The standard XTA00ES0A–XTA00ES5A range should not be treated as a grease-through-housing assembly. XTA00ES0A contains one 6006-2RS bearing, while each model from XTA00ES1A to XTA00ES5A contains one 6008-2RS bearing. Both bearing references are contact-sealed on both sides, and the XTA housing has no specified routine regreasing point or grease charge.
The answer still depends on the complete assembly, not the bearing suffix alone. A special build or previously modified housing may differ from the standard arrangement. Before connecting a grease gun, establish whether there is a continuous route from the fitting to the bearing interior and whether that route belongs to the original design.
Empty and isolate the conveyor before inspection. Lock out the drive and upstream feed equipment, and support the screw shaft before removing an end support. The site procedure should also address stored material, dust exposure and unexpected movement.
Follow the Route Grease Would Have to Take
A usable regreasing system needs more than a threaded fitting. Grease must pass through a designed inlet and housing passage, reach an opening in the bearing arrangement, and have a controlled way to distribute or relieve excess pressure.
The standard XTA Outlet End Bearing uses a sealed bearing without an identified housing lubrication route. Smearing grease on the housing or pumping it into the nearest cavity therefore gives no evidence that the balls and raceways have received fresh lubricant.
| Where grease is applied | Where it is likely to remain | What it proves about the bearing |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the housing | On the casting and nearby dust | Nothing about internal lubrication |
| Around the exposed shaft or spline | On the connection surfaces | Nothing about grease inside the bearing |
| Inside an unverified hole or cavity | In the nearest available space | Only that the cavity accepted grease |
| Through a documented passage in a special assembly | At the destination defined by that design | Valid only when the passage and bearing are designed to work together |
| Inside the supplied 2RS bearing | Between the two bearing seals | The rolling contacts have their enclosed grease charge |
Spline treatment is a separate maintenance operation. If the assembly procedure calls for lubricant on the spline, it serves the shaft connection; it does not replenish the grease enclosed inside the bearing.
What 2RS Tells You About the Standard XTA
The 6006-2RS and 6008-2RS bearings used in the standard XTA range are contact-sealed on both sides. Their grease is retained within the bearing, while the seals help resist contaminants at the inner and outer ring gap.
The suffix describes the bearing seals, but it does not define every feature of the surrounding housing. Some relubricatable bearing units use a housing fitting together with grooves or holes in the bearing outer ring. In those assemblies, grease enters through the engineered route rather than being forced through a contact seal.
That route has to be verified on the actual XTA assembly. If a non-standard or previously modified housing has a grease nipple or drilled port, trace where the passage ends. Without a known connection to the bearing inlet, the fitting is not proof that the raceways can be regreased.
The two bearing seals are also different from the other sealing points at the conveyor outlet. A shaft seal, cover interface or flange joint may control material leakage around the assembly. Cement around the housing could have escaped at one of those interfaces even when the bearing seals remain intact.
This difference also explains why XTB maintenance data should not be transferred to XTA. XTB uses separate radial and axial bearing positions with model-specific grease quantities; XTA uses the compact sealed-bearing arrangement described above. The distinction is summarised on the XTA and XTB end bearing assemblies page. The important point for lubrication is that an XTB grease value does not belong to the standard XTA design.
Where Forced Grease Usually Ends Up
If the housing has no working lubrication path, grease commonly fills the closest available space. It may remain around the bearing outer ring or migrate toward nearby sealing components without entering the raceways.
Continued pumping increases pressure in that space. The pressure may disturb a sealing lip or drive grease toward the material side of the assembly. Grease left outside the bearing can also hold cement dust, making the next leak or wear trace harder to identify.
Drilling and tapping the casting is not a reliable shortcut. Drilling can introduce swarf or open into the wrong cavity, while the new port still provides no controlled route into the bearing. A functional modification must connect with a compatible bearing inlet and provide somewhere for displaced grease to go.
Removing a 2RS seal and packing the bearing by hand is equally unsuitable as routine work at the conveyor. The seal can be bent during removal, dirt can enter the rolling contacts, and the compatibility of old and new grease becomes unknown. An authorised workshop rebuild should use a defined removal, fitting and verification procedure.
Before cleaning away old grease, photograph its position. Grease on the spline may have been applied during assembly, while grease around a modified port may indicate an earlier attempt to lubricate the housing. Neither location confirms that lubricant reached the bearing.
Read Heat and Noise Before Choosing a Repair
A rough, noisy or unusually warm outlet end may contain a damaged bearing, but adding grease without locating the fault can hide useful evidence. Mounting strain, shaft misalignment, a poor housing fit and contamination can produce similar symptoms.
After isolation, begin with observations that preserve the installed condition:
- Check the flange and housing for loosened fasteners, fretting marks, cracked paint lines and local dust tracks.
- Record whether the symptom began directly after installation or developed gradually during service.
- Note whether heat appears during an empty authorised test, only under material load or after a particular operating period.
- Support the screw correctly before disconnecting the outlet end. Where a safe hand check is possible, feel for roughness, a repeating notch or uneven resistance.
- Compare the free condition with the fully mounted condition. Resistance that appears only after the flange is tightened points toward installation geometry or shaft position.
A bearing can feel smooth without load and still fail in operation, so a hand check is not a complete diagnosis. Temperature also needs context. Speed, conveyed load, ambient conditions, duty cycle and measuring position all influence the reading. A sustained change from the same machine under comparable conditions is more useful than a universal temperature limit.
If the housing is warm but the bearing remains smooth, inspect the shaft connection and nearby rubbing points before blaming the enclosed grease. If the isolated bearing is rough or notchy, a controlled rebuild or replacement is more credible than forcing grease into an unverified passage.
Keep, Rebuild or Replace the Assembly
Leave a serviceable XTA in operation when it turns smoothly, remains correctly located and shows no evidence of bearing-seal, housing, shaft or flange damage. Clean away excess external grease only after recording where it came from.
A workshop rebuild can be considered when the bearing seat, housing, spline and mounting faces remain usable and the correct replacement bearing is confirmed. The internal bearing number is only one part of that decision. Five XTA models share the 6008-2RS reference, while their flange dimensions correspond with different conveyor sizes.
Replace the bearing or complete assembly when roughness is traced to the bearing, a seal is damaged, the housing fit has deteriorated or previous modifications leave the internal condition uncertain. Correct any shaft misalignment or forced mounting position at the same time; a new sealed bearing will not remove the load that damaged the previous one.
The outlet end supports the final screw section. It should be aligned with the complete Screw Conveyor before the mounting bolts are tightened, rather than being used to pull the shaft or casing into position.
If a non-standard assembly has a nipple or drilled port, record the model and bearing marking before dismantling it. Obtain a drawing that shows the housing passage, bearing entry point and pressure-relief route. Without those three details, inspect or rebuild the sealed-bearing assembly instead of treating the port as a confirmed grease point.
XTA Outlet End Bearing
XTA Outlet End Bearing FAQ
Only when a designed housing passage connects with a compatible opening in the bearing. Filling the space around the outer ring does not by itself replenish grease at the balls and raceways.
No. XTB and XTA use different internal bearing arrangements. The XTB grease value belongs to the corresponding XTB model, not to the standard sealed XTA assembly.
No. The spline and bearing raceways are separate working surfaces. Lubricant on the shaft connection does not show that grease has entered the bearing.
Do not change the seal configuration simply to create a greaseable arrangement. An open bearing needs a suitable housing seal, grease supply and relief path. Any conversion should be based on an engineered assembly design.
Opening the bearing at the conveyor risks damaging the seals and introducing contamination. Confirm the mounting condition first, then use an approved workshop rebuild or replace the affected bearing assembly.
No. The two contact seals improve contaminant resistance but can wear or be damaged. Shaft seals, covers and material-side interfaces around the XTA must also remain effective.
