A couple of years ago my front load washer started making lots of noise (like a roar) durinig the final spin cycle. I let it run until something finally seemed to break. There was a loud grinding noise. Funny thing, it was running as quiet as new for a minute before it broke. I was able to run a few more loads but I finally took it apart and now I'm ready to order a new rear tub/bearing assembly. But before I spend $200, I wanted to get opinions from experts who have experience with this sort of problem. Is the bearing shot?
Note; there were scratches on the inside of the rear outer tub which appear to be from the 3 fin screws on the spin basket.

Thanks for responding. I can't figure out what a spider support device might be. However, when I spun the tub while iniside the bearing/outer hub assembly, it spun pretty well, but there was a grinding noise. I feel pretty strongly that the bearing is defective. Still, any other input is appreciated.

It was the spider support piece. I didn't notice it at first because it was covered with crud, but one of the arms is cracked in half!
Thanks!:D