use life without issues. The bearings will be sonic cleaned before they are every packed with the best of grease choices. All the races and the seals will be installed with the proper driver to make sure they are square and seated correctly into the hub bore.
I assume if you use this review of mine for your website that you will not edit it in any way. What people using your site and customer service need to understand is that while I might see the differences I do not think I purchased ANY sub-par parts. Other customers need to also know that "In Stock" with you guys means "In Stock" and after hours of phone calls looking for those particular parts it was a very welcome thing to read on a website and even better when the order shipped On Time, Complete, and at what I consider to be a very reasonable cost. They would also need to know that your website is just chocked full of easy to find information. My example besides the seal cross reference information is the wiring diagrams. The color differences between RV trailers and Utility trailers makes you double check things to make sure you got it right and ALL that info is readily available on your site. Much easier to access than other companies.
In closing to what certainly is an overly detailed reply to your request for feedback, I'd just like to thank you, George. Thank you and your company for doing the EXACT thing you said you would and thank you for taking away a fair amount of frustration searching for parts. I will certainly use your company again and again if for nothing else, it's ease of use and promptness of service.
If you'd seriously like pictures I will be happy to try and supply them at a later date. For now, this old trailer has to get back to earning its way.
504598
Sierra K.
6/8/2021
Thank you for your review. I believe you mean the grease seal. I have attached a link below:
Helpful Links
s.aspx?qry=grease+seal&furl=-pg-Trailer_Bearings_Races_Seals_Caps-sf-Seals