I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve

Steve B wrote:
I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

Should not move.


When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

Remove nut, repack/whatever, Replace on axle and tighten the nut while
turning the wheel/tire combo. You want to tighten the nut until the
bearing play is gone, then a bit more so it gets just barely hard to
rotate the tire, then back off the nut to the first available slot and
install the cotter pin. What you are trying to do is eliminate free play
and preset the load on the bearing as well.

Since this is a boat I would actually install bearing buddies and not
worry about repacking as long as you give them a shot of good grease
when you use the trailer. The BB units apply light spring pressure to
the grease and keeps water out.


I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve




--
Steve W.

On Aug 11, 6:14*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. *They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? *Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? *Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve

Note- all advice void if there are actual instructions for the hub...

If this is two tapered roller bearings facing each other and separated
by a decent amount of space (not right up against each other), a small
amount of rocking movement is acceptable, and preferable to it being
too tight. If you can feel it but not really see it, it's not too
loose.

Tighten by backing it off and making it too loose, then use channel
locks to make it just snug, then back off to the next keying location.
Good wheel bearings use a nut with a 12 position cap that engages the
nut and the cotter pin.

Really fancy wheel bearings will have instructions that say to tighten
the nut to nnn in-lbs, then loosen ddd degrees.

If you only have the choice of a course adjustment, and you have to
make the call between what seems tight and what seems loose, well,
that's why they call it a judgement call.

Too tight is solely defined by shortening the life of the bearings.

If you do not want to have any movement when trying to rock it, use
the very first notch that eliminates all rocking, no more.



Dave

Steve B wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them.
They probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel?
Should there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock
positions and wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight
do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or
just to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Whenever I did this with my car, I'd put the nut on finger tight, spin the
wheel, and tighten down the nut until there was enough drag to stop it
spinning, then back off the nut to the nearest (previous) cotter pin hole.

I can't see any reason that wouldn't work on a trailer if it has tapered
bearings.

Have Fun!
Rich

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:14:59 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve

Ball or roller? Tapered Rollers should have just a touch of play.
Generally take the nut snug (zero clearance) and back off one flat.
Should JUST feel the play when wiggling the wheel.

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:55:24 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

Steve B wrote:
I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

Should not move.


When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

Remove nut, repack/whatever, Replace on axle and tighten the nut while
turning the wheel/tire combo. You want to tighten the nut until the
bearing play is gone, then a bit more so it gets just barely hard to
rotate the tire, then back off the nut to the first available slot and
install the cotter pin. What you are trying to do is eliminate free play
and preset the load on the bearing as well.

NO preload on tapered rollers - or they overheat and they are done.
You want just enough play when at ambient temp that they do not
tighten up when hot. Oil lubed can be a bit snugger than greased - but
NEVER preload.

Ball bearing hubs (remeber the old Chevies) used a bit of preload to
avoid shock brunelling.

Since this is a boat I would actually install bearing buddies and not
worry about repacking as long as you give them a shot of good grease
when you use the trailer. The BB units apply light spring pressure to
the grease and keeps water out.


I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:55:24 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

Steve B wrote:
I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

Should not move.

Agreed.


When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

Remove nut, repack/whatever, Replace on axle and tighten the nut while
turning the wheel/tire combo. You want to tighten the nut until the
bearing play is gone, then a bit more so it gets just barely hard to
rotate the tire, then back off the nut to the first available slot and
install the cotter pin. What you are trying to do is eliminate free play
and preset the load on the bearing as well.

With Fords, it was torque to 25 foot pounds, then loosen and retighten
to 25 inch pounds. The nut was a standard hex but the cover was
castellated, so you could install it and the cotter pin without moving
the nut.


Since this is a boat I would actually install bearing buddies and not
worry about repacking as long as you give them a shot of good grease
when you use the trailer. The BB units apply light spring pressure to
the grease and keeps water out.

Those are good, but people forget to check the wheel bearing play when
they're on there.

--
Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.
-- Marie Ebner von Eschenbach

On 12/08/2011 9:06 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:14:59 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve

Ball or roller? Tapered Rollers should have just a touch of play.
Generally take the nut snug (zero clearance) and back off one flat.
Should JUST feel the play when wiggling the wheel.


I did the front wheel bearings on one of our vehicles recently - a Ford
with "sealed unit replacable" hubs. The bearings are sealed & you
replace the whole hub. The bearings have a spacer and the install torque
is ~ 300Nm.

I'd initially installed it with the normal "tighen then back it off"
method. Luckily I did some web-reading and tightened it up before any
harm was done. The nut wasnt the usual castellated split pin style, it
was like a nylock nut but without the nylon.

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:14:59 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve


Here's how Dexter recommends the bearings on my 5th wheel be adjusted.

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/6149609/f/...anual_6-11.pdf

Page 54.

HTH
Bob
rgentry at oz dot net

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:36:42 -0700, Rich Grise
wrote:

Steve B wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them.
They probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel?
Should there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock
positions and wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight
do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or
just to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Whenever I did this with my car, I'd put the nut on finger tight, spin the
wheel, and tighten down the nut until there was enough drag to stop it
spinning, then back off the nut to the nearest (previous) cotter pin hole.

I can't see any reason that wouldn't work on a trailer if it has tapered
bearings.

Have Fun!
Rich

Thats exactly what I do with my trailer bearings. I have
humm..counting...7 trailers, boat, utility, welding etc etc and have yet
to lose a wheel bearing, after doing this since the mid 1970s.

And some are rather highly loaded.


Gunner

--
"The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry
capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency.
It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an
Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense
and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have
such a man for their? president.. Blaming the prince of the
fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of
fools that made him their prince".

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:19:16 +0800, Dennis wrote:

On 12/08/2011 9:06 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:14:59 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve

Ball or roller? Tapered Rollers should have just a touch of play.
Generally take the nut snug (zero clearance) and back off one flat.
Should JUST feel the play when wiggling the wheel.


I did the front wheel bearings on one of our vehicles recently - a Ford
with "sealed unit replacable" hubs. The bearings are sealed & you
replace the whole hub. The bearings have a spacer and the install torque
is ~ 300Nm.

I'd initially installed it with the normal "tighen then back it off"
method. Luckily I did some web-reading and tightened it up before any
harm was done. The nut wasnt the usual castellated split pin style, it
was like a nylock nut but without the nylon.
A "stover" nut - officially known as a "prevailing torque" nut.

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:55:11 -0700, Bob Gentry wrote:

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:14:59 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them. They
probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel? Should
there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and
wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or just
to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Steve


Here's how Dexter recommends the bearings on my 5th wheel be adjusted.

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/6149609/f/...anual_6-11.pdf

Page 54.

HTH
Bob
rgentry at oz dot net
Which is EXACTLY what I recommended.

wrote

I'd initially installed it with the normal "tighen then back it off"
method. Luckily I did some web-reading and tightened it up before any
harm was done. The nut wasnt the usual castellated split pin style, it
was like a nylock nut but without the nylon.
A "stover" nut - officially known as a "prevailing torque" nut.

So, is a castle nut with slices for a cotter pin a stover nut? I know they
make castle nuts with no slits, and IIRC, some are kind of crimped to hold
and resist backoff.

I like stumping the guys at Ace, and would like to have a new word du jour.

So, is a slotted castle a stover? Universally?

Steve

"Steve B" wrote in
message
...

wrote

I'd initially installed it with the normal
"tighen then back it off"
method. Luckily I did some web-reading and
tightened it up before any
harm was done. The nut wasnt the usual
castellated split pin style, it
was like a nylock nut but without the nylon.
A "stover" nut - officially known as a
"prevailing torque" nut.

So, is a castle nut with slices for a cotter pin
a stover nut? I know they make castle nuts with
no slits, and IIRC, some are kind of crimped to
hold and resist backoff.

I like stumping the guys at Ace, and would like
to have a new word du jour.

So, is a slotted castle a stover? Universally?

Steve


Talking about lock nuts, go to the
http://www.metalworking.com/DropBox/
and yank the tiny scrollbar halfway down to
Locknut_01 and _02.
I came up with this to hold the lower bearing on
the swivel of a log truck
loader clam. The cheap and quick way to fix this
is just tack weld the
original nut! ;)}
phil k.

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:49:33 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:36:42 -0700, Rich Grise
wrote:

Steve B wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them.
They probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel?
Should there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock
positions and wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight
do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or
just to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Whenever I did this with my car, I'd put the nut on finger tight, spin the
wheel, and tighten down the nut until there was enough drag to stop it
spinning, then back off the nut to the nearest (previous) cotter pin hole.

I can't see any reason that wouldn't work on a trailer if it has tapered
bearings.

Have Fun!
Rich

Thats exactly what I do with my trailer bearings. I have
humm..counting...7 trailers, boat, utility, welding etc etc and have yet
to lose a wheel bearing, after doing this since the mid 1970s.

And some are rather highly loaded.


Gunner

Just got a new small boat trailer (with a little jon boat) with oil
bath bearings. The caps are clear plastic and you can see the oil in
there. I'm going to have to read up on them. Supposedly they're
great for boat trailer service.

Pete Keillor

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:11:49 -0500, Pete Keillor
wrote:

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:49:33 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:36:42 -0700, Rich Grise
wrote:

Steve B wrote:

I took off my wheel bearings when I bought my boat, and repacked them.
They probably have 150 miles on them since that.

IF I JACK UP MY TRAILER AND JUST SPIN THE WHEEL, what should I feel?
Should there be ANY movement where you can take the 3 and 9 o'clock
positions and wiggle back and forth?

When I take the cap, key, and nut off, and put it back on, just how tight
do
I put the nut? Should I tighten it at all with a large ChannelLock, or
just to where I can get the key in the next groove in the nut?

I'm going to take them off and have a look see, and just was wondering how
to correctly put them back on.

Whenever I did this with my car, I'd put the nut on finger tight, spin the
wheel, and tighten down the nut until there was enough drag to stop it
spinning, then back off the nut to the nearest (previous) cotter pin hole.

I can't see any reason that wouldn't work on a trailer if it has tapered
bearings.

Have Fun!
Rich

Thats exactly what I do with my trailer bearings. I have
humm..counting...7 trailers, boat, utility, welding etc etc and have yet
to lose a wheel bearing, after doing this since the mid 1970s.

And some are rather highly loaded.


Gunner

Just got a new small boat trailer (with a little jon boat) with oil
bath bearings. The caps are clear plastic and you can see the oil in
there. I'm going to have to read up on them. Supposedly they're
great for boat trailer service.

Pete Keillor


They ARE.

Just keep an eye on the backside of the spindles for leakage. Wont hurt
anything..but they will need to be replaced if they start to drip. And
they will drip EITHER way in or out if they start going bad.

And since oil floats on water..any water getting in there has first shot
at the bearings....

Gunner

--
"The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry
capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency.
It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an
Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense
and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have
such a man for their? president.. Blaming the prince of the
fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of
fools that made him their prince".

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:17:16 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:


wrote

I'd initially installed it with the normal "tighen then back it off"
method. Luckily I did some web-reading and tightened it up before any
harm was done. The nut wasnt the usual castellated split pin style, it
was like a nylock nut but without the nylon.
A "stover" nut - officially known as a "prevailing torque" nut.

So, is a castle nut with slices for a cotter pin a stover nut? I know they
make castle nuts with no slits, and IIRC, some are kind of crimped to hold
and resist backoff.

I like stumping the guys at Ace, and would like to have a new word du jour.

So, is a slotted castle a stover? Universally?

Steve

No, a SLOTTED castle nut is generally NOT a stover.
A "Stover" is a type of "prevailing torque" nut, along with fibre-lock
and ny-loc nuts. They do not use cotter pins.

"Pete Keillor" wrote

Just got a new small boat trailer (with a little jon boat) with oil
bath bearings. The caps are clear plastic and you can see the oil in
there. I'm going to have to read up on them. Supposedly they're
great for boat trailer service.

Pete Keillor

To ME, boat trailer bearings depend on some very basics. In my situation, I
took my boat and trailer on an 80 mile round trip, 65 freeway speed.
Usually, it's a 15 mile round trip to the local lake at 40 mph tops. Lots
of guys just take their boats on short jaunts, and not at high speeds.
Those little tires really spin at 70 mph behind a truck on the freeway. So,
even a boat trailer with worn or loose bearings would last a very long time
at low speeds, and minimal distances. I don't like to operate like that,
though. This trip, which was the furtherest I have gone from home, I
stopped by and got a spare wheel and tire. May come in handy, mebbe
not..... But having "stuff" right is just as easy as ignoring it and
running it into the ground and/or ditch, and less expensive, too.

Some boats are very light weight, some heavier, and that makes a LOT of
difference.

The 80 mile trip up the mountain sucked. The boat ran crappy at the 9,000+
elevation, far higher than it was jetted and tuned for. The fish weren't
biting, and all we caught were chub. But, we were going for splake, and
chub is good splake bait. It was cold and windy and whitecapping, with the
spray making it even colder. Then the Sikorsky S-64 came in and dusted us
with a lot of mist. But it was better than working. But only a little.

Back to reality on the containers at 0600 tomorrow.

Steve

wrote


No, a SLOTTED castle nut is generally NOT a stover.
A "Stover" is a type of "prevailing torque" nut, along with fibre-lock
and ny-loc nuts. They do not use cotter pins.


Gotcha. Thanks.

Steve