A cam follower, also known as a track follower or load runner, is a specialised type of roller or needle-bearing roller designed to follow cams.
All cam followers can be track followers, but not all track followers are cam followers. Some track followers have specially shaped outer diameters to follow matching tracks. For example, track followers are available with a V-Groove for following a V-Track or they may have a flange to follow the lip of a track.
Cam and track followers are manufactured in a large variety of different configurations. Their most defining characteristic is how the cam follower mounts to its mating parts - stud styles use a stud while the yoke style has a hole through the middle.
TEA Transmissions’ own range consists of plain or flanged stud styles; V-Grooved (70, 90 and 120°) stud styles; flanged crown; plain or flanged yoke styles; and V-Grooved (70, 90 and 120°) yoke styles. All styles are available as either concentric (centred shaft) or eccentric (off-centred shaft). The eccentric style enables fine adjustment during installation to eliminate any backlash.
Cam follower treads can be manufactured in materials such as hardened steel (Rc 55-60), stainless steel, nylon or urethane. All stud styles are supplied with high-shear-strength steel studs. The bearings are sealed and lubricated for life to withstand dirt, sand and moisture with a special ‘washdown’ option available in some sizes to withstand high-pressure water jets. Nylon and urethane cam followers provide additional important performance features such as no lubrication/contamination, non-sparking performance, submersion or washdown solution.
Load rails are available to suit the track followers with hardened contact surface and soft workable centres to enable customised track solutions.