I watched the 3 part video series on youtube to get familiar with the pedal. There are a few errors about the "Rogers Family" and ownership but disregard that.

Do a search on Rogers Swivomatic pedal and you'll see them.

If you have a drum key, an allen wrench and a flat head screw driver you are good to go to start taking the pedal apart. Remove the strap from the pedal cam using your drum key. Take off the spring. Then use your drum key and allen wrench to disassemble the rest of the components.

Once you get the main piece with the bearings off, simply take a punch and lightly tap (hammer) out each bearing from the inside until they pop out. Be sure to gently tap around the whole bearing so it comes out evenly and doesn't get stuck inside the shaft.

Start cleaning out the gunk with whatever you have around. I use Tri-Flow for cleaning and lubrication. Take a piece of cloth and wrap it around the chrome shaft that fits into the chamber. Make sure to fully clean out the inside chamber. You want to make sure that it is as clean as a whistle when you are finished. You can use a plastic bristle brush or a plastic pipe cleaner brush to clean the bearings. I take the chrome shaft and do rotations inside the bearings. You want to make sure that the shaft spins freely while making contact with the needles. Make sure there is no discoloration of the lubrication. Once you do that and everything runs clear, you are good to go. From there, I wipe the parts down and re-lube. I also like to put a little bit of lube around the upright post that adjusts the height of the pedal. It just makes it a little smoother if you need to move it up or down.

Put everything back together again and re-configure the pedal as needed. If your pedal hasn't been maintained in awhile, you'll notice right away that it works much better.

Hope this helps!!!!

Ray

Gravy!

Excellent write-up!

TommyP! Thanks for the kind words on the job I did on your Swivo pedal! I'd also like to second what you said about not really needing a video or instruction for this. If anyone has the smallest amount of mechanical aptitude, a Swivo pedal breakdown is simple enough. If you can't figure out how those bearings come out, then PLEASE seek help from someone with more mechanical knowledge!

Mark

Thanks for the information.

I've never tried taking mine apart so I thought it would be easier to watch someone else do it first.

Do the BigR pedals use the same bearings?

I've never had a BigR pedal, so can't comment on the bearings used. However, logic would dictate that odds are good that it is the same bearing. Still, I'd prefer to see on first!

Mark

Just took apart a transitional pedal, the one with the over center clamp and the two piece Swivomatic foot board. It had needle bearings, but one was completely seized and had been turning only on the shaft and no bearing movement itself.

Mine are I believe the J65 bearings being 3/8" ID, 9/16" OD and around 5/16" in depth. It appears I cannot put the B68 wider bearings in this pedal without boring the hole deeper in the casting. It is only around 5/16" deep now, thus the 1/2" wide B68 bearing will not fit.

Just ordered up a couple of new J65's from Grainger(Pt.#4XFG7) for $6.60 each plus tax.

Thanks for this information! I had a late 60's Swivo with J65 bearings, but the bearing housing was able to take the original 1/2" long B68. Thanks for letting us know that your housing will only take the 65 series 5/16" long bearing.

Of note, is that the J series bearings are "caged", with fewer needles. What you should have ordered is the B65, which is a "full complement" needle bearing, which has MORE needles than the J series. The B65 is the same physical size as the J65.

Mark

I thought about that, but they only had the caged version readily available, so I went with that. Checking the load ratings, both static and dynamic, they should be more than adequate for this application. Actually due to the shaft itself having a little wear from the original bearing being seized, they may work even better.

M Dargus

nopork!

You're probably correct in that the J65 might work better for you. Just checked my Rogers parts box and I still have two B65 bearings! PM me if you're interested in getting them.

I've attached a picture of the B65 vs J65 that I took when I was doing my refurb.

Mark

I finally got around to tearing apart my big R pedal.

It was working OK, but was grimy and needed some cleaning.

After tearing the whole thing down, I did the Dawn soak, then hit the smooth parts with Mother's aluminum polish.

Internally, it does indeed have roller bearings! They look like the one on the left in idrum4fun's post above. I didn't remove them, just used some citrus cleaner on a rag to clean them up then added some Tri-Flow to them.

Wow! Talk about smooth! I'm probably going to have to rethink the adjustments on the pedal because it works so much better.

Still need to touch up the black paint on the footboard.

My 40 yr old Swivo pedal is next. Thanks guys.

This seems like a worthy old post to revive.

I have a Swivomatic Pedal with the oilite bushing that I am retrofitting with needle bearings. I have the bearings and am ready to install them.

I'm wondering about the proper lubrication for the needle bearings. I see some of you have endorsed Tri Flow. I've also read where grease is the preferred lubricant for bearings. Just looking for confirmation that Tri Flow is sufficient. How do I apply it to the bearings? How much should I use?

If this works I may try it on another Swivomatic Pedal I own. (I'll need to first figure out how to remove the Allen screws that are wormed out. I saw a tutorial showing how you can use JB Weld to secure a disposable allen wrench to the bad screw, let it set and and attempt to unscrew the whole thing the next day).