Track Roller Bearings

What is a track roller bearing?

A track roller bearing is a rolling bearing whose outer ring runs directly on a rail, shaft or track instead of sitting in a housing bore. The outer ring therefore works as both a bearing ring and a wheel: it carries the load and guides the moving part at the same time. That is why profile accuracy, outer-ring wall thickness, sealing and mounting rigidity have to be checked together, not one by one.

Track rollers are used wherever a carriage, gantry, mast or turntable must move along a guide with low friction: linear guides, automation modules, packaging and cutting machines, forklift masts, sliding doors and circular production lines.

How to choose a track roller: match the rail first

The rail decides the roller. A wrong profile creates point contact and edge loading, which wears both the roller and the rail regardless of bearing quality. Identify the rail profile and the mounting method before you compare part numbers.

1. Identify the rail: shaft diameter, V angle or flat width.
2. Choose the matching profile and rolling-contact diameter.
3. Decide the mounting: through-bolt, stud, or eccentric stud for preload adjustment.
4. Check load, speed and shock, then choose outer-ring wall thickness and seals.
5. Set precision and running clearance at system level. The bearing designation alone is not enough.

Series names such as SG, LV and VW are common commercial names, and suffixes and geometry vary by supplier. Replacement must be based on a drawing or a verified sample, not on appearance. Read the full guide to matching a track roller to your rail and the SG, LFR, LV and VW series comparison.

Track roller bearing size chart (PDF)

Typical applications

• Forklift masts and lift carriages — thick-walled flat or crowned rollers that take shock load. See forklift mast roller selection.
• Wire and rebar straightening — grooved straightening and guide rollers. See wire straightening rollers and rebar straightening machine rollers.
• Tire steel cord lines — guide rollers where groove geometry and runout decide wire quality. See tire steel cord guide rollers.
• Cable, copper wire and PV ribbon lines — rollers that must not mark the product surface. See guide rollers for cable and PV ribbon.
• Pipe cutting and beveling machines — sealed rollers for split-frame machines. See pipe beveling machine rollers.
• Ring slides and circular production lines — rollers with eccentric studs for preload. See ring slide track rollers.

Custom track rollers from drawing or sample

We machine and grind the outer-ring profile in our Cixi factory. We can make rollers to your drawing or reverse-engineer a worn roller from a sample. Options include special groove profiles, polyurethane or POM tyres, eccentric studs and different seals. See how to specify a custom track roller, why polyurethane rollers debond or crack and the guide and straightening roller design guide. For flat guide rollers and aligners, see guide wheels.

Frequently asked questions