Maturity of Technology

I was mowing my garden last weekend. Riding a 22-year old Husqvarna rider. Despite the not-so-bad looks, this is not a very advanced gear. I mean the construction looks more like a DIY, albeit by a quite skillful blacksmith. Random belts, pulleys, steel cables plus an 18HP engine and a hydrostatic gearbox. The thing breaks quite often but most of the time it does not require too sophisticated work to fix.

This time the blades in the moving deck stopped rotating which was signaled by a smell of burning rubber and blue smoke indicating the drive belt was about to fry. Fortunately I managed to disengage the deck in time to save the belt. And after a quick examination I found I could rotate the blades backwards but not in their normal rotating direction. Which most likely meant a broken ball bearing. Once a ball bearing breaks, the debris inside it can block it completely.

It took me a while to disassemble the thing and find the bearing type. And yes the initial diagnosis was spot on - see the photo. 

I went to the internet to find a new bearing. And could not believe my eyes when I saw the price: $1. ONE DOLLAR. Single piece, retail. How is this possible at all? Two forged steel rings, a dozen of forged ultra-precise balls, the cage, grease, rubber seals. A cardboard box, shipping to a wholesaler, shipping to a retailer, multiple markups, a web shop plus a digital payment / money transfer.

I know a ball bearing is a very ordinary product by today's standard, but still - there are some raw materials (steel and synthetic lubricants and rubber) plus all the associated services to get this one piece into hands of a retail customer. I have no idea how they make money selling that for one dollar. Honestly - one of the biggest surprises I have seen recently.