Trailer Wheel Bearings

[santeana]

The part numbers are Timken tapered roller bearings.

 

[lanason]

Good news - spoke to a local chappie and got both sets for £20 + vat so £80 + vat for the 4 wheels. Who said that a tenner a set was out the question.
I am replacing cus they never have been, and last time I towed, 3 out of the 4 wheels were well hot by the time I got home.

many thanks guys for you help and advice.

signed:- the meanest Frog now in the East

 

[lanason]

now got the axle seals as well - all for £109

now for the hard work - shall I remove and replace the cups or use the old ones ???

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
shall I remove and replace the cups

[/ QUOTE ] The outer races? Replace them! No question about it.
Clean away all the old grease and you'll probably find a couple off places where you'll get a good knock at them with the aid of a drift. Keep them square as you knock them out

Make sure you keep the new ones square as you knock them in (assuming you don't have the luxury of a press) use a copper or brass drift to knock them fully home.

Don't overpack with grease.

Save all the old grease for greasing bolt threads etc.

 

[Lakesailor]

Like Vic says, use the whole new bearing or you've only done half the job. It's usually the track that deteriorates anyway. You will find two notches opposite each other in the hub casting between the track seats. Just use a drift alternately to knock the tracks out from the other side of the hub carrier.
I usually use a socket (I've a good choice) slightly smaller than the track to drive it home into the hub carrier. That allows an even load on the track. If you've a decent engineers vice to squeeze them in so much the better. If you have to use a drift make sure its brass, bronze or alloy (or even hardwood) so that it doesn't chip the track and work your way around the track bit by bit or opposite sides and then at 90º so that track settles down level. It shouldn't be that tight really.
Don't forget to put it in the right way round. If there is a spacer piece between the tracks don't forget to put it in before fitting the second track (doh!) If there are grease seals only drive them in level with the flange of the hub carrier.

10 minute job.

 

[VicS]

Having refitted the bearings any suggestions about how tight /slack the retaining nut should be done up. (numbers quoted at the start of the thread indicate they are "ordinary " taper roller bearings)

I have more or less settled on tightening the nut fairly firmly while turning the hub to ensure that the bearings are properly in place in the hub, slackening it off and then retightening with fingers only. Then fitting the locking device and pin.

 

[Avocet]

That's what I'd do. Taper roller wheel bearings aren't supposed to be done up tight at all and they often have the tiniest amount of play at the rim of the wheel. I tend to do them up with a spanner (but not much more than hand tight) and spin the wheel with my had until it just starts to slow down, then back off one flat on the big nut.

 

[halcyon]

Digging into my memory back to the 1960's /70' when I was designing trailer undergear. Shop floor would tighten nut on stub axle while turning the hub till nut was tight, that is the point when you need to apply some force to turn the spanner. Then back off 1 1/2 flats, spin hub and check free play / wobble, should not feel any. The amount to back off depends on the thread on the stub axle, but 1 to 1 1/2 would be the area.

When geasing the bearing, the important thing is to get the grease between the rollers. If we had to change bearing in the field, you got a lump of grease on you thumb, and starting one side, push the grease between the rollers. Keep repeating till grease appeared the other side, work around the bearing. You do not need anymore grease, filling hubs with grease will course over heating.

Brian

 

[VicS]

The reason I asked was that over the years different w/s manuals have given different instructions, some of which have left far too much free play for my liking. My method seems to give just perceptible movement at the wheel rim which to me seems about right.

I had one set though that had to be preloaded, the manual gave a figure for the small torque that was required to turn them. They had spacers between them like ball races do which were supposed to be compressible. I don't know what size gorilla was needed to compress them but I gave up, refitted the old spacers and just nipped the nut beyond there being no play.

Very good point you make about not over-packing, although I put in a bit more than you say, as a rule. Once when I did over-pack some the grease almost turned into oil!

 

[Mark99]

Hi all,
I have been reading this post as I checked the links to my site & it came up with this,

I own a bearing company called Bearing King Ltd you can buy online at www.bearing-king.co.uk, I would be most helpful in any bearing enquiry you may have & will discount all my trailer bearing prices for any ybw.com member, the most common bearings for trailers are listed on my products page "trailer bearings" I sell quality makes like Timken, SKF, FAG, NSK, NTN, KOYO also a budget brand (if money is an issue) all budget brand bearings are made in China,

I hope this helps,

Kind Regards

Mark

 

[BrendanS]

The way to go about this, is to give lots of helpful advice, then maybe stick a tagline onto your posts, rather than advertise blatantly. We give great credence here to helpful community members, rather than advertisers.

You've approached it quite well so far, with offer of discount etc, but keep the commercial element low, and good luck