ROLLWAY22217KW33Double-Row Spherical Roller Bearing 85x150x36 mm Tapered Bore 1:12 Machined Brass Cage W33 Relubrication Self-Aligning

Product Description

What this part is

A double-row spherical roller bearing in the ISO 222-series, 85 mm bore x 150 mm outside diameter x 36 mm width, with a 1:12 tapered bore, a machined brass cage and a W33 relubrication groove in the outer ring. Two rows of barrel rollers share a single spherical raceway ground into the outer ring, so the inner ring and roller set can swivel inside the outer ring by a couple of degrees. That is the reason this bearing type exists: shafts deflect under load and housing bores are never perfectly coaxial, and a spherical roller follows that misalignment instead of resisting it. A cylindrical roller in the same seat would take the same misalignment as edge loading on the roller ends and spall out well before its calculated life.

Decoding the designation

222 — ISO double-row spherical roller bearing, dimension series 22.
17 — bore code, 17 x 5 = 85 mm bore.
K — tapered bore, 1:12 taper.
MB — machined brass / bronze cage, inner-ring (bore) guided. This is standard Rollway and RHP usage.
W33 — annular groove around the outer ring plus three radial lubrication holes into the raceway.
GMEX — Rollway’s related in-house code for a machined brass cage guided by the rollers between two inner-ring flanges. Worth knowing, because Rollway parts in this envelope turn up under both MB and GMEX cage designations and buyers searching one often want the other.

Correcting the source data

The previous listing gave the part two different ways — 22217KW33 in the title and 22217 K MB W33 in the body. Both refer to the same bearing; the short form simply drops the MB cage code. We have kept both forms searchable and set the model number to the full designation. The old copy also stated manufacture in Romania. We have retained that as reported by the source record rather than as a verified fact, because we have not independently confirmed the ring stamping. Rollway product has historically been produced in several plants, so ask us to read the actual stamping if origin is contractually relevant to your order.

Tapered bore — you will also need an adapter sleeve:
A 1:12 tapered bore will not slide onto a plain straight 85 mm shaft. You need either a shaft machined with a matching 1:12 taper seat, or an adapter sleeve. For a 22217 K the matching sleeve is an H 317, which brings the mounting diameter down to a 75 mm straight shaft; HE 317 is the variant for shaft-diameter-equal fits, and withdrawal is handled by the AH / AHX series. This is the single most common ordering mistake on a K-suffix bearing, and a tapered-bore bearing is useless to a buyer who did not know he also needed the sleeve. The benefit is genuine, though: the taper gives you a true interference fit anywhere along a plain shaft with no shoulder machining, and how far you drive the sleeve up becomes your method of setting radial internal clearance. That is why tapered-bore spherical rollers dominate plummer-block and pillow-block practice.

Why a machined brass cage is a real selling spec:
A machined brass or bronze cage is not just a costlier version of a pressed-steel one. It is stiffer, it tolerates higher operating temperatures, and it survives shock reversal and heavy vibration that will crack or fret a pressed-steel cage. It also handles marginal or intermittent lubrication better, because brass running against steel is far more forgiving than steel on steel when the film breaks down. That combination is why brass-caged spherical rollers are the default in crushers, vibrating screens, mill drives and other high-shock duty. If you are replacing a brass-caged bearing in that kind of service, do not substitute down to a pressed-steel cage to save money — the cage is usually the part that fails first.

Why W33 relubrication matters

The W33 groove and its three feed holes let fresh grease reach the outer raceway directly, so the bearing can be regreased on schedule without disassembling the housing. On any sealed-for-life bearing the grease life is the bearing life. In hot, dirty, wet or continuous-duty service, sealed-for-life is simply not achievable, and the ability to purge contaminated grease and replace it is the difference between a five-minute planned relube and a bearing change. If your housing has a grease fitting that feeds the outer-ring seat, you need the W33 feature; a non-W33 bearing in that housing will not accept the grease at all.

Published ratings and mounting data

The 85 x 150 x 36 mm boundary dimensions and the 2.0 mm minimum corner radius are fixed by ISO 15 and hold for any maker’s 22217. Dynamic and static load ratings and limiting speed are deliberately omitted. Rollway does not publish verified ratings we can cite for this exact MB / GMEX design code, and capacity varies materially by internal design — C and CC sit below E, EA and equivalents, which sit below HPS — and by manufacturer. Ratings circulating for this size on distributor mirror sites are NSK E-design figures, and publishing them against a Rollway MB part would overstate it. For a bearing life calculation, take Cr from the catalogue entry for the exact designation you buy. An honest gap beats a borrowed number.

Quantity and configuration

One piece in stock, sold individually. Adapter sleeve is not included — order an H 317 separately unless your shaft already carries a 1:12 taper seat.

Fitting notes

Drive the adapter sleeve up the shaft with a lock nut and verify the resulting reduction in radial internal clearance with a feeler gauge; never set it by feel. Over-driving expands the inner ring, closes out the running clearance and will cook the bearing within hours. Do not hammer on the outer ring, and never pass mounting force from one ring through the rollers into the other. On initial greasing, fill the housing cavity to roughly 30–50 percent rather than solid full, or churning heat will undo the benefit of the relubrication feature.

Interchange guidance

Rollway is now part of Regal Rexnord, which is the trail to follow for current supply of Rollway-marked parts. Same-envelope 85x150x36 tapered-bore W33 double-row spherical rollers include SKF 22217 CCK/W33 and 22217 EK/W33, NSK 22217 EAKE4 and 22217 CAMKE4, FAG 22217-E1-K, NTN 22217 EAKD1, and Timken / Torrington 22217 KEJW33. Cage material, internal design and clearance class differ across these — if the original was a machined brass cage, match it. MRC part numbers cross into SKF; Torrington crosses into Timken.