BrowningVF4S-327Four-Bolt Flange Ball Bearing Unit, 1-11/16 in (42.86 mm) Bore, Medium-Duty 300 Series, Setscrew Locking, Cast Iron Housing, 4-3/8 in Bolt Spacing

Product Description

What this part is

A complete four-bolt flange mounted ball bearing unit for a 1-11/16 in shaft. You get the cast iron flange housing, the wide-inner-ring ball bearing insert, the setscrews, seals and flingers as one assembly — not a bare insert and not a housing on its own. It bolts to a machine wall or bulkhead and supports a shaft running through it.

Decoding the designation

V — Browning’s Value & Quality mounted ball bearing lineF — flange housing4 — four-bolt flangeS — setscrew locking3 (first numeral of 327) — duty series: 1 = intermediate, 2 = normal, 3 = medium duty27 — bore in sixteenths of an inch: 27/16 = 1-11/16 in (1.688 in, 42.86 mm)
So VF4S-327 reads as a medium-duty, four-bolt, setscrew-locking flange unit for a 1-11/16 in shaft. Browning cross-references it as item 767501.

What these specs mean in practice

The duty series is the number most buyers skip and most need. A 300-series Browning unit uses a heavier housing section and a larger-envelope insert than the 200-series unit for the same shaft, so it takes more radial load and tolerates shock better — but it also occupies a bigger footprint and has a different bolt pattern. A VF4S-227 will not bolt into a hole pattern drilled for a VF4S-327. Match the series, not just the bore.

Setscrew locking means this unit grips a plain straight shaft with two diamond-faceted setscrews spaced 120° apart. That is fast to fit and easy to reposition, and it is the right choice for unidirectional or lightly reversing drives. It is the wrong choice for hard reversing or high-shock duty, where an eccentric collar or concentric-clamp insert holds better.

Published ratings and mounting data

Bore: 1-11/16 in (1.688 in / 42.86 mm)Insert: VS-327 ball insert, 52100 bearing steel, zone-hardened, black-oxide-coated inner ring, ball-riding retainerHousing: cast iron, epoxy powder coat, one-piece, semi-solid base, no pilotLocking: setscrews at 120° spacing, diamond-faceted pointsSeal: single-lip contact seal with flingerBolt spacing: 4-3/8 in; bolt circle 6.2 in diameter; housing width / overall 5-3/8 in; foot height 0.63 inWeight: approx. 6.5 lb (2.93 kg)Operating temperature: −20 °F to +200 °FStatic self-alignment: ±1.5°Relubricatable via grease fitting
Load ratings and maximum speed for the -327 are not published by Browning and we will not borrow them from a neighbouring size. For scale only, and explicitly not as this unit’s rating: the normal-duty VF4S-227 in the same 1-11/16 in bore is published at 7,901 lbf dynamic / 5,139 lbf static and 3,000 rpm, and the medium-duty VF4S-323 at 3,500 rpm. The medium-duty 327 will sit above the normal-duty figures, but by how much is not in the published tables.

Fitting notes

Because the housing is semi-solid base with no pilot, the flange locates on its bolt pattern rather than on a register diameter — so shaft-to-flange squareness is set by how accurately the mounting face is machined. On a fabricated frame, mount both bearings, run the shaft, then tighten. Setscrews should be tightened alternately and the shaft should be clean and free of raised burrs; a setscrew that lands on a keyway edge will not hold.

Interchange guidance

Also written VF4S327, VF4S 327, VF-4S-327, and Browning item 767501. Browning mounted bearings are now sold under Regal Rexnord, which absorbed Rexnord and the Browning power transmission line — a buyer searching “Browning” for a current-production replacement should search Regal Rexnord. Envelope-equivalent four-bolt flange units from other makers exist but bolt patterns differ by brand; check the 4-3/8 in bolt spacing against your machine before assuming a swap.