Replacement wheel bearings

[eamarquardt]

Sorry to have to disagree Gus, but the bearings are tapered on the outside. I copied the pix from the Model A guy's site.

These old bearings have a straight inner surface that rides on the spindle, and a tapered outer side that rides in a conical race surface in the wheel. There is no outer bearing race on the bearing itself.



<Chas>

Hi, What you have a picture of is the cone which is the inside half (actually more than half if ya wanna be technical) of the bearing. The outer part is called the cup and is pressed into the hub. Carl LaFong's picture is of all the parts needed for one hub.

Yer on the right track.

Cheers,

Gus

[GuitarPhotog]

So, the message that I'm getting here, is that I can't possibly expect to replace a bearing in the field (and probably not at home either). So there seems to be no point in buying and carrying a spare set.

There is no way, short of total immersion in solvent, to remove the 65-year old build up on the hub to even see the line between cup and hub. I wiped all that as clean as a rag with solvent would get it and could not even see a line between the cup and the brake drum. Which led me to believe that it was one piece.

I suppose I could find a local auto machine shop (if such still exist around here) to do the work, but it sounds like a lot of work, and a lot of money to do the work. I'm not in a hurry to spend money on the trailer if I don't have to. All I want is a back-up position so if I have a bearing failure on the road, I can deal with it and get home.

Apparently there isn't one for 65-year old wheel bearings?

<Chas>

[CarlLaFong]

It may seem that the hub and race are one piece, but it is extremely unlikely, as that would require the hub to be made of a high grade of steel, then precision ground and heat treated. Nobody but a mad man would design something like that. If you know someone with a MIG welder, have them run a bead around the inside of the bearing surface. The race will shrink up and fall out.

"Yes, there was considerable shrinkage." George Costanza

[GuitarPhotog]

It may seem that the hub and race are one piece, but it is extremely unlikely, as that would require the hub to be made of a high grade of steel, then precision ground and heat treated. Nobody but a mad man would design something like that. If you know someone with a MIG welder, have them run a bead around the inside of the bearing surface. The race will shrink up and fall out.

"Yes, there was considerable shrinkage." George Costanza

John,

Why would I do that if the bearings don't need to be replaced?

I don't think you saw my previous post about field replacement.

<Chas>

[eamarquardt]

It's not that difficult to replace bearings in the field. You need a drift and a BFH to beat the old race out. Just be careful not to beat the crap (or anything) out of the machined surface of the hub. Then you need a chunk of steel, brass, or aluminum that fits the cup to allow you to "beat" the cup(s) back into the hub. That, unless you get lucky or have access to a lathe, might be a bit tough to procure. A number of auto parts stores will loan out kits with different sized bearing drivers to drive in the new cups. It's not difficult but you have to show some finesse.

That said I think that there are a lot more things likely to fail than a wheel bearing that has been treated nicely (packed well and not submerged under water). Not sure if it's possible to get a spare hub but that could be an easy field expedient spare/repair option.

Cheers,

Gus

[GuitarPhotog]

It's not that difficult to replace bearings in the field. You need a drift and a BFH to beat the old race out. Just be careful not to beat the crap (or anything) out of the machined surface of the hub. Then you need a chunk of steel, brass, or aluminum that fits the cup to allow you to "beat" the cup(s) back into the hub. That, unless you get lucky or have access to a lathe, might be a bit tough to procure. A number of auto parts stores will loan out kits with different sized bearing drivers to drive in the new cups. It's not difficult but you have to show some finesse.

That said I think that there are a lot more things likely to fail than a wheel bearing that has been treated nicely (packed well and not submerged under water). Not sure if it's possible to get a spare hub but that could be an easy field expedient spare/repair option.

Cheers,

Gus

Thanks Gus, but I have no access to machine tools, no auto repair experience, and no suitable tools, not even a BFH

Since there is no written history on this trailer, I have no way of knowing if the bearings have been treated nicely in the past, whether they are recent replacements or original equipment. I had a mechanic friend show me how to repack the bearings, and we saw no pitting or spalling so they seem to be in good shape, but could be 65 years old. A spare hub is out of the question since only an old-Ford-expert would be able to tell where the hubs came from.

As far as other things failing, I'm trying to foresee as many of those failure points as possible and have plans for dealing with them. I've already had a flat tire, with no spare, jack, or axle stand, and an electrical fire with no fire extinguisher, so I'd like to be a little better prepared for the next emergency.

<Chas>

[nevadatear]

Charley, see randy's. pm. Kc is right, you need to replace both the cup and cone at the same time or the old cup will transmit the wear groves/lines to the new bearings. Randy will bring you drivers for field replacement of your bearing for what he called "a large measure of your best brew" to the Dam. Bear with him, he is watching Spartacus. . He has bearings (both cup and cone) for each as well. He even said he will do a little field bearing replacement workshop, but i don't think we will add it to Grant's agenda of activities! . Will pm a price soon.

P.s., lucky for you Randy has access to 10 lathes!

See you soon, hope this helps. Feel free to call him on his cell if you need more clarification.

[GuitarPhotog]

OK, thanks to everyone for this education. Wheel bearings are WAY more complicated than I expected

The last car on which I replaced the wheel bearings was a 1949 Chevy, and I did that replacement in 1965 or 1966 so I've been a bit confused.

I look forward to getting some hands-on instruction from Randy at the DAM gathering.
Special thanks to Kc and Gus for being so patient with me through my confusion. There'll be plenty of homebrew for everyone.

<Chas>

[KCStudly]

No problem at all. Just wish I was going to be there to sample the suds. Have one for me, would you?

[CarlLaFong]

It may seem that the hub and race are one piece, but it is extremely unlikely, as that would require the hub to be made of a high grade of steel, then precision ground and heat treated. Nobody but a mad man would design something like that. If you know someone with a MIG welder, have them run a bead around the inside of the bearing surface. The race will shrink up and fall out.

"Yes, there was considerable shrinkage." George Costanza

John,

Why would I do that if the bearings don't need to be replaced?

I don't think you saw my previous post about field replacement.

<Chas>

Well, you did begin a thread about wheel bearings and procuring some to keep as spares. So I, foolishly, assumed that the plan was to have them in case replacement was needed sometime down the road. The method I described was not intended as a side of the road repair, just something that works.

[GuitarPhotog]

It may seem that the hub and race are one piece, but it is extremely unlikely, as that would require the hub to be made of a high grade of steel, then precision ground and heat treated. Nobody but a mad man would design something like that. If you know someone with a MIG welder, have them run a bead around the inside of the bearing surface. The race will shrink up and fall out.

"Yes, there was considerable shrinkage." George Costanza

John,

Why would I do that if the bearings don't need to be replaced?

I don't think you saw my previous post about field replacement.

<Chas>

Well, you did begin a thread about wheel bearings and procuring some to keep as spares. So I, foolishly, assumed that the plan was to have them in case replacement was needed sometime down the road. The method I described was not intended as a side of the road repair, just something that works.

Carl, sorry about the misunderstanding. I am primarily concerned about "along side the road" replacement in case of an emergency. If I decide to replace them at home, I'll take the suggestion of taking the hub to a machine shot.

Thanks for your assistance helping me understand what's involved and how they work.

<Chas>

[S. Heisley]

OK, thanks to everyone for this education. Wheel bearings are WAY more complicated than I expected

I look forward to getting some hands-on instruction from Randy at the DAM gathering.

<Chas>

Could Randy maybe hold a class at the gathering? I'm certain that there are others who would benefit, me included!

[eamarquardt]

.............................. Wheel bearings are WAY more complicated than I expected

<Chas>

I want your life. Wheel bearings are about the least complicated thing in my life!

Cheers,

Gus

[Fyddler]

My view is they are so cheap it's something that should be done before they go bad. Repack every few years and inspect them so you don't have to waste valuable camping (beer drinking) time doing them along side the road in a bind.

[nevadatear]

Per Randy, it is easy, like anything else, once you know how! Sharon, we will invite you along when Randy "schools" Charley, and anyone else interested. FYI, the type of bearings Charley has are actually two parts for each set up. Th cone (or the "race") and the actual bearing that it sits into. And there are two bearings on each hub, the inner and the outer, which are different sizes