Link BeltFEB22448HExpansion 4-Bolt Square Flange Block Spherical Roller Bearing Unit, 3 in Bore, Cast Iron, Setscrew Locking Collar, Clearance Seal

Product Description

What this part is, and one correction

A complete mounted bearing unit: a self-aligning SPHERICAL ROLLER bearing already fitted into a cast-iron four-bolt square flange housing, ready to bolt to a machine frame. It is worth being precise about the roller part, because mounted units of this shape are commonly assumed to be ball inserts. They are not the same animal. A spherical roller unit carries substantially higher radial and shock load than a ball insert of the same bore, and its two rows of barrel rollers on a spherical outer raceway let it accommodate shaft misalignment and deflection without generating edge loading. That is why these turn up on the ugly end of bulk handling plant — the loads are heavy, intermittent and rarely well aligned.

Decoding FEB22448H — the FE prefix is the whole point:

Read the number in pieces

FE = Flange block, Expansion type. This is the specification that matters most and it is the one most often missed. F or FB is the FIXED version of the same housing; FE is the EXPANSION version.
B224 = the Link-Belt B22400 spherical roller series
48 = the bore in sixteenths of an inch, so 48/16 = 3 in. The same convention gives 44 = 2-3/4 in on the sister part, which is a useful sanity check when reading Link-Belt numbers off a dirty nameplate.
H = the series design/seal designation carried across the B22400 range

Why expansion versus fixed decides whether this part is right:
On any shaft supported by two mounted bearings, exactly one bearing should locate the shaft axially and the other must be free to slide. Get this wrong and thermal growth in the shaft has nowhere to go: it pushes straight into the bearings as axial preload, which drives up running temperature, which grows the shaft further. That is a classic runaway failure on a long conveyor shaft or a hot screw conveyor, and it kills bearings that were correctly sized for load.

FEB22448H is the FLOATING end. The bearing is free to move 3/8 in axially within the housing bore. If you need the LOCATING end of the same shaft in the same envelope, that is FB22448H — identical housing footprint, but the bearing is held axially. Ordering two expansion units means nothing controls the shaft position; ordering two fixed units is the runaway described above. One of each.

Manufacturer figures (from Regal Rexnord’s own product data for FEB22448H, part number 10409133):

Bore diameter: 3 in
Overall length: 9.5 in
Overall width: 9.5 in
Housing outside diameter: 9.5 in
Overall height: 4.09 in
Foot height: 0.88 in
Bolt circle: 7.875 in
Bolt spacing, centre to centre: 5.56 in (5-9/16 in)
Bolt size: 3/4 in
Length through bore: 4 in
Locking collar outside diameter: 4.06 in
Inner ring outside diameter: 3.37 in
Standoff distance: 0.09 in
Housing cast face to outermost bearing face: 0.88 in
Expansion capability: 0.38 in
Weight: 27.20 lb
Housing material: cast iron
Locking: single setscrew locking collar
Seal: clearance seal

On load ratings — what is not here and why:
Regal Rexnord do not publish dynamic and static load ratings on their product page for this part. Figures of roughly 51,100 lb dynamic and 71,500 lb static circulate on distributor pages, but those are quoted against the FIXED FB22448H, not the expansion unit, and they are not confirmed by the manufacturer for FEB22448H. They are therefore not stated here. Take the rating from the Link-Belt B22400 catalogue or from Regal Rexnord directly if you are calculating life rather than replacing like for like.

Locking and sealing — what you are getting

The inner ring is held to the shaft by a single setscrew locking collar. That is a straightforward, serviceable arrangement for a commercial-tolerance shaft and it is what makes these units fast to fit and to remove. Note it is NOT the adapter-sleeve arrangement — if your drawing calls for an adapter sleeve mount, you want the FCB cartridge version of this size, not this part.

The seal is a clearance (non-contact) seal. Low friction, no rubbing lip to wear out, tolerant of speed and heat — the right choice for general indoor duty and moderate dust. It is not the right choice for high-pressure washdown or for submerged and heavily contaminated positions; for those, Regal Rexnord offer alternative seals for the same housing, and the seal kit for this size is B448HS. The matching locking collar spare is B448SC.

Quantity and configuration

One complete flange block unit — housing, bearing, locking collar and seals as an assembly. Nothing to build up, nothing to buy separately to make it work. Remember, though, that one unit supports one end of a shaft; a normal shaft installation takes two mounted bearings, and per the note above the other one should be the fixed FB22448H.

Installation and setup notes

Bolt the flange down before tightening the setscrews, not the other way round, so the self-aligning bearing can find its natural position relative to the shaft rather than being forced. On expansion units, check that the bearing is sitting roughly central in its 3/8 in of travel at installation temperature — if you set it hard against one limit while cold, you have given away the travel in one direction and reintroduced the very problem the expansion housing exists to prevent.

Interchange and obsolescence trail

FB22448H — the fixed version, same housing envelope, for the locating end
ZBS2300 — Rex spherical roller flange block listed by Regal Rexnord as the substitute product
USFB5000E-300 — listed as a substitute but discontinued
10409133 — Regal Rexnord’s own part number for this catalogue number, and the one to quote when checking availability
F4B-S2-300RE is quoted by third parties as an equivalent 3 in four-bolt flange. It is not a manufacturer-confirmed interchange and the housing dimensions above should be checked against it before substituting.

The brand trail is worth knowing when you search: Link-Belt bearings passed to Rexnord and then to Regal Rexnord. Older nameplates and drawings say Link-Belt, current catalogues say Regal Rexnord, and the catalogue number FEB22448H has stayed the same throughout.