Bearing Races???

[Mat60]

Planning on doing the front wheel bearings this week. The guy at the local parts store is trying to tell me I need to do the Bearing Races when I replace the bearings. Is this standard procedure?
The thread in FAQ on doing the front axle mentions nothing about races. From my understanding the races would be difficult to get in/out wouldn't they? I don't really believe a word the guy said to me because he seems to think that packing a bearing with grease is a job that only a proffesional is capable of. The bearings aren't really that bad, its more preventative maintenance really...
If the races look ok do I really need to replace them???

 

[Spook50]

Your parts guy is an idiot (just in case you still had doubts). Yes it's standard procedure to replace the races with the bearings because a bearing and race are machined as a set in most cases (they aren't with the bearings on our landing gear, but that's a whole different story). Now unless the race itself is thrashed, you don't necessarily NEED to replace it when you replace the bearing. I would though, if for nothing but the piece of mind that everything is matching. And when you order bearings, the races will come with them. At least I know they will with Koyo or Timken bearings anyway.

The races aren't hard to remove. There are notches cut in the ridges that they sit on in the hub, and those allow you to tap the race out (alternating from side to side) with a brass drift. Putting 'em in is a piece of cake, especially if you've got a press and a bearing installer. If not, at least get the bearing installer set. You can use a punch with that to get 'em in nice and straight every time. It works great for oil seals as well. Saved me a lot of frustration when I did my knuckle rebuild.

Gotta have bearing professionally packed, eh? So who does the kid hire to roll his windows up and down for him?

 

[Mat60]

Thanks alot for the info. I'll order them up tomorrow.

 

[Mark W]

Sorry, gotta disagree. Strongly.You don't replace bearings without replacing races. Not of you work on any rig that I own or if you work for me on any customer's rig. They ALWAYS get replaced as sets. Bearing and race are two halves of a whole. If one is worn enough to need replacement, then so is the other.

Matching new bearings to used races to get off of a trail and back home to fix it right is one thing. Doing this as part of nornal maintenance is another.


Mark...

 

[Spook50]

Sorry, gotta disagree. Strongly.You don't replace bearings without replacing races. Not of you work on any rig that I own or if you work for me on any customer's rig. They ALWAYS get replaced as sets. Bearing and race are two halves of a whole. If one is worn enough to need replacement, then so is the other.

Matching new bearings to used races to get off of a trail and back home to fix it right is one thing. Doing this as part of nornal maintenance is another.


Mark...

Oh I'm the same way. I was just forestalling anyone else from coming in and saying "you don't need to do it. I never do"

No way would I replace a bearing without replacing the race, unless, like you said, it was a quicky just to get you back home.

 

[Mat60]

ummm, likewise when I said I'd order them up I meant the races....
Thanks again,

 

[nuclearlemon]

different brand bearings may have the same number and different tapers to them, so one bearing may not work with another race.