A bearing fails on a large conveyor or industrial fan. The replacement part might cost a few thousand dollars—but installing it could shut down production for an entire shift.

Crews remove couplings, pull shafts, bring in cranes, and dismantle surrounding equipment just to reach the bearing.

In many industrial operations, the downtime costs far more than the bearing itself.

That’s why many maintenance teams turn to split spherical roller bearings. Instead of sliding a bearing onto the shaft, these bearings install directly around it—eliminating one of the most time-consuming steps in industrial maintenance.

But the real question isn’t simply what they are.

It’s when split spherical roller bearings actually make more sense than standard bearings.

What Is a Split Spherical Roller Bearing?

A split spherical roller bearing is a spherical roller bearing designed with separable inner and outer ring halves, allowing it to be installed directly around a shaft instead of sliding onto it.

This design allows maintenance teams to replace bearings without removing the shaft or dismantling surrounding equipment.

Split spherical roller bearings maintain the same core advantages as traditional spherical roller bearings, including:

• High radial load capacity
• Misalignment tolerance
• Durability in heavy-duty industrial environments

Their biggest advantage, however, appears during maintenance.

If you’d like a deeper breakdown of the design and maintenance advantages, see our guide on
What Are Split Bearings and Their Maintenance Benefits.

Split Spherical Roller Bearings vs Standard Bearings

When deciding whether to use split spherical roller bearings, it helps to compare them directly with traditional designs.

Feature	Standard Spherical Roller Bearing	Split Spherical Roller Bearing
Installation method	Slides onto shaft	Installed around shaft
Shaft removal required	Often required	Not required
Typical replacement time	8–36 hours	2–6 hours
Equipment disassembly	Often extensive	Minimal
Ideal applications	Easy-access equipment	Hard-to-access equipment

For machines where shaft removal is simple, traditional bearings usually remain the most practical option.

But when access is limited, the maintenance savings of split bearings can be significant.

Question 1: How Long Does a Bearing Replacement Take Today?

In many machines, replacing a spherical roller bearing isn’t difficult—the challenge is getting to it.

A typical bearing replacement may involve:

• Removing couplings or pulleys
• Pulling the shaft from the machine
• Disassembling surrounding guards and housings
• Realigning the system during reassembly

For large industrial equipment or equipment that is difficult to reach, this process can take 8–36 hours or more.

Split spherical roller bearings eliminate the most disruptive step: shaft removal. The inner ring, outer ring, and cage assemblies are split into halves so they can be mounted directly around the shaft.

That change alone can dramatically shorten repair windows.

If you’re planning a replacement, it’s also worth reviewing the proper procedures for
removing and installing a split bearing, since improper disassembly is a common cause of extended downtime.

When Maintenance Access Is the Real Problem

The biggest advantage of split spherical roller bearings appears when bearing access is limited.

Maintenance teams encounter this frequently on equipment such as:

• Conveyor head pulleys
• Industrial fans and blowers
• Crushers and screens
• Bucket elevators
• Paper mill rolls

In these applications, shafts often run through multiple machine components. Removing them may require dismantling major sections of the machine.

Instead of tearing down the system, split bearings allow technicians to replace the bearing directly on the shaft.

Of course, avoiding failures in the first place is always the goal. Our guide on
Why Bearings Fail and How to Prevent It explains several of the most common causes of industrial bearing damage.

Real Example: Industrial Fan Downtime Reduced by 80%

To see how this advantage plays out in real operations, consider a power generation facility’s primary air fan.

Replacing the original spherical roller bearing required complete disassembly of the fan assembly.

The maintenance process involved removing the shaft, bringing in lifting equipment, and realigning the system after installation.

After switching to a FAG split spherical roller bearing, the maintenance process changed dramatically.

Factors	Solid Bearing	Split Bearing
Installation time	36 hours	6 hours
Crew size	3 technicians	2 technicians
Crane required	Yes	No
Realignment required	Yes	No

By eliminating shaft removal, the facility reduced installation time by over 80% and simplified the entire repair process.

Question 2: How Difficult Is It to Remove the Shaft?

Shaft removal is often the single largest contributor to bearing replacement downtime.

If the shaft runs through couplings, pulleys, or gearboxes, removing it can dramatically expand the scope of the repair.

This is especially true on conveyors and bulk material handling systems, where large pulleys and shafts are difficult to remove.

Real Example: Conveyor Bearing Replacement Without Disassembling the Drive

A mining operation experienced a failing bearing on a conveyor head pulley that had been in service for more than a decade.

Replacing the traditional spherical roller bearing would have required extensive disassembly of the conveyor drive assembly—risking significant downtime for ore transport to the crusher.

Instead, the operation installed a FAG split spherical roller bearing.

Because the bearing could be mounted directly around the shaft, the maintenance team avoided dismantling the drive system entirely, reducing both repair time and operational risk.

Typical Applications for Split Spherical Roller Bearings

Split spherical roller bearings are most commonly used in equipment where maintenance access is difficult and downtime is expensive.

Typical applications include:

• Conveyor head and tail pulleys
• Large industrial fans and blowers
• Crushers and screening equipment
• Bucket elevators
• Paper mill rolls
• Large pumps and mixers

These machines often operate continuously and involve large shafts that are difficult to remove, making split bearings a practical maintenance solution.

How to Calculate Whether Split Bearings Are Worth It

When evaluating whether a split spherical roller bearing is worth it, the decision should include three cost components:

Total Replacement Cost = (Production Value/hr × Repair Time) + Labor + Bearing Cost

Example: Standard Bearing vs Split Spherical Roller Bearing

Assume the following scenario:

Production value: $10,000/hour

Traditional Bearing Replacement

Downtime: 36 hoursLabor: $6,000Bearing cost: $4,000

Total cost:

($10,000 × 36) + $6,000 + $4,000

Total = $370,000

Split Spherical Roller Bearing Replacement

Downtime: 6 hoursLabor: $2,500Bearing cost: $9,000

Total cost:

($10,000 × 6) + $2,500 + $9,000

Total = $71,500

Result

Replacement Type	Total Cost
Standard bearing	$370,000
Split spherical roller bearing	$71,500

Savings: $298,500

Even though the split bearing costs more upfront, the reduced downtime dramatically lowers the true maintenance cost.

The Bottom Line

Split spherical roller bearings aren’t necessary for every machine.

But when replacing a standard bearing requires pulling large shafts, dismantling equipment, or shutting down production for extended periods, they can dramatically simplify maintenance.

In those situations, the biggest advantage isn’t the bearing itself.

It’s the downtime you avoid.

Featured Brands: Consolidated Bearings & Schaeffler Split Spherical Roller Bearings

When maintenance teams need to simplify bearing replacement on critical equipment, Schaeffler’s FAG split spherical roller bearings are among the most trusted solutions available.

These bearings are engineered to reduce installation time while maintaining the load capacity and reliability expected from spherical roller bearings.

Key advantages include:

• Split bearing design for easy installation and removal
• Direct mounting on shafts without requiring shaft removal
• Comparable service life to standard spherical roller bearings
• Compatibility with many existing housings
• Wide size availability for heavy industrial equipment

Learn more about Schaeffler Bearing Solutions.

IBT also supplies a wide range of bearing products from Consolidated Bearings.

Both manufacturers provide reliable solutions designed for demanding industrial environments.