Stuck trailer bearing

[chriscallender]

I'm trying to replace bearings in a trailer. The hubs are rather old HB500 which use ball bearings (I found the ID number EE9, and those can be obtained no problem).

So I removed the hubs and getting the outer bearings free was a piece of cake. Not so for the inner bearings. With gentle persuasion from a hammer they move almost to the edge of the hub, but it almost seems like the hub is tapered so the bearing goes so far (quite easily) and not any further.

After a bit of head scratching I can think of a few options, but I'm wondering if I'm missing a trick, since I don't see how I'll get new bearings in without damage.

1) Buy a pair of new hubs. But the thing is that the axle stub will be too long where the hub goes. The axle is 1" diameter, the wheels 4" PCD. So far so good, but all the modern hubs seem to need a 50mm long stub from the back to the threaded part, mine looks like 2.5 inch. So I make a 13mm or so spacer. Seems feasible, its only for a small/light dinggy and I have some suitable tube about 1 1/8" that would fit over the axle. The spacers would need to go behind the new hubs, and I suppose I might need to move the mudguards.

2) Get the &*&&**ing bearings out somehow. I didn't yet try a puller. But I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong - it seems strange that they shift part of the way and stop. I'm also worried about getting the new ones in without damaging them.

3) Replace the whole suspension units. Avoids the problem with 1). Seems to be about £90 for the pair, so a bit pricy. And of course I left the boat on the trailer (with no wheels) so it would be a hassle but not impossible to shift it off to fit the units.

4) Put the hubs into a trailer repair place and pay someone else to worry ;-). I'm seriously tempted, it may be pretty easy work for a workshop with a hydraulic press and all the gear.

5) Cut the old bearings nearly through with a dremel and then thy should split and come out quite easily. Hope the replacements go in somehow....

6) Use the proper trick for this hub, which I'm clearly not aware of ;-)

So far I'm tending towards option 1, as a brand new pair of hubs is only about £30 or so and if I go to more modern hubs like HB505 rather than the old HB500 I'm likely to avoid future problems, can carry a spare hub with me etc. The spacer tubes worry me slightly, I guess mostly that they could put uneven pressure/wear on the bearings if they are not perfectly square. But I'm not sure if it would be likely to be a huge problem, we're maybe only talking 100kg trailer + boat and anyway spacer tubes won't be pressed hard against the new bearings.

Any advice? Has anyone ever used a little spacer tube on a stub axle like this? Or should I keep fighting to get the old hubs fixed up with new bearings? Thanks!

 

[VicS]

Are you sure there is not a little ring of rust preventing the bearings from being knocked out?

You are keeping them nice and straight as you knock them out?. tapping evenly all the way round on the outer race?

You are using a decent drift and a "proper" hammer... not some tiddly little thing.

 

[jamesbell]

I am no expert and Vic will agree to that,

I have the 505 hub and there are 2 deep grooves inside the hub opposite each other for your drift to slide up and down, this prevents damage to the inside face of the hub, and Vic is correct you need more than a tiddly hammer to get them out, don't be shy and give it some force, less force when putting in a 2" nail but more force than putting in a panel pin.

If you need replacement hubs, I get them from http://www.autow.com/trailer-parts/trailer-suspension-spares/brake-drums-hubs-stubs-spares/HG505S but you may find someone local to you, don't get them from the chandlers £££££££££££

Also does not matter to the depth of your 500 hub, it's the bearings, when tighten with the hub nut, that hold it to the stub axle, so any extra hub will be taken up with the hub cover, hope you understand that.

 

[Avocet]

Can't think of anything obvious - possibly the slightest of burrs on the outboard end of the shaft? Might be worth a quick rub with a bit of wet-or-dry before trying again. Also, keeping it square to the shaft is absolutely essential. A proper puller is invaluable here. If you have a small blow lamp, you could waft that round the bearing a bit - doesn't matter that the grease will melt and run out. When putting the new one on, you'll have the advantage that you're bashing it away from you (which is always easier). You can use a tubular drift to spread the load uniformly round the perimeter of the inner race.

 

[me2]

The spacer on the stub axle to take the HG505 hub is fine as long as the stub axle is 1" and not the one that was 25mm . The HG 500 could be had with the 1" or 25mm bearings but the HG505 is only for the 1" bearings. When the 505 came out it was supplied with the spacer to replace the HG500 hub , we have fitted many with the spacer and its always been ok.

 

[dleroc]

I did option 3 and replaced the whole suspension unit. The manufacturers, RM Trailers still had all the details of the trailer from 1993. I only did this becauue the brakes drum, and suspension unit were so badly corroded - photo attached.

Getting the old units off was quite an effort using the spanner for 4 nuts and cutting the rest off with an angle grinder - all with the boat on the trailer!

 

[VicS]

Can't think of anything obvious - possibly the slightest of burrs on the outboard end of the shaft? Might be worth a quick rub with a bit of wet-or-dry before trying again. Also, keeping it square to the shaft is absolutely essential. A proper puller is invaluable here. If you have a small blow lamp, you could waft that round the bearing a bit - doesn't matter that the grease will melt and run out. When putting the new one on, you'll have the advantage that you're bashing it away from you (which is always easier). You can use a tubular drift to spread the load uniformly round the perimeter of the inner race.

One of us has misunderstood the problem I think.

I am assuming the Op is having difficulty removing one of the bearings from the hub ... not from the shaft

 

[Avocet]

Having read it again, I think it was probably me! Having just seen the photo though, I think complete replacement was probably the better move anyway!

 

[electrosys]

I am assuming the Op is having difficulty removing one of the bearings from the hub ... not from the shaft

That's how I read it too. I had a similar problem, and tried clouting the bearing (it was shot anyway) from inside the hub, using a spare bar of steel as a drift. But I still couldn't shift it.

Eventually I made my own hydraulic press: a frame made from heavy angle iron, and a 2-ton hydraulic jack. That shifted the little so-and-so. Best morning's work in my life. Makes changing wheel bearings a breeze.

 

[VicS]

Having read it again, I think it was probably me! Having just seen the photo though, I think complete replacement was probably the better move anyway!

The photo is not the OPs ! Bad night ... go to bed!

 

[JKay]

The photo is not the OPs ! Bad night ... go to bed!

2nd'd Nighty night ,I think the OP needs a bigger hammer

 

[Lakesailor]

Use the Dremel. Then split the track with a cold chisel. Wear goggles. Now examine the hub to see if it has been rolled over slightly at the outside perimeter. Use a half round file to take the burrs off. It won't effect the seating area within the hub casting.
Pop in new bearings as already suggested.

 

[VicS]

Use the Dremel. Then split the track with a cold chisel. Wear goggles. Now examine the hub to see if it has been rolled over slightly at the outside perimeter. Use a half round file to take the burrs off. It won't effect the seating area within the hub casting.
Pop in new bearings as already suggested.

If they are ordinary ball bearings presumably they are still complete in there.
I dont see how you will achieve anything with a Dremel or be able to split the track.

Missing something perhaps ??

Knock the bearing back into position and take the Dremel to the hub where the bearing seems to get stuck ???

 

[BERT T]

BEARING

After removing any burrs set the hub on two pieces of steel bar. A good brass drift and a two pound hammer should do the job.

 

[Lakesailor]

If they are ordinary ball bearings presumably they are still complete in there.
I dont see how you will achieve anything with a Dremel or be able to split the track.

Missing something perhaps ??

Easy. Cut the inner track. Whack it with the drift. It will shoot out, balls and all. Then do the outer track.
Depending on the bearing, if it has half tracks, you could whack the inner bearing back in and the balls and cage will just fall out. Then cut out the outer track as already suggested.

It's all a game of trial and error. The worst that can happen is a new hub with bearings is needed, which is usually as cheap as bearings alone.

 

[chriscallender]

Thanks all for the great advice. Sounds like I need a bigger hammer - I like those kind of solutions! Most of my tools are in storage just now so yes, I suspect just a bit of inadequacy in the hammer and drift. I'll also grab my dremel at the same time, and I think I have a hydraulic jack there too. I think my technique has been OK, I've tried both tapping all the way round the outer race and also put a big socket to spread the load and drive it out straight.

The inner bearings are indeed still inside the hub rather than on the axle shaft. Well, I'll get more serious with the efforts, anyway worst case is that I change the hubs and as mentioned thats only slightly more expensive than new bearings and seals. I do think I'd need some spacers to do that because the threaded part of the axle stub isn't long enough - the nut would reach the end of the thread before it became close to the outer bearing, I think. Hopefully I explained it properly. But anyway seems easy to get 1" spacer washers from ebay if needed, so I don't think it would be a big problem. The shaft is 1" rather than 25mm, and the suspension unit looks in decent enough nick (certainly compared with the other poster's one in the photo!). I'm encouraged that spacers used to come with HB505 hubs, if I go down that road (ie big hammer doesnt provide a speedy solution!).

Thanks everyone for all the advice, and I'm sure I'll get the job done one way or another.

 

[Avocet]

Probably too late with this, (but at least it's daytime now and I'm more awake)! Trailer hubs usually have a circular central ridge for the bearing outer races to butt up against. Many older hubs have a couple of half-round cutouts machined into the ridge at two places (opposite each other) so that you can get a drift in there against the back of the outer race. It's probably obscured by grease, but have a feel round inside.

 

[VicS]

Probably too late with this, (but at least it's daytime now and I'm more awake)! Trailer hubs usually have a circular central ridge for the bearing outer races to butt up against. Many older hubs have a couple of half-round cutouts machined into the ridge at two places (opposite each other) so that you can get a drift in there against the back of the outer race. It's probably obscured by grease, but have a feel round inside.

Hubs with ball races, as opposed to tapered roller bearings, also have a spacer between the inner races of the two bearings.
(You tighten the hub nut fully with these rather than adjusting the end float as you do with tapered roller bearings)

The spacer gets in the way of getting a drift into the cut outs you refer to. Doesn't make it impossible or even that difficult but it has to be pushed to one side then the other etc to drift the bearing out.