Wheel Bearing Maintenance Video (Adventure Rig)

[howson]

Note: Moved thread to Reference Material channel as of 14 Nov 20 because the thread contains so much great information. -Howard

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This is the same guy I watched prior to installing my slide toppers. As my mechanical experience is very limited, I found this video helpful to learn how to repack wheel bearings.

-Howard

[Guest]

Howard,

I would caution that folks should use the bearing pre-load and adjustment as outlined in the Lippert and Dexter manuals. When following this process there will be some play in the system where with heat and expansion, the play will tighten up but there will still be clearance for the grease to coat the running surfaces of the bearings and races. This process is straight forward and easy to follow in the manuals.

Otherwise the video is informative and helpful.

For those that do not want to hand pack bearings, bearing packers can be purchased on Amazon. Below is one example.

https://www.amazon.com/Plews-70-025-...4547635&sr=8-5


Jim

[howson]

I would caution that folks should use the bearing pre-load and adjustment as outlined in the Lippert and Dexter manuals.

Can you give an example and explain in more detail what is meant by "pre-load and adjustment"? I have no experience in this area at all, so anything you can share would be helpful.

[Guest]

In the Lippert and Dexter manuals they specify to torque (I use a torque wrench) the bearing nut to 50 ft lbs during final assembly. During the nut tightening, you can turn the drum or rotor slightly while tightening. Spinning is not necessary.

Once torqued......WITHOUT rotating the drum or rotor, loosen the nut until it is loose and free from the bearing and washer. The bearing will stay pre-loaded as long as the drum or rotor is not rotated during this step.

Then finger tighten the nut until it is snug and to the first available slot in the castle nut. If a slot is not available, loosen slightly to the first available slot. No tools are used during this final process.

[Country Campers]

I have a needle attachment for a grease gun that I use instead of hand packing or a bearing packer. Nice simple tool and very little mess or clean up.
Here is a sample , I can not remember where I got mine from...https://locknlube.com/products/greas...All%20products

I have just did mine a few weeks ago , actually installed all new bearings , when greasing the bearing i just set it down in the cone and used the needle to grease between each bearing. When fully grease i just rotated the bearing in the cone to insure that all was coated.

Brian

[Guest]

Bearing packer example from eTrailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG4p9hUV9nk

Its very hard to find a video that covers all areas well. Here is a good example of hand packing a bearing. Otherwise in the video, dirty conditions should be avoided, so there is a good example in what not to do. Also if a bearing replacement is necessary, ALWAYS replace the bearings and races (cones, cups) as a matched set. No exceptions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_tSJq9zc-M

[howson]

Bearing packer example from eTrailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG4p9hUV9nk

Its very hard to find a video that covers all areas well. Here is a good example of hand packing a bearing. Otherwise in the video, dirty conditions should be avoided, so there is a good example in what not to do. Also if a bearing replacement is necessary, ALWAYS replace the bearings and races as a matched set. No exceptions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_tSJq9zc-M

To show my ignorance even further, it looked like the races are part of the hub itself. From your statement it implies the races can be changed just like the bearings? (Now I'll admit that I hoped posting the video would spark a conversation along these lines!)

[Guest]

Howard,

The video you posted is nice, its just that all videos fall short in some ways. Bearings and bearing races are purchased together and may or may not come in the same box together. But they are matched through manufacturing processes.

I think we are covering all the bases where its always best to refer to the component manuals since there are so many options out there. Bearing races are pressed into the hubs or drums. Using a brass drift or dedicated tool will ensure the hub or drum surface is not marred. For those that are not comfortable with this, have the old races pressed out and new ones pressed in at an auto parts store. They will provide the bearings separately to work with the races.

Enjoy your bearing packing job, where you will enjoy this. The other tip is using rubber gloves. It does not hurt to use them.

Jim

[Guest]

Howard,

Here is another nice video from Lippert however like most videos, they do not pre-load the bearings properly to achieve 50 ft lbs of pre-load torque. Especially by using pliers. Best to use a torque wrench. He explains the cleaning of the bearings where once this is done, the bearings can be ultra cleaned with brake clean from CRC prior to packing with grease. This product is also good for all other brake and hub surfaces to clean off grease or contaminants.

https://www.amazon.com/05089-BRAKLEE...562529&sr=8-24

[Cate&Rob]

To show my ignorance even further, it looked like the races are part of the hub itself. From your statement it implies the races can be changed just like the bearings? (Now I'll admit that I hoped posting the video would spark a conversation along these lines!)

Hi Howard,

The races are separate parts that are pressed into the hub. These should always be changed if a bearing assembly is replaced. Bearings and races are made in matched sets and if the bearing assembly needs replacing (signs of scoring or discoloured from overheating) the race is also damaged . . . although that damage may not be as obvious.

Getting the old race out can be a challenge. Sometimes the lip of the race that can be accessed with a drift, is very narrow. While a brass drift is ideal, if this lip is narrow, it will tear the corner off the brass tool before the race moves. Sometimes a steel drift will work. Another method is to run a weld bead around the inside of the race. As the weld cools, it will shrink the race and the race will often fall out on its own.

The purpose of the 50 lb-ft preload is to make sure that the race and the bearing are fully seated and excess grease is squeezed out. It is important that the nut is backed off to only finger snug. With the wheel in place and when the hub is cold, you should be able to feel a small amount of play with the wheel lifted off the ground. If you did this same test with the hub at operating temperature, there will be no play. All these metal parts expand slightly with heat. This uses up the small amount of clearance that you could feel when things were cold. If the hub was tight when it was cold, it would be to tight at operating temperature.

Rob

[Country Campers]

Howard

I would be curious if you could do a test before removing the hub. With the wheel still installed please check to see if there is any "play" , movement of the wheel , as Rob has indicated above. I am just curious as to how this was done from your suspension upgrade shop.

As stated above by others the bearing and outer race , or cup , is 2 separate pieces. I removed one of my hubs and remove the seal , both cups , one inside and one outside , to make sure I ordered the correct parts. The reason I replaced my bearings is that the stock ones where made in the never never land of China. They did all have the same stock number that is on the new ones labeled USA Timken. There was no visible marks or discoloration just wanted the USA stamp of approval.
Removing the cups that are pressed into the hubs is not really hard just take your time if you are doing this. I used a steel punch on the first one then moved to an aluminum rod that I had laying around. The steel punch I used chipped the bottom of the hub where the cup was seated, pain in the butt to fix that. A tap or light hit 180 degrees apart will allow removal in a straighter and easy way. I used a small 4# hammer so I did not have to swing to hard. I also made a tool for driving the new cups in as well as the seal.

Back to the topic at hand. When using any type of cleaner , brake clean or such , make sure you use one that does not leave any residue that may react with the grease you will be using. After cleaning bearings I usually use the air hose to blow out any extra moisture from the cleaner left behind and to help with making sure they are dry and well cleaned.

Brian

[howson]

I would be curious if you could do a test before removing the hub. With the wheel still installed please check to see if there is any "play" , movement of the wheel , as Rob has indicated above. I am just curious as to how this was done from your suspension upgrade shop.

I will--when I get around to doing the bearings. Not actually "due" until September (1 year mark) but I have a lot of unexpected time so who knows? I started this conversation after stumbling across Adventure Rig's video. All of the info here will come in very useful since I'll refer back to it when I actually do check the bearings.

[howson]

Getting the old race out can be a challenge.

If the races require replacement I'll find a professional. From your description I can already tell it's not something I want to tackle.

[Guest]

Brian,

Brake clean (BrakeKleen) will not leave any residue so its perfect for a final cleaning of bearings. One caution on using air to blow out bearings is to never spin them as the bearing cage that retains the rollers are not designed for this. Blowing out the bearing without spinning them would be ok if desired. I use kerosene to remove the old grease, and follow up with CRC BrakeKleen for the final cleansing prior to packing the bearings with grease.

If the bearing pre-load and tightening procedure is followed correctly, slight play will definitely be felt after final assembly and the wheel and tire installed.

Jim

[Jkwilson]

Hi Howard,

The races are separate parts that are pressed into the hub. These should always be changed if a bearing assembly is replaced. Bearings and races are made in matched sets and if the bearing assembly needs replacing (signs of scoring or discoloured from overheating) the race is also damaged . . . although that damage may not be as obvious.

Getting the old race out can be a challenge. Sometimes the lip of the race that can be accessed with a drift, is very narrow. While a brass drift is ideal, if this lip is narrow, it will tear the corner off the brass tool before the race moves. Sometimes a steel drift will work. Another method is to run a weld bead around the inside of the race. As the weld cools, it will shrink the race and the race will often fall out on its own.

The purpose of the 50 lb-ft preload is to make sure that the race and the bearing are fully seated and excess grease is squeezed out. It is important that the nut is backed off to only finger snug. With the wheel in place and when the hub is cold, you should be able to feel a small amount of play with the wheel lifted off the ground. If you did this same test with the hub at operating temperature, there will be no play. All these metal parts expand slightly with heat. This uses up the small amount of clearance that you could feel when things were cold. If the hub was tight when it was cold, it would be to tight at operating temperature.

Rob

I bolded Rob’s text about preload because it’s so extremely important and this is an area many people misunderstand and neglect. Probably because it’s a different use of the term “preload” than you’ll see in many gearing applications. To put it simply, you crank down on the nut to make sure the bearing is really seated so it won’t move on the road and create slack that allows too much freedom in the bearing to race interface.