The individual components of SKF four-row cylindrical roller bearings must be mounted in the correct order. Therefore, SKF has made some precautions to ease mounting:

• Components that belong together are marked accordingly.
• All components of each bearing are marked with the same serial number to reduce the risk of mixing components.
• The inner rings and inner ring pairs are fully interchangeable and need not have the same serial number as the outer ring(s).

SKF bearings with a tapered bore are mounted with an interference fit. They can be adjusted during mounting to obtain a certain radial internal clearance or a defined preload.

Detailed mounting instructions are supplied with all bearings.

Where staff has limited experience in mounting four-row cylindrical roller bearings, SKF recommends assistance from SFK service personnel. This is especially important in mounting large bearings. Further details of the SKF mounting service are available on request.

In the majority of applications, the load is of constant direction, so that only approximately a quarter of the outer ring is under load. Therefore, the following precautions are made or should be considered:

• The outer ring(s) side faces are divided into four zones indicated by I to IV.
  • Zone I markings include a line across the outside surface in addition.
  • Zone I should be positioned in the direction of the action of the load for initial mounting.
• The outer rings should be turned 90° after a period of service, depending on the operating conditions.The recommended period is approximately 1 000 operating hours after which the bearings should be inspected.