A long time ago, someone in the bearing industry said on this forum that ball bearings, because of less contact area, can run cooler naturally that roller bearings and that they were perfectly fine in our trucks.
I suspect that the industry went to rollers because it's cheaper to make them. It's got to be easier and cheaper to make a uniform rod (and chop it up) than to make perfect metal balls one at a time. But that's just my guess.
1948 3/4-Ton 5-Window Flatbed Chevrolet 34 Years. Now with a '61 261, 848 head, Rochester Monojet carb, SM420 4-speed, 4.10 rear, dual reservoir MC, Bendix up front, 235/85R16 tires, 12-volt w/alternator, electric wipers and a modern radio in the glove box.
