Wheel bearings causion

[Ron Dickey]

For those who are not savy like me

Getting new bearings for your trailer may seem like a good idea

but if they are to loose you may be leaving a wheel and shaft down the road

I got new wheel hubs for my trailer and while I was at it new gears.

I had my neighbor look at them for me before I put them on.

they seemed like they would fit but it was not tight on the shaft.

He told me the inside of the bearing is the hardest metal you can find.

and if loose it will cut right throught the shaft.

I am ordring new ones tomarrow.

Ron D.

[Arne]

Bearings rarely go bad, but can ruin your day when they do.

My biggest annoyance about new set ups is the don't have 2 holes in the axle, and you may have to run them looser than you want to get the cotter pin in the castilated nut slot, and the washer does not have a tang on it anymore (to lock it to a slot in the axle shaft), so under some situations, like a bearing running dry and overheating, the washer might rotate, causing another type of problem.

So, once a year, I pull them apart to be sure things are okay.....

[48Rob]

Hi,

If you remove the nut to a grinder or a file, just a little material removed will allow the tension on the bearing to be correctly adjusted, so the pin can be inserted.
Rob

[Arne]

That's a possibility. I'd rather play with different thickness washers first. My problem is I could make the nut cockeyed and that would put more pressure on one side of the bearing... but, if I had a surface grinder, that would do it, for sure. I had also thought about shims, but then, I tend to over think things..

This year, I lucked out as one bearing came out perfect, and the other close enough, but if I had to back it off to the next slot, it would have 'clicked' when I grabbed the wheel and shook it... I'm not really sure how big a deal that it, but it just doesn't seem right.

with the older cars, the nut had a multi position nut cover that allowed almost infinite adjustment....

[WarPony]

I don't know, Ron. The front bearings on a rear wheel drive car don't fit tight on the spindle shaft, they just slide on the spindle. I would be more worried about getting a tight bearing cockeyed on the shaft that would cause it to get hot. Remember, there is high temp grease on everything inside and if the inner race of the bearing is spining on the shaft fast enough to cut or burn the spindle, the bearing preload is WAY to tight or the grease has all leaked out. When I pack front wheel bearings on a car I only tighten the nut finger tight then spin the wheel a few times and then see if I can tighten the nut some more. Yes, you heard me right........... FINGER TIGHT.

If the slot in the nut and spindle doesn't line up, back the nut OFF until it does. It is better to have just a little loose than too tight. I have been doing it like this on my own cars and trucks for about 20 years and NEVER had bearings go out. I don't think an 800-1200 pound trailer dishes out near the abuse on bearings than the front end of a full sized car/truck does.

[asianflava]

Ahh tapered roller bearing fun. I usually spin the wheel while tightening the nut, when the wheel stops, I back off till it spins freely again.

I hate doing it, I have to do it on my truck though. Never had to do to any of the Hondas, those are sealed. I have 285K on one and the bearings are fine.

[dwgriff1]

My step daddy, an old time trucker/mechanic, taught me to feel the hub on each wheel regularly.

Before a bearing goes out, it will be warm up. Eventually, it will get really hot. I had a bearing start to get warm in a tent trailer i was pulling, so I stopped at a True Value, bought a couple of tools and some grease and repacked them beside the road.

I got home safe.

I am using a torflex axle. I assume they have good bearings, but I'll throw in a bit of grease and a few tools, and I will feel those hubs every time I stop.

dave

[WarPony]

AF, do you have the wheel/tire assembly on when you tighten the nut? I should have said "hub" instead of "wheel" when I made my reply. When I put my hubs on I just use the hub weight for the adustment and not the tire/wheel ass'y.

I'm not trying to jamb your technique up.... my boss does it like you do and it makes me nervous but he, too, has never had any problems with wheel bearings. It's probably a personal preference for each of us.

Ron, if you still are nervous about the bearings, ask a front end person at a local alignment shop. Tell him/her what you are doing with your build and go from there.

[asianflava]

. my boss does it like you do and it makes me nervous but he, too, has never had any problems with wheel bearings. It's probably a personal preference for each of us.

My preference is to not do it at all. Why can't they get away from this antiquated method and go with a sealed unit? Actually I do know why, because it's cheap. But anyway, like you say it's preference which is mostly based on how you were taught.

I remember when working on my car was fun, now that I have to do it, it isn't so fun anymore. The Honda that is next to my teardrop in some of my pictures needs the clutch fixed. It has to wait till after the tear is out of the garage. I want to fix it because it gets better mileage than my truck. With the price of gas now, it will be worth it.

[Arne]

Found this while looking around... good pictures about repacking wheel bearings...

http://tinyurl.com/m8coc

[Chris C]

Great find, Arne! Thanks for sharing it.

[angib]

it would have 'clicked' when I grabbed the wheel and shook it... I'm not really sure how big a deal that it, but it just doesn't seem right.

No problem at all! It is tight bearings that will cause problems, not loose ones.

A wheel with sloppy bearings that needs tightening up will often take half a turn (180deg) of the nut - and even then there's no real problem with bearings this slack.

If you are setting the bearings on the front wheels of a car with really sensitive steering, then worrying about bearing clearance makes sense. On the wheels of a trailer it makes no sense.

Ron, I think, may be talking about a different problem as it sounds like his bearings are not the right size for his axle. Even so, I don't believe his neighbour's "cut right though the shaft" comment for a moment.

Andrew

[madjack]

.............. I'll throw in a bit of grease and a few tools, and I will feel those hubs every time I stop.

dave

...extremely good advice of the highest order...being pre-emptive is being smart...in this case anyway ..................

[Arne]

While on our long trips, we usually stop 5 or 6 times per day... I check the hubs for heat on the first stop. If they are ok then, I usually don't bother till the next morning... for one thing, they are dirty and I get tired of cleaning my hands....

[TomS]

I do a "walk around" inspection every time I stop, even if it's just a pee break. I'll check the latch on my coupler, the safety chains and feel the hubs on each wheel. If we're hauling the canoe, I'll give a tug on each tie down to make sure they're still snug.

When I return to the car, I'll turn on my headlights and flashers and check my lights. The whole routine takes less than a minute. When I'm satisfied that everyting is OK. I'll drink 3 martinis and get back on the interstate because you can't be too safe! (Just joking about the booze).