Pillow Blocks, Flange Bearings & Housings | A&K Machine & Fabrication

Why A&K for Bearings

Bore, Bolt Pattern, Shaft Fit — Right the First Time

Bearing supports are the wear item that gets replaced most often on every belt and chain conveyor. The problem isn't sourcing the bearing insert — that's commodity. The problem is the housing: when the bolt pattern is wrong by ¼", or the bore is one shaft size off, or the OEM housing has been discontinued, the bearing won't go in.

A&K machines pillow blocks, take-up units, flange mounts, and custom housings to whatever spec your frame needs. Bore, bolt pattern, and shaft fit are all on the drawing — and out of the machine right the first time.

2- and 4-bolt pillow blocks, 2/3/4-bolt round and square flange housings

Take-up housings — wide-slot (WSTU) and narrow-slot (NSTU), center-pull and top-angle (TUE/TUT) frames

Built to ISO 113 / ANSI/ABMA 8.2 — drop-in interchange for Dodge USAF/USN/SAF-XT/ISN, SKF SN/SNL/SAF, Sealmaster MP/NP, Browning VPS/VPLS, Timken Type E

Cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless 304/316 — sized to the bearing-insert spec you already source

Seal pockets cut for taconite (purgeable), triple-lip (TripleTect), labyrinth (LER), or contact-lip washdown

Custom housings for legacy frames where the OEM part has been discontinued

Machined bearing hub housings with through-bores in the A&K shop — A&K Machine & Fabrication, Jacksonville FL

Housing Types

Every Mount, Every Shaft

Pillow Block Housings

2- and 4-bolt pillow blocks for shaft-end and intermediate support. Crosses Dodge USAF/USN, Sealmaster MP/NP, Browning VPS/VPLS, Timken Type E. Cast iron for standard service, carbon steel for heavier loads, stainless for wet or corrosive.

Take-Up Bearing Units

Wide-slot (WSTU) and narrow-slot (NSTU), center-pull and top-angle (TUE/TUT) frames. Slotted housings sized to ABMA standard envelopes — drop-in retrofit for Dodge, Sealmaster, and Browning take-up frames.

Flange-Mount Bearings

2-, 3-, and 4-bolt round and square flange housings per ANSI/ABMA 8.2. Bore machined to your bearing-insert tolerance; seal pockets matched to the service environment.

Split Plummer Blocks

Split SN/SNL series (2/3/5/6 and 30/31/32), SAF/USAF, and SDAF/SAFD for large bore — for shafting where pull-and-replace isn't practical. Machined split lines for clean reassembly; bored for spherical-roller inserts.

Insert Bearing Housings

Cartridge-mount housings for OEM-style assemblies — bored bearing pocket, integrated seal seats, and your choice of locking method (setscrew, eccentric collar, or adapter sleeve).

Custom & Hybrid Housings

When standard housings don't fit and OEM is discontinued, we machine to print. Hybrid mountings, integrated mounting bosses, custom inspection ports — whatever your frame needs.

Bronze and brass bushings boxed and labeled ready for shipment — A&K Machine & Fabrication, Jacksonville FL

Materials & Sealing

Match the Housing to the Environment

Most bearing housings don't fail from load — they fail when contamination gets past the seal. Picking the right material and sealing strategy for your environment is half of getting service life right.

Cast iron: Workhorse material — dimensional stability, vibration damping.
Carbon steel: Higher impact strength, weldable, fabricated assemblies.
Stainless 304 / 316: Food, marine, washdown, chemical service. PBT thermoplastic housings on request for full IP69K washdown.
Felt / single-lip seals: Clean, dry, indoor — low speed.
Labyrinth (LER): High-speed clean service with light dust — non-contact, no drag.
Triple-lip (TripleTect): Wet, abrasive, heavy contamination — contacting elastomer lips on a flinger.
Taconite (purgeable): Mining, aggregate, cement, kiln duty. Auxiliary grease purge groove pushes contamination back out before it reaches the bearing — the named industry standard for the worst environments.
Contact-lip washdown (IP69K): Food and dairy plants. Paired with USDA H1 grease and end caps; 3-A Dairy compliance on request.
Internal clearance: C0/CN normal; C3 default for conveyors with thermal rise; C4 for hot/heavy duty (kilns, dryer drums).

Our Process

From Worn Housing to New Housing

Spec

Send the worn housing, the bearing-insert part number, or your frame bolt pattern. We confirm bore, OAL, and mount geometry.

Quote & Source

Fixed quote, real lead time. Casting blanks or bar stock sourced same-day; bearing inserts can be supplied or you keep your existing supply.

Machine & Assemble

CNC-bore, mount holes drilled and tapped, seal pockets cut to tolerance. Bearing pressed in if requested, sealed and palletized.

Ship or Install

Shipped to your dock or installed on-site during your scheduled outage by our service crew.

Industries

Who We Supply Bearing Housings To

Mining & Aggregates Agriculture Food & Beverage Pharmaceuticals Wood, Pulp & Paper Recycling Wastewater Distribution & Warehouse Marine Power & Utilities Airports Construction & Roads

Common Questions

Bearing Housing FAQ

Can A&K machine a housing for a bearing I already have?

Yes — supply the bearing insert (or the part number) and we'll machine the housing to the exact bore + seat tolerance for that insert. You keep your existing bearing supply chain; we just fix the housing problem.

My OEM pillow block is discontinued. Can you match it?

Yes — this is one of our most common requests. Send the worn original (or just the bolt pattern and bore), and we reverse-engineer a drop-in replacement. We can even match the OEM paint color if you need it to look identical.

Cast iron vs steel housings — which should I pick?

Cast iron is the default — dimensionally stable, dampens vibration, good for typical loads. Choose steel when impact is part of the duty cycle (e.g. mining transfer chutes) or when you need a weldment configuration. Stainless when corrosion is the failure mode.

Do you press the bearing insert in or leave it for the customer?

Either way works — tell us your preference. Pressing in shop saves you a step and ensures clean seal seating; leaving it open lets you use your own bearing stock and install supervision.

Do you cut taconite seal pockets for mining and aggregate?

Yes — auxiliary purge groove plus felt cartridge to the OEM envelope. Taconite is the standard ask for crusher feed, cement, and any environment where dust and fines are constant; the grease purge keeps contamination from ever reaching the bearing race.

Setscrew, eccentric collar, or adapter sleeve — which locking should I spec?

Setscrew for light loads and low cost — but it dimples the shaft and is uni-directional under heavy reversal. Eccentric collar for one-direction drives with better grip. Concentric clamp collar when bi-directional + even contact matter. Adapter sleeve for high speed and zero shaft cocking.

Spherical roller or self-aligning ball insert?

Self-aligning ball for cleaner, lighter, faster service (general conveyor). Spherical roller for heavy loads, shock duty, and ±2° misalignment — head pulleys on aggregate, crushers, and anything that takes a hit at the load point.

How fast can you turn around a custom bearing housing?

Standard pillow block or flange housings: usually 3-7 business days. Custom or unusual configurations: 1-2 weeks for material + machining. Call 904-388-7772 with the spec and we'll give you a real lead time before you commit.

Other Conveyor Components

What Else We Build

Idlers & Belt Tracking

The roller assemblies whose bearings live inside our housings — carrying, return, impact, and training idlers.

Explore Idlers

Take-Up Assemblies

Slotted-frame take-ups for screw and gravity tensioning — paired with our take-up bearing housings.

Explore Take-Ups

All Conveyor Components

Back to the full overview — pulleys, scrapers, sprockets, auger flighting, and more.

Back to Overview

Get a Quote

Start Your Project

Send us your details — drawings, dimensions, or just a description. We'll get back to you within 48 hours on most quotes. For faster response or lead time questions on jobs, just call.

Fast Response

We respond to most quote requests within 48 hours. For faster responses or lead time questions on specific jobs, call us directly at 904-388-7772.

We Ship Anywhere

Based in Jacksonville, FL — we ship finished parts and components throughout Florida, the Southeast, and beyond.

Prefer to Call?

Reach us at 904-388-7772, Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM (closed Sat–Sun).

The Highest-Volume Wear Part on Every Conveyor.