Originally Posted by
rydabent
david
Wrong!!! Preloading a bearing causes the races to deform, that will eventually destroy the bearing. ....
I'd like to see a citation for this opinion.
OTOH - Here's what SKF (bearing maker) has to say on the subject.
The radial internal clearance of a bearing is of considerable importance if satisfactory operation is to be obtained. As a general rule, ball bearings should always have an operational clearance that is virtually zero, or there may be a slight preload.
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Bearings have load ratings or capacities, and are designed to operate under load.
A preload is a small load well below those load ratings, and so cannot be harmful to the bearing. Obviously we're not talking about massive preloads that begin to approach the load capacity, just enough to establish that the bearing is in fact loaded.