Sanity Check on Bearings

[homer1959]

Try brake cleaner instead of wd40 , clean 10 times faster and leave absolutly no residue

Originally Posted by Jagiven

The price seams high to me too.

I found lots of YouTube videos on the subject, just had to find the right one that had the same configuration that is on my HTT, as there was a unique (at least for me) castle nut lock.

They are fairly easy to do, but it is a messy job. Probably the most important piece of the job is not to get grease on the hub surface that the brake shoes work against.

I use a lot of paper towels and WD40 to clean my old bearings. Wipe the old grease off, then use WD40 to breakdown the remaining grease until the surface is clean. This takes a few applications with the bearings. Repack by hand, and put it all back together. The first bearing will take the longest. Not a hard job.

I pulled the first hub apart, then went to NAPA with the race to find the correct one.

Good Luck!

[ttavasc]

Originally Posted by Sundancer330

I had not replaced wheel bearings since the early 80s when you still could on a car. The dealer wanted almost $200 for a single axle which I thought was way to much. So after watching a few videos off to Amazon I went. I cross referenced the Dexter bearings to Timkens which are still Made in the USA, Inner and outer sets with race $35.00, Seals $8.00, bearing driver kit to remove/install race $29.00, Bearing packer $20, this I didn't really need but its so much easier and cleaner to get grease back in the bearing. So i spent just over $90 and it took me about an hour to remove everything, spray clean brake parts and install races, bearings and new seals. The tools will last forever so next time all it will cost me is an hour or less of my time and I save $200 and the hassle of the dealer.

This is the same thing that I've done. Complete set of Timkens and grease seals for the single Dexter 3500lb axle delivered was $40. I carry a spare set and everything I need to replace them in the truck bed. I let the dealer do the re-pack while it was under warranty and they charged $110 for the one axle which included brake cleaning/adjustment. I do the annual maintenance at the beginning of each season - soon as it drys out around here long enough that's what I'll be doing....