For years, bearings and pivot pins were the most common loader parts to replace over time to keep the implements working. Borrowing from the mining industry, some companies are now making bearings from a different material, both extending the part's life and eliminating the need for greasing moving parts in the loader.

"The composite bearings had been used many years with great success in the mining industry and on earth moving equipment. The composite bearings were not nylon or plastic. They are a made from a high-density fiberglass that has TWICE the compressive strength of plain carbon steel," according to a report from Larchwood, Iowa-based Miller Farm Loaders. "The inner diameter of the bearing is interwoven with a Teflon liner, giving the bearing its self-lubricating property."

This composition makes the bearing better to withstand heavy loads -- even in higher-moisture situations that would hamper conventional bearings -- and eliminates the need for external lubrication because a Teflon liner has a "self-lubricating property," Miller officials say.

Two years of testing revealed chrome-plated pivot pins "displayed very little wear" after working with the fiberglass/Teflon bearings in place.