Retrofitting bearings

[davegonz]

I have an old Renegade Fabrications (like the MAF 4+) rear bumper with dual swing outs. The problem I'm having is that it takes a ton of force to move the tire swing out. Yesterday, I tried out my buddy's swing out on his Kaymar bumper and it was effortless to move the tire swing out. Has anyone tried retrofitting an old bushing design to a bearing type? I haven't dug into this yet, but just wanted to see if any has tackled this problem before.

 

[gladly]

I'd look at maybe just cleaning up or replacing the bushings, would it be possible to drill and tap some part of it for a grease zerk?

 

[davegonz]

Possibly. There are none in it's present state, so adding some shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[gladly]

are they brass bushings or plastic of some kind?

 

[davegonz]

Bronze....I think. Need to tear into them.

 

[gladly]

I've got a warn belleview winch that has a zerk just pointing directly onto the brass bushing, dead simple, works great...

did you hit the hinges with pb blaster and open and close it a couple of dozen times... I am sure you probably tried that.

edit, just looked at the spare warn I have here, and it is actually a zerk on the end of the shaft , so you'd have to drill your pins, but still would be a lot easier than getting into bearings, and probably give acceptable results
I can send a pic if you're interested

 

[trainrech]

The swing out carrier I built for my 40 used bronze bushings. They wore out so next time they'll be bearings.

If you want to retrofit, I'd suggest going to a local bearing supply house (IBT here) and start comparing inner and outer shaft diameter.

 

[davegonz]

I tried the PB Blaster approach and it didn't really work. I'll take it apart and see if grease would work.

 

[gladly]

The swing out carrier I built for my 40 used bronze bushings. They wore out so next time they'll be bearings.

If you want to retrofit, I'd suggest going to a local bearing supply house (IBT here) and start comparing inner and outer shaft diameter.

how long did they last?

 

[trainrech]

how long did they last?

2 or 3 seasons IIRC. I don't wheel as often as most people on the board. I think the problem was a combination of a cantilevered 35" tire and washboard roads/trails. I took the carrier off but need to get it cleaned up and back on as the 40 now seats 3.