You can get a modern replacement cheaply from any bearing factor...Bearing number 30204...Ian
Original WD data specifies:- rear Wheel -
Bearing - OD (47mm) 1.850
ID (20mm) 0.7874
Width 0.565........part No. MT7/TN/05079/05185
As for the Bearing Thrust Washer, Between 0.157 and 0.152 thickness (Part 15-7045)
I would suggest contacting Draganfly in the UK as they deal in BSA as well as Ariel parts and purportedly are the cheapest in the Uk.........
['I would suggest contacting Draganfly in the UK as they deal in BSA as well as Ariel parts and purportedly are the cheapest in the Uk...']
Mmmm....They sell a lot of Chinese and Indian bearings....Better to go for quality not price IMO...Ian
I've no idea on the quality, price nor source of supply Ian........(better ask Mick who works there for his sins !)....I'm only going by their publicity....but I do know that my W/NG has ran on Draganfly-supplied bearings since the early 2000's with a fair mileage under it's belt (taper rollers too) and still fine with no detectable wear nor deterioration following a very recent inspection !
Like you, I'm always suspicious about the quality of Foreign parts, but the same Chinese manufacturers also supply the same bearings or similar to many of their own products, including military, aircraft, vehicles, commercial, etc, today....many of which are imported under EU standards into the UK......even the MoD source from China.........! Stuff is still made to conform to a standard.......not all, but much........Whilst I can appreciate and accept suspicions about Foreign-sourced parts today, and well-founded in some instances, not often the case with China............their stuff overall is generally good........and we make little in this country today so little recourse to complaint........what's the alternative ?
But, back to the point in question, approaching 20 years later my (maybe) Chinese or Indian wheel bearings on the W/NG are holding their own !
Hi Steve, I can't say I agree generally with your assessment of the products produced by the Chinese manufacturing industry.....
I agree the Chinese..or Indians and Russians come to that, aren't incapable of making serviceable products.
However, despite a laid down 'standard' for the manufacture of a specific item it is well known that the products from these countries frequently fail to conform.
This is due to poor quality control during production of the base materials from which products are made and a similar failure to maintain high quality control standards during the manufacturing process of the product itself....
I don't think you will find any bearing factors in the UK who would state that the quality, accuracy and reliability of the Chinese product will match that of the European, Japanese and American manufacturers...At least that is my experience...
Chinese products fall into two categories...Those manufactured by the Chinese for foreign companies and those manufactured by the Chinese for their own domestic and export markets...
The former have production and quality controlled and overseen by the companies that commissioned the work...The latter by the Chinese themselves and in practice, the two are not the same..
For that reason it is unwise to generalise about the standard of products produced in China as there are effectively two systems in operation...
Personally, I only source and supply bearings from European, Japanese or American suppliers for the reasons outlined and I would still recommend that others purchase from those sources as well, particularly so for use in engines and gearboxes which are subjected to high stresses...Ian
Blimey...They don't give any details but I hope those are a 'Branded' bearing...I sell SKF ones for less than that...Ian
"All top quality, all made to ISO standard"
Taken from Draganfly's website...............they are a reputable, long-established company and they would hopefully not advertise this if it were "inaccurate".......
Price apart, they do appear to be made to a recognised standard.......and I've had no problems with any of their supplied bearings........good quality as claimed and have proved reliable and hard-wearing.....
As with many things, rumour mill and suspicions about sub-standard parts abound...we've all presumably had the odd dodgy part at one time or another...but it doesn't necessarily mean that all Foreign-sourced parts (if that is the case here) are sub-standard........even Russell Motors supply some parts today that are re-manufactured and I doubt if all UK-sourced........
Who here however, still doesn't shop in Tesco for example after the "horsemeat" scandal ?
Back to the original topic of this post however, I think the question regarding bearing size has been answered............
I'm afraid this is one we will never see 'eye' to eye' on...
I just don't accept all bearings are of equal quality and I don't share your confidence in Chinese products at this point in time....
But then no one said we all have to agree on everything..
..Ian
Quite "Wright" Ian
But I am only quoting personal experience of Draganfly-supplied bearings.......I know nothing about the source of supply nor standards but the bearings have all stood the test of time............
Has anyone else on here had any "issues" with Draganfly-supplied bearings ? If not, perhaps best not to generalise without a better knowledge of their source of supply and quality although from what I've experienced it's pretty damn good............
Mick ? You work there......where are you when I need you !!!!!!
I have!!.. ....They supplied the bearings to someone who then asked me to put the engine together...The timing side 'lipped' roller didn't have a 'lip'...It was an alternative version of the bearing...
Firstly, once fitted they can be sods to get out later..
More importantly though, if the crankshaft shock absorber nut comes undone, which can happen, there is nothing stopping the crank and bearing inner moving through the bearing and damaging the crankcase...
I should add this incorrect bearing was supplied under the original part number without any 'advisory'...Not good for someone not familiar with the engine...(which it seems Draganfly might not be)
Needless to say I didn't fit it (or the others, I checked the suppliers and they were Chinese).
Back then in my case, if I was to rebuild (and guarantee) an engine I reserved the right to fit the parts I deemed to be the best for application....Ian
Well, thanks for that Ian ! But as for their wheel bearings (taper rollers) no issues at all.........nearly 20 years service in my W/NG and still good
I think the summary would best be put for the buyer to make their choice.......but errors can and do occur with any supplier..........you are perhaps fortunate in being an engineer who can spot errors at 100 yards, others perhaps not so.........
Shop-around is perhaps the best advice, but with Mick Holmes working there for many years I'm surprised errors creep through although in fairness, Mick can't check every part in stock nor supply but he knows his BSA's and Ariel's......
All suppliers make errors and you need more than one occurrence to create alarm amongst thousands of bearings supplied............and again, I've had many bearings over the years and with no issues whatsoever...........
As I said..we're not going to agree...
You asked for peoples experiences and comments and I've related one..a valid one...
I'm not about to seek to minimise the fact that Draganfly supplied the wrong part, under a BSA part number, that was not an 'equivalent' to the original and did so without any advisory information...
Not everyone can spot that problem and in the hands of an inexperienced owner this could have resulted in serious engine damage... or worse.
I agree everyone can make errors...They say 'The man who never f****d anything up never did anything'...very true.
However, this was a stock item at the time, which I would assume they assessed and selected for stock but which plainly failed to meet the basic criteria required...
I'm not seeking to make any comment about the percentages of good or bad bearings supplied by Draganfly or to 'create alarm' by relating the details of something incorrectly supplied..
I'm also not trying to make anyone purchase anything other than what they want to purchase...
If you have had good service from the bearings then go ahead and keep buying them, as I'm sure many others will as well...
Me?...I have a different opinion...Ian
It's a fair point Ian.......each to their own.....
I however will happily renew my W/NG wheel bearings via Draganfly if they ever wear out ......!!!!!
(and if you ever have to assist me with a wheel bearing failure at a Normandy road-side I'll kiss your feet and buy you a pint or two......!!!)
['.......but what we have overlooked in this discussion is no one has provided any evidence as to where Draganfly (and others) source their bearings......India ? China ?']
Actually that's not true, as mentioned previously I checked the source for the Draganfly bearing and it was Chinese..and they do also supply Indian (Sterling) bearings....Ian
I don't know that I really want to step into this debate, but do feel that I ought to.
Firstly, I have no dealings with Draganfly at all, although I hear they do a lot of good things, so as my restoration goes on, no doubt I will.
I have run my own bearing company for twenty five years (30 years in trade) and have seen many changes in that time, one of the biggest is the modern influx of Chinese unbranded bearings etc. This has really occurred over the last fifteen years or so, so if Steve has had bearings in place for twenty years, without stating the brand written on them, its hard to compare them to what's available now.
I have seen much of the very poor quality of products that come out of China to the UK and the sometimes catastrophic results of using them. I have not come across a single Chinese bearing yet that would sell alongside brands like SKF, FAG, RHP, NKE and Timken. That said, they do have their place.
For example: Pallet truck rollers use a 6204zz bearing, two per roller. They are dragged round in the dust and rubbish all day long and so whatever you put in, will only last so long. So, instead of the £5 each in SKF, we sell a budget branded one. £0.65 each net. The problem occurs when some simple minded internet bearing companies sell 'good quality' (honest) bearings at £3.90, joe public thinks he is getting a good deal. Instead, he is getting 65p rubbish at a ridiculous price. This happens a lot and my only advice would be, if its got its name on it, they are proud to advertise that fact. Unbranded.................make your own mind up.
We then come to the 30204 back wheel bearings. I know that non-specialised suppliers might not get the same deals as us, but I would sell that bearings out at £15 in FAG or SKF, or £4.95 in a cheap branded FBJ Taiwanese. Chinese unmarked would come in at about £3, but I don't tend to stock them unless specifically requested by a customer.
If you shop around, you don't have to pay a lot for this type of bearing, but unless you have a branded product, you don't know what you are going to get. It's not enough that people state that they are 'good' or 'ISO' quality, as it is largely meaningless when so much rubbish come into the UK.
So, you pays your money, you takes your chance. But choose wisely grasshopper, for when the mighty £profit is involved, you need to know that you are getting what you pay for and its good enough to keep you shiny (dull green) side up.
OK, I need to lie down now..............
email (option): dwrudd at lineone.net
Big snip
I have run my own bearing company for twenty five years (30 years in trade) and have seen many changes in that time, one of the biggest is the modern influx of Chinese unbranded bearings etc. This has really occurred over the last fifteen years or so, so if Steve has had bearings in place for twenty years, without stating the brand written on them, its hard to compare them to what's available now.
OK, I need to lie down now..............
Even worse than the unbranded Chineese bearings are the branded Chineese Bearings.
Which brands are they ?
Which ever brand name you ask to be put on them.
There are a lot of faked bearings out there especially on evilbay shops.
A front wheel bearing collapses in traffic & you are as good as dead.
Which is why you only ever buy bearings from a real company they your widow can sue .
Down here the big bearing companies have formed a joint syndicate & actually pay for information about fake brand name bearings and yes people are being murdered.
And it is not just bearings we get a lot of fake Honda powered fake fire pumps & generators.
Several I have tried to work on actually had no internal governors so when a load was applied, the engine just stopped. In this bushfire season people will die in the name of greed & stupidity.
email (option): wariron@tpg,com,au
Even more alarming I read an article in an Engineering magazine about Chinese fake aircraft parts...
None of the examples detailed conformed to the original design specification but the packaging and certification paperwork had also been faked to match Boeings original packaging...
I think I'll go by Eurostar next time...
..or better still M20 ...Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Maybe I'm alone here, but in 35 years motorcycling I've had bearing failures in various areas from all the well-known makes.......Japanese, Swedish, German, Czech, etc.......and I've kept 'em all too in a bloody great bucket..............some of these were NOS when fitted too..........but oddly, since using "Chinese" (or whatever) ISO-quality bearings, no failures whatsoever in nearly 20 years.........
Bearing failures can be attributed to many factors unconnected with the bearing itself........but quality control issues can affect ANY engine component, be it piston, conrod, etc............even with reputable makes...........and with Draganfly advertising bearings to ISO standard, and with some on here being familiar with their source(s) of supply if you buy and fit one and it all goes wrong then you have the UK consumer laws to protect you.......what's the big deal ? In my experience though, nothing wrong with their products......if you ever get a W/NG Ariel Ian Wright, I bet you tap Draganfly for parts other than bearings..........and maybe they came from China/India too ? 
As stated, I am only quoting from personal experience of their bearings......they have lasted and have been good...........if I went for a ride on my bike and said the weather was cold you couldn't disagree with this as I'm quoting personal experience, not yours..............same with the wheel bearings mate...my experience of them, not yours......
It's an open market for any one to shop where they want for parts.......this Forum hopefully advises and assists............you pay your money and make your choice............my personal experience of so-called "Chinese" or "Indian" parts has been good and long lasting (they may have been made in Sweden or the UK though !) but best not to put others off exploring this issue in favour of a bias toward no more reliable (in my experience) makes of bearings..........
Still advertised to ISO standards Ron and under UK trading standards and advertised as such they would need to conform to this......
I'm stepping out of this debate now.....it's going nowhere....bearings are a bit like spark plugs, oils, chains, etc.......every one has their own preference, suspicions good experiences and bad........and most won't change their opinions, evidence supporting or to the contrary and all that..........
I agree the debate can't really go any further...
There is plenty of input here based on personal experience, personal opinion and the views of a professional bearing specialist for people to divine what they regard to be the facts of the subject....
On that basis they may be better informed to make that choice than they were previously which is one of the purposes of the forum...
As Confucius said....'Whatever the make of bearings you select may they give you long service'.... ....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Hi Ron, regarding the conveyor bearings ( commonly known as gravity bearings ) they are as loose as a very loose thing, to enable free running rollers on a conveyor line. But it sounds tongue in cheek that you already know this. If Steve has had good experiences with Chinese bearings, then that's great. I hope that the quality is indeed improving, but I doubt it.
And Ian. Wasn't that Nichi who said that, possibly Nachi........
If the wheels keep turning, the blood keeps burnin.
email (option): dwrudd At. Lineone dot net
['And Ian. Wasn't that Nichi who said that, possibly Nachi........']
....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com