Wheel Bearings

[Coachmen Chris]

This evening I thought I'd check out one of the sets of wheel bearings. Since I've Completed the inside work I thought I'd tackle the wheel bearings.

I've never done wheel bearings before and to be honest it wasn't all that bad taking it apart.

I looked at the grease and it looked like there was a small amount of red looking grease in with this dark colored grease that looked old.

I was looking to see if I could find and numbers on the bearings and seal and could not find any.

The races looked fine and there were no wear marks , scratches or anything that looked out of the ordinary.

I'm not sure how well maintained these wheel bearings were but I'm leaning towards all new ones.

Here are some pics

[Coachmen Chris]

here are more pics

[Coachmen Chris]

Can anyone tell me what the threads are for inside the axle ?



What is this notch for ?

[kandl]

Originally Posted by Coachmen Chris

Can anyone tell me what the threads are for inside the axle ?

What is this notch for ?

The threads accept a grease fitting (zerk). The notch is where the grease comes out. This is an Ultrulube setup.

[northstar1960]

the bearings look wore ,how do they feel ? loose ? I assumed you wiped off all the grease before you took the pictures. the seal looks damaged lol ,the threads inside look to be for a zerk fitting

[Coachmen Chris]

Good to know I can add a grease zerk. Will make it easier to grease it in the future.

Yes the wheel bearings felt loose and sloppy. When I pushed/pulled on the tire prior to removal I felt some play in it. Yes I wiped the bearings off before the pics and seal was being a little stubborn lol

[Coachmen Chris]

Picking up wheel bearings , seals and races tomorrow afternoon. Does anyone put anything on the outside of the seal or run it in dry? TIA for the replies

[northstar1960]

Originally Posted by Coachmen Chris

Picking up wheel bearings , seals and races tomorrow afternoon. Does anyone put anything on the outside of the seal or run it in dry? TIA for the replies

putting a little grease around it will help it go in easier , knocking out the races can be a real pain some times ,be careful not to damage the hub.

[Brother Les]

With the tire and hub off Look over your brake assembly over very carefully and learn how to tighten and Loosen the brake manually now and it will be a lot easier to do when you do put the hub and tire back on. With the hub and tire on and still up in the air, plug in your truck in to the camper. Spin the tire, does it spin easy or is there any grinding from a tight brake? If it spins easy, have a helper put their foot on the brake, spin the tire, how does the brakes feel?

[kandl]

Originally Posted by Coachmen Chris

Picking up wheel bearings , seals and races tomorrow afternoon. Does anyone put anything on the outside of the seal or run it in dry? TIA for the replies

Strongly recommend you pick up a decent bearing/seal driver. They're not pricey and will pay dividends in the grief they prevent. The seals for 3.5K and 4K axles are typically a tight fit and if you don't get it right on the first whack, you'll be off to buy more seals.

[Coachmen Chris]

Thanks everyone 😃

Jobs complete !! Wow my shop smells like grease lol

Definitely a messy greasy job. I rented a bearing race seal driver , It helped tremendously !

Here's some pictures

[kandl]

Well done! Yup, it's a messy job but now you're intimately in the know as to the integrity of those essential components that keep them wheels going round and round.

[rattleNsmoke]

It's def a messy, sloppy job but it gives you a good chance to check all inner hub components and adjust your brakes while the wheels were off the ground.

[mud yapster]

Good job Coachman, Yes a messy job but you saved yourself a lot of money doing it yourself and its not that bad of a job just need some hand cleaner when your done. I'm sure next time you will be able to do it 10 times faster now that you know. Now you can keep them greased properly also.

[camper1999]

Also when doing the bearings and have the wheels off it is a good time to check the axles and suspension. A lot of folks don't keep an eye on worn shackles and grease the axle components if you have the wet bolts. Worn shackles can be very dangerous and can only be spotted by looking close for how close the bolt is to the end of the shackle

[Coachmen Chris]

Thanks everyone.

[Coachmen Chris]

Quick question... Felt some play in the two wheels I've done. Since this was my first time.. Should I go back and check the castle nut? I pulled on the tire back and forth and there was a little bit of play.

Should the nut be hand tight? I was just reading somewhere you should set the nut at 15-20 ft lbs turn the wheel 10 times and loosen nut and hand tight nut, I don't think I did that.

Haven't taken the unit out anywhere except down my driveway so i figure before any big trips I better ask


will that hurt anything or should I check the nut again? Thanks

[camper1999]

I usually use a wrench and tighten the nut but not over tighten it. Then I back it off and then hand tighten it

[wbdavey]

In my Dexter axle owner's manual the axle nut procedure is to rotate the wheel and tighten the axle nut to 50 Ft-Lbs torque. Then hold the wheel stationary, back off the nut with a wrench, tighten the nut finger tight, then back off the nut until the first opening in the lock nut lines up with the hole for the cotter pin. Have you looked at your manual?

[Coachmen Chris]

Can't find my manual. Looked on youtube and there was a variety of vids on how to do it.

Going to retighten them this weekend. Want to see if there is any difference.