Oil Bath Bearing Conversion

[Jlawles2]

Just in case anyone is interested in how much play there is on the washer that i was talking about along with the back side of the washer, and one of the non failed bearings at factory preset.

[howson]

Jlawles2 ,
I'm not sure what I'm looking for--is it what appears to be the difference where the arrows are pointing?

[Second Chance]

I had a lengthy conversation with the folks at MORryde last summer about oil bath hubs on RVs. Their response is that the internal volumes of the hubs are not sufficient for an air pocket to compress to handle the expansion of the contents when heated. They also said the small volumes of oil would not be enough for effective cooling. The internal volume available for oil in an RV hub is measured in ounces; the volume on tractor-trailers is measure in quarts to gallons. They said that attempting to convert an RV hub to oil bath would result in leaking seals and loss of lubricant. They highly recommended staying with a good quality grease and doing proper maintenance at regular intervals. We have been full-time for 5-1/2 years and towed about 40,000 miles on properly maintained greased bearings without any issues at all.

(Another) Rob

[Jlawles2]

Jlawles2 ,
I'm not sure what I'm looking for--is it what appears to be the difference where the arrows are pointing?

howson Bingo. That to me is a lot of play in that washer that is supposed to help keep the nut from seeing forces from the bearing. every time you move backwards the washer can move quite a lot, and since they use that folded tin can as a nut retainer vs a cotter pin, I'm not a fan of the slop in the fit there.

[Guest]

howson Bingo. That to me is a lot of play in that washer that is supposed to help keep the nut from seeing forces from the bearing. every time you move backwards the washer can move quite a lot, and since they use that folded tin can as a nut retainer vs a cotter pin, I'm not a fan of the slop in the fit there.

While it would be nice to have less play in the washer, it will make no difference since the nut is what sets the end play of the bearing. So even a washer rotating slightly forward and backward, the end play cannot change. For rear axles on semi's the gear lube functions as a method of cooling and will hold quite a bit of lube, but the front axle hubs on semi's only hold a pint or so of oil which is not designed specifically for cooling. Or any more than grease would for that matter. The oil bath system is partially filled to allow the oil to cover the lower portion of the bearings and race as they are rotated so oil in large quantities is not required. The sealing area on a semi is much larger as well and would be more robust that our small diameter spindles.

Jim

[Jlawles2]

The play in the washer has more to do with it working the nut. since the nuts are held on with a clip instead of a cotter pin, the extreme slop in the washer allows for more friction time between the washer and the nut.

[Guest]

The play in the washer has more to do with it working the nut. since the nuts are held on with a clip instead of a cotter pin, the extreme slop in the washer allows for more friction time between the washer and the nut.

The washer could have worn on the flat from friction and from an over tight bearing. It hard to tell without it being removed and cleaned. I would replace the washer and the bearings and races but the nut sets the end play where the lock tab prevents the nut from turning.

Don't be surprised if the replacement washer is just as sloppy. Remember nothing prevents the inner surface of the bearing from rotating as well except friction between the bearing and spindle.

Looking closely at the pic ( a bit out of focus) of the washer it looks like there is some slight wear from the nut being over tightened. Properly set, the nut can rotate slightly by hand. So when setting this up make sure you follow the manual closely in setting up your bearings.

Jim

[Jlawles2]

Jim, That was the factory set on the system. That is off of one of the non failed hubs from the axles.

I can tell you that when I pulled those apart there was at least 1 flat (60 deg) from being finger tight. If the nut was overtightened, it was done by Dexter when they put it together.

On the replacement axles I received, I went through the hubs after I got back home after the axles were replaced in the hotel parking lot by me and a roadside mechanic. New bearings were 1-2 flats loose also and i could feel and hear the play in the hubs when I tried to shake the tire. Again minimum of 1 flat plat from finger tight were the above retainer also fit. Some axles were 2 flats before finger tight.