According to a study published in MDPI, direct energy inputs such as diesel for machinery account for around 30 to 50 per cent of total energy use in European agriculture, with machinery often representing the largest share. This heavy energy demand, combined with volatile diesel prices and tightening emissions regulations, is putting pressure on farmers to improve machinery efficiency. Here, Chris Johnson, managing director at specialist bearing supplier SMB Bearings, explores how improving bearing efficiency can help reduce energy losses in farm equipment, delivering both cost savings and lower carbon emissions.

Every tractor, combine, baler, pump or conveyor on a farm depends on bearings to keep its rotating parts moving. But those bearings also create resistance. Even small amounts of internal friction multiply across hundreds of bearings, quietly draining energy and converting valuable fuel into wasted heat.

Bearings are often only noticed when they fail — but long before that, they can be consuming more power than they should. Poor lubrication, worn seals, misalignment and contamination all increase rolling resistance. That extra drag forces engines to work harder and burn more fuel.

While farmers often focus on horsepower, it’s friction that can silently erode performance, and reducing that friction can have a surprisingly powerful impact on energy consumption.

Why efficiency matters more than ever

Energy efficiency has been a non-negotiable for a while now. The European Commission’s farm to fork strategy contributes to the EU’s goal of reducing overall net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030 under the European Green Deal, focusing on sustainable food systems through measures such as reducing nutrient losses, cutting pesticide use, and increasing organic farming.

At the same time, energy price volatility has become the new normal. According to a UK government briefing, farm motor fuel costs rose by more than 30 per cent in early 2022, and a subsequent report found that retail petroleum product prices remained about 32 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

With machinery accounting for the majority of farm energy use, reducing internal losses is one of the fastest and lowest-cost ways to cut fuel bills and lower emissions. Unlike large investments in new engines or transmissions, improving bearing performance can be achieved during normal servicing and component replacement cycles.

How bearings affect energy use

Bearings are one of the first points where energy is lost as heat. As they support rotating shafts, they resist motion through rolling and sliding friction. Research and product data from SKF show that improving bearing design can reduce bearing friction losses by around 30 per cent in certain bearings. In gearbox systems, bearing friction often represents a significant component of total frictional losses.

Friction doesn’t just waste energy — it accelerates wear. Excess heat breaks down lubricants faster, increases clearances and causes vibration and misalignment, all of which create even more drag. If left unchecked, this can spiral into higher fuel use, shortened bearing life and unplanned downtime.

Practical ways to cut friction losses

Fortunately, farms and OEMs can take simple steps to improve bearing efficiency. Choosing bearings with low-friction seals can significantly reduce seal drag compared to standard contact lip seals, especially in fast-rotating components like combine headers, irrigation pumps and augers. Specifying tighter-tolerance bearings reduces internal clearances and vibration losses in gearboxes and PTO shafts.

In certain applications, like fertiliser spreaders and applicators, hybrid ceramic bearings — which combine steel races with ceramic balls — can further reduce friction and wear, while also resisting the corrosion risks posed by slurry, fertilisers and washdowns.

Correct lubrication is equally critical. Over-greasing increases churning losses, while under-greasing accelerates wear.

Misalignment is another major cause of energy loss, which is why regular alignment checks and condition monitoring can be so effective. Wireless bearing condition sensors can now detect early increases in vibration or temperature that signal rising drag long before failures occur.

Even a modest two to three per cent improvement in drivetrain energy efficiency can save hundreds of litres of diesel a year across a mid-sized fleet of tractors and implements. That translates to lower running costs, fewer breakdowns and longer component life.

Efficiency and reliability go hand in hand

There is often a perception that efficiency compromises reliability, but the opposite is true. Bearings that run cooler and with lower friction maintain their lubrication film longer, resist wear better and protect nearby components from damage. They also reduce the risk of sudden in-season breakdowns during planting or harvest.

In this way, efficiency improvements increase reliability, extending service intervals and reducing downtime. They also cut the volume of lubricants, spare parts and energy consumed over the life of the machinery — directly supporting farms’ sustainability goals.

Farmers are used to thinking about the big figures — engine horsepower, fuel tank size or hectares covered per hour. But much of the energy paid for never reaches the wheels or the soil; it is lost internally as friction before it can do useful work.

Bearings may be small, but they sit at the heart of this energy equation. By paying attention to their design, condition and lubrication, farmers can reclaim some of that lost energy.

To learn more about bearings for agriculture, visit SMB Bearings’ website.