Front wheel bearings
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 139
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From: Iron Mountain, Michigan
Front wheel bearings
I was at a ford dealership the other day and a logger was in getting front wheel bearings for his super duty and complained about having to change them in his type of work water and mud. Have others had trouble with the bearing assemblies on the SD trucks. The cost of them is not cheap. He said there is a kit to convert them back to a spindle and bearings like the old front axles.Why did every body change to this sealed non rebuildable front wheel bearing assembly that they use on everthing today. The old tapered bearings with the two nuts and lockwasher and pin was a good setup.
Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
Likes: 55
From: north west new jersey
yes it is costly to repair the way they build things now.
the front hub bearing is a assembly makes it easier to assemble. not less costly to repair.
thank fully there are after market just as good and at less cost. napa and few others have them
the front hub bearing is a assembly makes it easier to assemble. not less costly to repair.
thank fully there are after market just as good and at less cost. napa and few others have them
New User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Ford switched to a unit bearing for assembly cost. The downfall is that the bearing is not accessible. If you are in mud/water/sand alot and something penetrates the seal, it is in the bearing. Since you cannot access the bearings to repack and replace grease, you cannot get out the contaminant and they go bad. It is a bad design in my opinion, especially in a 4x4 truck (where you can get the "off road" package no less). I use my truck in those conditions a lot during hunting season and usually get about 25,000 miles out of a set of bearings (granted I am running 38 inch tires which does not help either). They are costly, no matter where you buy them, compared to before, but changing them is an easy job. Napa and other places, as stated, do have bearings that are comparable in quality to Ford for much less.
They do make a conversion kit, but it is not cheap. It is something that I have looked into as a possiblity since i go through bearings so quickly.
They do make a conversion kit, but it is not cheap. It is something that I have looked into as a possiblity since i go through bearings so quickly.
