Making bearing conversions easy with the Cooper SNQ pedestal – Simple fitting, less downtime

Cooper Bearings, an SKF Group company, introduces the SNQ pedestal, a new range of plummer blocks for split roller bearings. The angled SNQ pedestal simplifies the fitting of bearing units as the angled joint allows the pedestal to be slid under the shaft without the need for tools.

Pedestals, also called pillow or plummer blocks, are the most common mountings for bearings. Launched by Cooper and available for many years as a “bespoke” solution, the angled pedestal is now available across the standard range of SN and SD equivalent pedestal housings. With the SNQ angled pedestal, bearing units are now even easier to fit as the angled joint allows the pedestal to be slid under the shaft without the need to raise this with a hoist or jack, reducing expensive downtime.

Detailed design and the number of fixing bolts vary with the bearing series and size. This includes two bolt, four bolt, and large-bore options. Besides the SNQ range, Cooper offers pedestal ranges that allow direct replacement of SN, SD, and SAF pillow block units. “The design builds on the Cooper concept of quick, easy and safe assembly and eliminates any impediment to conversion,” explains David Burns, Cooper’s European Sales and Marketing Manager. “The combination of same base to centre heights, distance between bolt holes, and angled pedestal means changing from a problematic non-split spherical roller bearing and plummer block assembly is simplicity itself.”

“Cooper split bearing solutions have a long-standing reputation among maintenance professionals for the immense savings in downtime and ease of fitting,” David Burns says. Besides pedestals and housings, Cooper’s full range of split roller bearings includes standard bearings such as cylindrical roller bearings and tapered roller bearings as well as special bearings including water-cooled bearings, flat thrust bearings, other solid bearings, high speed bearings, full row bearings and other special types, and large bearings over 600 mm bore size.

Cooper bearings are used in industries including maritime, steel, mining, conventional power, cement and other building materials where operating conditions are beyond the average – including situations that are often dirty and feature extreme temperatures. Typical applications include marine propulsion, conveyors, fans and blowers, cooling beds, continuous casters, stacker reclaimers, and many other applications, especially where bearings are in trapped positions and access is limited.

The split bearing was designed in 1907 by inventor and engineer Thomas Cooper. To this day, the company he established in King’s Lynn in Norfolk, UK, is a world leader in the development of split bearings. All Cooper products are made in Norfolk and sold throughout the world.