Here is a neat article about bearing wear and corrosion.
http://www.vibanalysis.co.uk/technic...0as%20follows:

SKF bearings had this to say about corrosion:
http://www.skf.com/portal/skf/home/p...aincatalogue=1

I am still looking for references for this statement made here, where they state that a aluminum mast must be insulated from the stainless steel fittings, etc. But I think they meant the dissimilar metals leading to galvanic corrosion.
http://www.etrailer.com/question-13896.html

I also ran across this interesting article that can be used to help identify the cause of a bearing failure. Granted it is after the fact, but maybe it will help.
http://www.applied.com/site.cfm/Bear...y_Hold_Key.cfm