I don't usually do a bunch of price shopping when it comes to truck parts, I generally call the Mack dealer or go to my local Napa store and purchase what I need and is available. However I was shopping online for some parts after hours passing the time and was shopping for a hub and wheel bearings, a set 403 wheel bearing has 3 options at Napa: Timkin $119 Fleet HD $57.99 TWD $32.99 I don't mind spending good money on good parts, however are all these bearings going to do the same job? Is one of these manufacturers junk and I just don't know it? or is the higher price for the Timkin Bearings actually a higher quality product that I am going to notice? I own and drive this truck if that factors into a decision.
Definitely go with the Timken! I have replaced too many wheel hubs, that I or the owner didn’t go with Timken or Morse and had to re-do them later. Not sure if Timken is even better anymore but won’t take the chance. OEM seems to be better, in my opinion, if available.
I did a stint in a Ford parts department as a student. They sent me to the shop where my father worked to pick up a shutter stat. When the parts shipment came in there was a ford box with ford part numbers for the shutter stat. The manager slipped the stat I picked up in the ford box and sold it to the customer with a ford price. Found out later, my father installed the shutter stat that the customer picked up because he wanted genuine ford parts on his L9000
We are conditioned to believe that spending more, provides a better chance of getting a good part. That was the deal. Purchase a domestic part or a low cost import. Today, there is no rhyme or reason and pricing is all over the place. Some of the TWD stuff is OEM quality. Some OEM stuff is garbage.
Yeah I'm with the crowd, I always pay more for name brand bearings. If you actually get more for your money is probably open to debate.
I was helping a friend do the rear brakes on his 2011 Ford F150 last summer. He purchased pads and rotors and calipers and brake cables off of Amazon. One item came in a Motorcraft box that had spelling errors on it. Counterfeit no doubt.
After doing the original front end on my pickup at 200k km using aftermarket parts and having to redo it all again by 240k km I will NEVER buy aftermarket parts again.
Sometimes it doesn't matter. I put an aftermarket upper control arm on my pickup. It only lasted about 40k so I went with a ford one and only got s little more than 50
Bearing sets--I used Freightliner Alliance or PacCar TRP. Napa is normally SKF. * As far as oem--Eaton started using bearings stamped China 20 plus years ago. As far as U-joints are concerned--Spicer.
Used to buy drive belts for my snowmobile from arctic cat. Expensive as heck. Gates was cheaper and lasted way longer
I drove into where I worked about 25 years ago. A new trailer had been dropped off in the middle of the driveway. One of the wheel hub tire assemblies was is the back. Spindle was blue. It was so new it did not even make it home. Owner called and we checked it out. Found it had several different brands of bearings and races. To our understanding any brand bearing or race should run against any other brand with matching numbers. However we did not like that and recommended buying all the same North American brand and replace them all. He agreed and we ordered them. They came in matched sets and individuals from multiple countries including China. All were in the same trusted brand name box. Saw a bearing from them this year that did not even say where it was made.
I bought a rebuild kit from Eaton for my transmission probably 10 years ago and I think I counted about half a dozen different names on the bearings.
Eaton use to be all US made bearings, Canadian/UK made gear sets. Like I said above that changed 20 plus years ago. And as a matter of fact, if the transmission being rebuilt is rated at 1850 torque or more--the replacement gear sets will only have a 1690 rating. So the box ends up with a mix of higher and lower torque rated parts. fact.
I ordered the pricey Timken labeled bearings, we shall see how it works out.