Pivot Lever Arm

[silver505]

We want to pivot a lever arm. Are there any type of bearings we can use or anything similar that will pivot?

[EricH]

Yes, there are such items--bearings, bushings, and the like.


What exactly you use will depend on your exact problem. Is it pivoting on a live axle or a dead axle? How much force (approximately) is it carrying? Does it need to turn freely, or is some potential binding OK? Are you dealing with a large axle or a small one (diameter-wise)?

The answers to some of those questions will point to a bearing. Others may point to a bushing. Some are irrelevant. (And then there's the question of where to put the bearing or bushing or whatever else you opt to use.)

[who716]

depending on the application a simple shoulder bolt could do the job. really easy to use cheap and can find them at any hardware store.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by who716

depending on the application a simple shoulder bolt could do the job. really easy to use cheap and can find them at any hardware store.

Yes, we used this last year for our pickup arm. If you do this, I recommend have the same piece at both ends of the bolt so the head and nut can rotate together with that piece. You would also do well to put teflon washers on both sides of the center "tongue". Using the clevis setups that Bimba gave you with the free cylinders you ordered is another low-cost, low frustration, option.

[asid61]

Bearings can support some pretty beefy loads depending on shaft size (a 3/4" bearing tends to have a high rating than a 1/8" one). I design with bushings for anything that is low-speed rotation, like arms, because they're cheap and don't need to be lubricated (in some cases).