Ameribrade Bearing running hot

[Oz Man]

Hello, I just got my ameribrade 2x72 grinder in yesterday and all setup after a 7 week wait, needless to say I was excited! I got it running true and tested out a belt I purchased from combat abrasives. I ran the belt for 3 minutes max and noticed the one wheel was very hot for having only been running for such a short time. I took the belt off and tried spinning the wheel and it had a lot of resistance compared to the other wheels. This one is fairly smaller so it could’ve just been the inertia of the others that allowed them to continue rotating but it didn’t really feel like that was the case, especially with the temperature I was feeling. I contacted Ameribrade about this and they haven’t gotten back to me yet and I’m afraid I won’t hear until Tuesday because of the holiday. I think the bearing is just tightened down too much but I don’t want to made any adjustments until I hear some advice. Has anyone run into this issue before?

Also I noticed streaks on my wheels. Is this normal with such little use?

Thanks,
Oz

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Streaks are somewhat normal. Hot bearings are not. I suspect the bolt is overtightened, but that can only be determined by loosening it a tiny tad and seeing if it frees up. I would have Ameribrade send a new wheel or bearings to replace this one, as it may have been compromised.

 

[AVigil]

Ameribrade wheels have spacers in them, check to make sure they put one on that wheel. With no spacer it can run hot.

 

[Hubert S.]

I have one wheel from them where one bearing was not fully pressed in. There is a spacer between the bearings, but that did not prevent damage to the bearings because of the larger than normal gap. The wheel was completely seized and loosening the bolt did not improve it. I'm sure they'll replace it for you.

 

[Signalprick]

I can promise they will get back to you and if there is an issue they will 100% take care of you.

 

[matthewhoffman]

Just wanted to second the comment about their customer service. Best guys I've ever worked with. I had a (minor) problem once, and they did everything but offer to fly out and fix it. They'll take care of you, for sure.