Trailer bearing help needed (they don't want to go on...)

[rlb81]

I have an old harbor freight trailer and one wheel had bad bearings. I took it apart and the inner bearing just didn't want to come off, so I had to make it happen with a 5lb hammer. Not like a few taps, I mean full blows all the way to the end. 15 minutes of fun. I would have expected it to pretty much slide off. Old bearing number was L44649.
My new L44649 bearings do not want to go on. I would expect them to pretty much slide on, but the inner would have to be hammered on just as forcefully as the old one was taken off. Is this normal? I measured the spindle and it's 27mm diameter, or 1 1/16 inch. Every site I look at lists the L44649 for a 1 1/16 spindle, and the timkin website (see link) shows the ID of this bearing as 26.988 mm.

The spindle looks fine, no damage. Not sure what to do with this one...

 

[23x8io]

The difference between a press fit and a sliding fit is only .001 of an inch. You can bet the bearings are to the correct dimensions. Clean the axle shaft and mark it complete with a felt tip pen, then slide a new bearing on it and the tight spots will show up. It is possible the the shaft was not machined to the right size to begin with.

 

[gm280]

Sounds like some serious Emory Clothe will be needed for that one. They are not supposed to be pounded on. So you have a couple choices, Emory clothe it until is does slide on, or replace the spindle. How tight was the race? Now the races are pressed (taped) on or in place. But not the actual bearings. JMHO

 

[dennis461]

..... I measured the spindle and it's 27mm diameter, or 1 1/16 inch.

The spindle looks fine, no damage. Not sure what to do with this one...

There must be damage somewhere, it does not take much damage to make this a difficult job.

Strips of sandpaper or crocus cloth, lap the spindle like shining shoes.
You'll find the high spot.

 

[dwco5051]

There must be damage somewhere, it does not take much damage to make this a difficult job.

Lay a good steel straightedge and check for a bent spindle. Any curvature will make a bearing tighter than #&**.

Also bearings not in alignment can cause premature bearing failure.

 

[bruceb58]

Lay a good steel straightedge and check for a bent spindle. Any curvature will make a bearing tighter than #&**.

Also bearings not in alignment can cause premature bearing failure.

Agreed, I would be wary reusing that axle/spindle

 

[rlb81]

Thank for the suggestions so far.
The spindle is actually knurled, so it's easy to see there's no damage. The entire seating area of the bearing is oversized so it's not just one spot that it's getting hung up on.

I think I'm going to see what I can do with Emory cloth etc to take off some material. If that fails it's going on with some heat + a 1 1/4 pipe to hammer it on. Not my preferred method, but this is just a utility trailer that sees local use a few times a year.

Will also check for a bent spindle, I didn't think of that possibility. However it would likely be noticeable if it was enough to cause trouble all the way up the spindle.

 

[Leardriver]

Bearing in the freezer for a couple of hours and heat gun on the inner hub surface can find you a tad more clearance.

 

[bruceb58]

Bearing in the freezer for a couple of hours and heat gun on the inner hub surface can find you a tad more clearance.

That works great for the race in the hub. In his case, he is putting the bearing over the spindle

 

[rlb81]

Yes, to be clear the race fits in the hub as I would expect it to. It's the taper bearing itself that will not slide over the spindle

 

[bruceb58]

I am curious how you plan on installing your grease seal if you tap on your bearing first.

 

[rlb81]

I am curious how you plan on installing your grease seal if you tap on your bearing first.

The hard way! Really the only way that would be possible is to slide the seal onto the spindle and seat it in it's usual spot, tap on the bearing, then tap the seal into the back of the hub after it's installed on the spindle. Not ideal at all, so I'm hoping I can take off enough material with the emory cloth to get it installed the right way.

 

[gm280]

If you plan on reused this spindle, you can start off draw filing the spindle and then Emory Clothe and constantly check the bearing to see when it is getting close.

The bear really needs to friction slide on for everything to work properly. Emory clothe allows you to get a little aggressive with the sanding effort and not tear the paper. But you have to do the entire diameter all the way around as well. A good quality draw file can cut it pretty quickly followed up with the Emory cloth sanding.

It will take some time, but it is doable. And once you finish it, it is finished forever then as well. If you have a micrometer, measure it at different places around the spindle and see if it is round and not egg shaped. That will also let you know how much material you need to remove. JMHO

 

[rlb81]

All good, thanks for the tips. Hit it with some emery cloth like I was shining a shoe and it worked like a charm. Took much less effort than I was expecting it to. Less than 1 beer consumed.

+

=

 

[bruceb58]

Good job....and now I need to try that beer. I love IPAs

 

[Grub54891]

Is that a hammer mark on the seal area? It might leak water in, and grease out.

 

[Alumarine]

Good job, good beer.
How does the surface that the seal rides on look?

 

[rlb81]

Is that a hammer mark on the seal area? It might leak water in, and grease out.

Yup! I cleaned it up a bit before reassembly but it's​ not perfect, that's for sure. This is a utility trailer so water isn't​ a concern. Grease out is, but I'll just have to live with it.

 

[rlb81]

Good job, good beer.
How does the surface that the seal rides on look?

Thanks. Seal surface is less than ideal. I tried to clean it up a little, but in reality this thing sees less than 50 miles a year. So it'll have to do, that's what I get for a free trailer.

 

[Alumarine]

You could use speedi sleeves to repair the seal surface.