So this past weekend I replaced the bearings and races(aka cones) on my boat trailer. Getting the old races out is easy enough with a hammer, screwdriver and some patience. But what do you do when you don't have a set of bearing installation tools or access to a hydraulic press?......Here's what I did.......

First I cut a 45 degree angle on the edge of the old bearing race. I used my angle grinder with a cut off disc in it, not a grinding wheel. It put about a 1/8" gap in the race.

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The Inner Diameter of the races I replaced is 1 inch. The 1/8" gap was just perfect. Too big of a gap and you won't get an even distribution of force from the hammer. But too small of a gap and you will have a very hard time removing the cut race. So as you go bigger with the inner diameter, you will want to go bigger with the gap. After you start the new bearing race into the hub, place the cut race upside-down and on top of the new bearing race.**See the picture below.** Then, (with safety glasses on!!!), use a hammer or small sledge hammer and evenly tap the cut race until the new bearing race is seated firmly against the stops.

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With the new bearing race fully seated you will take a large straight slot screwdriver and place it flat side exactly below the cut in the old bearing race.**See picture below.** As you apply force to the area between the two races the cut race will begin to move up at that point. When it does, gently but firmly apply downward pressure on the screwdriver handle so that the screwdriver tip pushes up on the cut. As you do the cut race will begin to close in on itself at the cut and subsequently will gently ease itself up and out of the hub. It's amazing how well it worked! I wish I had thought of this when I replace the bearing races on my 78 f150 hubs!!! So tell me what you think? Any questions/comments? Is it clear enough?

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Nice Tip!

 

neat idea, normally i use a peice of pipe, or a socket that is just under the od of the race.

or i just use a tapered punch, and work my way around the race, driving it in straight. course i do this for a living too...

 

Thanks fellas. Big thanks, Eric for adding those pop up links for me!(Do the pop up pictures appear darker now or is it just my monitor/eyes? They seemed better lit when they were thumbnail images.)

Hey, theonlybull, sounds like you work on autos and such for a living, right? Would you consider trying my method next time you need to change out the bearing races for a customer and let me know how well it worked or didn't work for you?

I've used tapered punches, screwdrivers, and even large impact sockets, but this has got to be the easiest fastest way there is. I bet you it could even be faster than using a hydraulic press. If anybody else tries this method, I sure would like to hear your results.

 

actually, i'm a machinist/welder by trade and run a job shop with my father. Next time i get a bearing that i don't have the rigth sized pipe for, i'll try you idea

 

If you want that race to go in even easier ,
put it your freezer for about 5-10 min,set the hub in the sun or in front of your heater .They will just about drop in place with no hammering at all.

Rich

 

Thats a really odd though for doing that. never thought that would work.

 

forty's right, the expansion from heating something, and the srinkage from cooling something can equal 0.001- 0.005" which is alot when your talking about a bearing fit.

 

Saw the heating method work on "Two Guys Garage"- they heated bearing races with a waffle iron and they slipped on with no tools.

 

FWIW - I have been using this technique for several years and it works very well (too).

But . . . you need to make sure the race doesn't "bounce" when you drop it in the hole. (Make sure it sits _flat_ as soon as it drops)

The heat from the "hub" will warm the race fast enough that you *most likely* won't have time to tap it flat before it expands to a "press fit" again - thus you are back to hammer and soft drift (where you started out) but now the NEW race is "wedged" in the hole!

HTH.

 

cigar;

I just used your system yesterday and it worked very well, Who says us old guys can't learn new tricks? thanks for the tip.

I also used the bearing race to install the oil seal to finish the job, that worked well too, thanks again.

 

All,
The freezer trick is a classic but usually uncalled for for bearing races. they can be tapped in and out relatively easily.
I used the freezer trick on my piston pins. Froze the pins baked the piston and slipped them right together.
Consider it,
Kingfisher

 

Hey, FSC, glad to hear it worked well for ya!!! That's awesome. Love to hear that it works for other people as well.

I was so pleased with my results that I have reserved space in my Craftsman tool box to store my homemade bearing race install tools.

As for the freezer and oven tricks; they sound good. But I get in enough trouble when I use my wife's oven for cooking. hehehehe I'm sure she'd love to open the freezer or oven and see my crusty truck parts laying there.

 

I had to replace some rather large timken tapered roller bearings (approx. 6"+ outside diameter) our shop is well equipped, but there was no way to get the "assembly" into our press in order to get the old external race out, except to use a drift punch from the back side and pound away with a 2 pound hammer, moving the punch around & around the periphery of the race until if finally popped all the way out. The access hole in the back side was smaller than 6", and the housing that held the bearing wasn't wide enough to use a properly sized & quickly made shaft to push it out. That first bearing job was a pain... The second time I had to do it, one of my friends said,"Use the MIG welder to pull the old race out" (I asked him to help me with steadying the punch while I would pound away at it.) Since this was a machine rebuild job, all of the oil, grease, and flammable materials had already been cleaned off of the bearing housing. We set the mig so that it would make a good surface bead of weld, and then ran a bead all the way around the inside of the bearing race! As the weld cooled and contracted it "shrunk" the race enough that one or two "taps" with the hammer and punch (immediately after completion of the weld!) popped it right out!!! since doing it that way, I've used this method on smaller races (approx 2" o.d.) and it seems to work every time. Just be sure to protect the rest of whatever you're working on from weld spatter, only put your weld on the inside of the race, and of course observe all safety precautions associated with welding. (ie: fire, combustibles nearby- move them/workpiece to a safe area, etc.) Hope this tip helps. I know the original subject was bearing installation, but sometimes the bearing removal part of the job can be 200% of the job.

 

Good idea cigarxtc. I always use the old race to install the new, however at the end it gets jammed, and I have to pound it back out. The gap would eliminate the jam. Thanks, and I will surely try it next time. Cheers..