So I finally get the energy to try and repack wheel bearings on my 1800# HF trailer, or at least check them. After jacking up trailer I find that both wheels are loose as if the bearing nut is not tightened. I checked them they were tight but were not compressing bearing all the way. The were still in good shape despite the traveling i'd done but this is just wrong. I tried using extra washers on the spindle but by the time the slack was taken up,,,the nut covered the cotter pin hole. It's like the spindles were not threaded far enough to allow proper adjustment... Could it be a bad axle,,,or bad hubs???? Anyone else run into this problem and what could be a fix that won't break the bank...I don't want it going down the road like a circus wagon.......and I never felt any shimmy or shake even at 65 mph.....
Any help would be gratefull.....TC
Wobbley wheels
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• Page 1 of 1
Wobbley wheels
by suckerpunched » Mon Sep 09, 2013 5:16 pm
If you see my harley on a trailer,,,,call the police cause it's being stolen...
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suckerpunched - Teardrop Master
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Re: Wobbley wheels
by Kody » Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:23 am
This sounds extremely bad and quite serious. The last thing you need is for the wheels to come off at any stage. You stated that the nuts "were tight but were not compressing bearing all the way." The bearing/s should never be in a state of compression. I think you are saying that the bearing is not fully assembled together in the hub / axle?
I would start all over again and clean out the hub/s. Check that the back of the tapered bearing "rings" or raceways are seated on their respective shoulders in the hub. Seat the raceway down onto the seat using a hammer and an aluminium drift. I have a piece of aluminium about 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 6" that I
use for doing this.
The aluminium I use is a piece of the harder structural type. It is perfect for this job as it won't harm the bearing surfaces at all.
If the raceways are located fully against their seating shoulders, check out the two cones and see if they will sit down into the bearing the way it should.
Check the axle to see if the outer cone will slide firmly along the axle. The fit here needs to one where the bearing will slide without being thumped on with a hammer and drift. If this is too tight, the bearings will not work properly. They must be able to slide by pushing with your hand/fingers along the axle.
Leaving the seal off, assemble the hub and bearing onto the axle. Check if the outer cone (that's the smaller one) will slide onto the axle and into its bearing seating at the same depth it did, when placed into the raceway in the hub.
If this is seating correctly, measure the distance from the bearing to the castellated nut when the nut is screwed on so that a split pin can be pushed through the nut and axle. This distance will be the thickness of the required washer needed to complete the assembly.
Check that there is no step down from the axle where the bearing seats to the axle where the nut screws on. If there is a step (and sometimes there is) you will need a washer that fits over the step and is long enough to reach the back of the nut. Some people don't fit or include the correct size washer in the kit when you buy it. The result is that the washer is clamped against the shoulder and does not contact (or "compress") the bearing.
If there is a step on the axle, the first washer to be fitted, must seat on the face of the bearing and be long enough to extend past the shoulder by at least .040" When I assembled my new axle/bearings/hubs, I had to machine new washers as there was no way I could fit the original washer (spacers) so the split pin would go through the axle and have the required pressure on the bearings. The pressure was either so great that the bearing would not revolve or so loose that the wheel rattled. These are times when having a lathe is so great a blessing.
If you are unsure of the amount of pressure to have on the castellated nuts, a little too slack is better that a little to tight. When I assembled my hubs, I screwed the nut on with my fingers while rotating the wheel at the same time. When I could just feel the nuts were touching the washer/bearing and I could fit the split pin in the axle/nut, they were then perfect. The hubs were then filled with the appropriate amount of grease and reassembled for the last time. You will know for certain if you have the preload set correctly by taking the trailer around the block and checking the temperature of the hub/bearings. Slightly warm is good. If you cant hold your fingers on the hub, you have far too much preload on the bearings. Back the nut off and check for wobble and clearance of the washer. It can take an hour or two to get right or even just a few minutes, but it is so very important to get right.
Hope all this makes sense to you and helps you out.
Kody
I would start all over again and clean out the hub/s. Check that the back of the tapered bearing "rings" or raceways are seated on their respective shoulders in the hub. Seat the raceway down onto the seat using a hammer and an aluminium drift. I have a piece of aluminium about 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 6" that I
use for doing this.
The aluminium I use is a piece of the harder structural type. It is perfect for this job as it won't harm the bearing surfaces at all.
If the raceways are located fully against their seating shoulders, check out the two cones and see if they will sit down into the bearing the way it should.
Check the axle to see if the outer cone will slide firmly along the axle. The fit here needs to one where the bearing will slide without being thumped on with a hammer and drift. If this is too tight, the bearings will not work properly. They must be able to slide by pushing with your hand/fingers along the axle.
Leaving the seal off, assemble the hub and bearing onto the axle. Check if the outer cone (that's the smaller one) will slide onto the axle and into its bearing seating at the same depth it did, when placed into the raceway in the hub.
If this is seating correctly, measure the distance from the bearing to the castellated nut when the nut is screwed on so that a split pin can be pushed through the nut and axle. This distance will be the thickness of the required washer needed to complete the assembly.
Check that there is no step down from the axle where the bearing seats to the axle where the nut screws on. If there is a step (and sometimes there is) you will need a washer that fits over the step and is long enough to reach the back of the nut. Some people don't fit or include the correct size washer in the kit when you buy it. The result is that the washer is clamped against the shoulder and does not contact (or "compress") the bearing.
If there is a step on the axle, the first washer to be fitted, must seat on the face of the bearing and be long enough to extend past the shoulder by at least .040" When I assembled my new axle/bearings/hubs, I had to machine new washers as there was no way I could fit the original washer (spacers) so the split pin would go through the axle and have the required pressure on the bearings. The pressure was either so great that the bearing would not revolve or so loose that the wheel rattled. These are times when having a lathe is so great a blessing.
If you are unsure of the amount of pressure to have on the castellated nuts, a little too slack is better that a little to tight. When I assembled my hubs, I screwed the nut on with my fingers while rotating the wheel at the same time. When I could just feel the nuts were touching the washer/bearing and I could fit the split pin in the axle/nut, they were then perfect. The hubs were then filled with the appropriate amount of grease and reassembled for the last time. You will know for certain if you have the preload set correctly by taking the trailer around the block and checking the temperature of the hub/bearings. Slightly warm is good. If you cant hold your fingers on the hub, you have far too much preload on the bearings. Back the nut off and check for wobble and clearance of the washer. It can take an hour or two to get right or even just a few minutes, but it is so very important to get right.
Hope all this makes sense to you and helps you out.
Kody
Never be afraid to ask questions here, Prov. 11:14
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Kody - The 300 Club
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