Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

[WardenJ]

I have a small trailer on which the wheel bearings on one side completely disintegrated and the other side seem to be rusted to a point where they're frozen. On the disintegrated side, the wheel and hub came off easily, as well as all the bearing pieces, except the part of the bearing that slides onto the spindle won't come off. I tried to grip them with channel locks to no avail, they won't budge either way or spin. <br /><br />On the other side, whe wheel came off, as well as the castle nut on the end of the spindle, but the hub won't budge off the bearings, which are still there but seem to be frozen from rust. Any ideas for gettign this stuff apart so I can put new bearings on this trailer (with bearing buddies this time)? Thanks!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

On the side you were able to get the hub off, I assume the bearing reace is whats stuck to the spindle. Buy a "cold chisel" and crack the race. It will then slide off. Use emery cloth to dress up the bearing race area. Remember, the bearing race "creeps" during operation so bearings must not be forced onto the spindle. On the other side, you will need to use more force. Place a long bar between lug bolts and try rotating the hub. Once free, you should be able to pull it off. Very likely the bearing race will be stuck on that side as well. Simply repeat the earlier process. Replace the races in each hub as well. Drive them out with a drift punch. You'll need a bearing driver to install the new races.

 

[WardenJ]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

Thanks for the reply, yea it's the race, the word just hadn't come to mind when I wrote the post. On the side with the hub still attached, the hub spins, it just wont pull off.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

get out your angle grinder!

 

[gutshot grouper]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

Cold chisel and a small sledge, be careful not to damage the spindle, you may have to use a pullerto get the hub off the spindle.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

Place a block of wood against the back of the hub and give it a few sharp raps with a large hammer. You won't damage the hub and it should come off, leaving the same situation you had on the other side. When you have everything cleaned up, make sure there are no grooves in the spindle where the bearings ride. Too much clearance in those areas is a recipe for an on-road failure. New spindles or a new axle may be necessary.

 

[scottnjay]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

Have you tried heat to get the race off. Also for the stuck hub put the wheel back on and then try to get it off. It gives a little more leverage. I had the same thing happen on an RV. As long as you can get the front bearing off you just have to pull hard enough to get the seal to release from the hub then it will come off. Use a torch to heat up the bearing and it will come off easier. Good luck

 

[WardenJ]

Re: Trashed wheel bearings won't come off!

I did get the races off thanks for the help. One of them came off after I split it with my dremel tool (or Craftsman imitation thereof), the other one took splitting, heat, pounding and pulling, but it finally came off in three or four pieces. As for the hub, I applied a jaw type puller to it and the whole assembly came off the spindle. The bearings were dry as a bone, so I wont mind destroying them getting them out of the hub, then just dropping both hubs off at a machine shop to get the old races pressed out and new ones put in. Thanks again for the help!