wheel bearing question

How important is it to put new bearing races in when installing new wheel bearings for a trailered/trail only rig?

If they look o.k., and not all scarred up, and they aren't loose, I wouldn't worry about changing the races.

If races ever loosen up, you can sometimes just scar the inner surface with a chisle to tighten them back up.

Change them. Differant bearing mfgs make their bearings differant and sometimes at diffearnt angles. their not hard to change and pretty cheap compared to the pain of a trailside repair:booo:

pokey said:

Change them. Differant bearing mfgs make their bearings differant and sometimes at diffearnt angles. their not hard to change and pretty cheap compared to the pain of a trailside repair:booo:

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Usually new bearings come with a race, but they all should be the same specs if the applications are the same.

JOOP said:

Usually new bearings come with a race, but they all should be the same specs if the applications are the same.

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not true the inside of the bearing and the outside of the race have a spec but I have seen the angle the bearing to the race surface be at different angles for different bearing MFGs... I have also seen different size and different number of rollers in the bearing as well...

I've done both, and not seen a difference.

The proper repair is to exchange the bearing and race as a set. This I do almost every time.

However I have mixed and matched bearings and races, including used bearings, and as long as the bearings show negligble wear, are well packed and properly tightened (NOT overtight, or overloose) then I've gotten good wear.

You old timers will remember back when you could wheel Tahuya year round AND the whole area was open? Well we were mud-wheelin' that area and we'd have to pack bearings EVERY weekend. Got real good, real fast. MUD hates wheel bearings.

Ty. said:

If they look o.k., and not all scarred up, and they aren't loose, I wouldn't worry about changing the races.

If races ever loosen up, you can sometimes just scar the inner surface with a chisle to tighten them back up.

Click to expand...

Only works for a very short time, until the staking gets beat flat again from use....

pokey said:

Change them. Differant bearing mfgs make their bearings differant and sometimes at diffearnt angles. their not hard to change and pretty cheap compared to the pain of a trailside repair:booo:

Click to expand...

This....

boxboy said:

not true the inside of the bearing and the outside of the race have a spec but I have seen the angle the bearing to the race surface be at different angles for different bearing MFGs... I have also seen different size and different number of rollers in the bearing as well...

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and Yup....different manufacturers will have spec'd their bearings differently than others' specs for the same application...often resulting in more/less rollers, and or different angles...

zukkev said:

Only works for a very short time, until the staking gets beat flat again from use....

This....

and Yup....different manufacturers will have spec'd their bearings differently than others' specs for the same application...often resulting in more/less rollers, and or different angles...

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This is all truth.

The ONLY, and I mean ONLY time a race can be reused is if it looks great and is being used with the same EXACT mfger and model number as the old one. Even then its not great.

But Im just a hasher and runs old stock bearings in my truck that folks payed me to replace.

I see this all the time on toyota front axles. The nooby owners of toy pickups usually have no clue you have to change the race and dont change them when doing kingpin bearings and then the bearing shits on them and they will blame the hysteer/studs/bearing/ anything but the bad mechanic is at fault to the nooby. The new bearing only rides on the edge of the rollers, not the full face of the rollers and race.

I would rather run mismatched bearing caps than run mismatched bearings/races.

:redneck: :;

JOOP said:

Usually new bearings come with a race, but they all should be the same specs if the applications are the same.

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My new ones did come with new races,but I don't have a brass drift.I guess I'm off to the store to get one.Yeah more toys.

wagonslayer said:

My new ones did come with new races,but I don't have a brass drift.I guess I'm off to the store to get one.Yeah more toys.

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aluminum works too.

wagonslayer said:

My new ones did come with new races,but I don't have a brass drift.I guess I'm off to the store to get one.Yeah more toys.

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Don't be lazy just change them thats what its all about you know you should change them :hi: It happens to all of us...

you don't need a brass drift. knock it out with a punch ,clean up the old race edges with a flap disk and use it to install the new race, and viola you have a new bearing race install tool!, i do this all the time.

super samurai said:

you don't need a brass drift. knock it out with a punch ,clean up the old race edges with a flap disk and use it to install the new race, and viola you have a new bearing race install tool!, i do this all the time.

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Aaaand this!!!! All the high dollar tool trucks have bearing race punches...they are...yup, you guessed it---Steel!!!

zukkev said:

Aaaand this!!!! All the high dollar tool trucks have bearing race punches...they are...yup, you guessed it---Steel!!!

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Mine are alum. but I bought them at a cheapo parts store. Only rich mechanics can afford those fancy truck prices :booo:

pokey said:

Mine are alum. but I bought them at a cheapo parts store. Only rich mechanics can afford those fancy truck prices :booo:

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Ha!!! :fawkdancesmiley:
My good punches I have collected at pawns, garage sales, under hoods of cars over the yrs:haha: even found one in the frame of a truck once!!!(hell yeah I got it out!)...I couldn't justify the new cost either....:;

super samurai said:

you don't need a brass drift. knock it out with a punch ,clean up the old race edges with a flap disk and use it to install the new race, and viola you have a new bearing race install tool!, i do this all the time.

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I think a brass drift is the worst thing to use on a bearing race. It will flake and crumble off as ya pound it on. The race becomes a brass shear knocking the edged of the drift down quickly.

The only thing worse than mismatched races is chunks of brass under the race letting it seat crooked.

I use a good quality steel punch when doing mine. Make sure the tip is flat, and get on the race well, tap it in, work it around.

Ive never chipped a race doing this, (taking them out is a different story, as im not usually being carefull.)

You dont need a tool other then a punch to get the old one out, a flap disc to sand the outer edge of the old race so it will slide in and out of the hub, or what ever it came out of,and use it as the new tool,just hammer it,the key is to reverse it from the way it was sittng to press in new race. It will even work in a press with the new tool. Then just ingrave on it what it is for. I did the same thing to make all my diff. Install tools.:awesomework:

I take an old strut and cut the shaft off. Hardened steel, about an inch diameter and 12 to 16" long. Lasts forever.