Wheel bearing removal $5 bearing

[drifter-paul]

There were no machined spots on my steering head. A real pain.

[RockinRollin]

Funny, when I removed my bearings there was no way I could move the spacer (sleeve) enough to tap out the bearings hence the need for the lag bolt. Glad it worked for you.

[greenbarn]

I guess I didn't mean it as being cheaper, really - the cost of the anchor is not a big factor- just (for me) the time and effort to find the appropriate sized anchor and use it -- I think (again for me) it's just much easier the old fashioned way.  I guess I've replaced enough wheel bearings, and other bearings,  in my time (trailer hubs, truck hubs, etc- they are all designed similarly) that it is just second nature to grab the long punch and tap the bearings out.   The center spacer (drifter wheel bearing) just floats in there, so as soon as you tap on it it moves over a bit, and you can strike the bearing race.    On the steering stem -  it's been a few years since I've done mine, but I was thinking there was a "cut-out" in the steering head, made for the purpose of being able to get to the bearing race.   I could be wrong, but I think the steering head has these machined spots.  I had trouble finding a good picture, but found an article on mrcycles.com, describing how to change wheel bearings, and found this picture, which is not fantastic, but does show the machined cut-out for access.   I blew it up and marked  it in the second pic.  Sometimes these are hard to see, especially with grease from the bearing all over, etc.

Having said all that, after thinking more about it, I can see where the anchor method might seem easier for folks that may not have done this a lot before.  It really is a neat trick-  works just like the formal bearing-removal-tool, and it's a lot lot cheaper than buying the tool.

[RockinRollin]

When I attempted to remove the wheel bearings I tried the drift on the inside race first which would have been the easiest method but due to the spacer between the bearings there just wasn't enough bearing race exposed. I like to make videos of the work I have done on my bike.
At 1:50 into the video below I show and explain how I removed the bearings.

https://youtu.be/F_GKXKTCNQo

[drifter-paul]

Yeah thank you, Greenbarn, for the cheaper option, but

looking at the manual/s (I do understand the theory), considering how much 'purchase on the inside race' I had on the triple tree bearings, I was not EVER going thru that again.
For $4 US per wheel/2 minutes-6 bangs, and no chance of damaging the surround on exit, I would recommend this method as a bargain for the wheel bearings.

Now, I just gotta find supplier of massive Anchor bolts, for next time I change steering bearings !!! 

[greenbarn]

On the wheel bearing, you can also skip the trouble of going to find the appropriate sized anchor.  Just a large long tapered drift punch will reach from the opposite side and you can get enough purchase on the inside race of the bearing to knock it out. 

[drifter-paul]

RockinRollin,

Wow, vibration analysis, that blows me away. There is just so much technology and we rarely get to see/hear of the ingenuity that runs our world - unless it is in our own little sphere.

I live, and I'm still not too old to learn. Good stuff.

[RockinRollin]

Yes I should have, under the bearing surface spalling will occur that is not always visible. We cut them open after vibration analysis shows the start of bearing failure in the vibration signature. When we don't see an obvious cause for bearing defect frequencies we ship them off to a lab who checks them under a microscope and looks for damage below the surface, it helps improve our predictive maintenance program.

[drifter-paul]

should have sent them to him/her before you cut then open !!!! 

[RockinRollin]

Bearings may not always feel like there is a problem when you turn them by hand. Sometimes they are only an issue at high speeds under load but keep using them and they will eventually fail.  I have cut open bearings that were flagged as defective only to see nothing and then sent them to a bearing specialist ( SKF) who condemned them as defective.

[--Jerry S--]

Will keep for future.  Thx

[drifter-paul]

IMPORTANT to know.

Fitted the front wheel bearings and new left side seal (right side seal is in speedo drive pod, hence, doesn't need to be removed).

Interestingly, when I spun the old  bearing by inserting my finger to detect wear (like I do when putting a new tyre on) there was none detectable.

BUT, give the bearing a shake and you can hear a rattle.

[RockinRollin]

That's what I used when I swapped mine out. Works great and only cost a few bucks.

[drifter-paul]

Am about to change wheel bearings, and found this handy/cheap method on youtube. Copy and paste the address below into your search field, there is also a link down the bottom right of the video to get a longer version.

It uses a 20mm Anchor bolt (masonry plug/rawplug) 120mm long - you can see similar in the video - not sure what you call them.

I tested it first on an old bearing , a mate had lying around. At first I thought the video man must have used an Imperial  3/4 inch. The bearing i.d. is 19.97 mm on my vernier and the mushroom head of the bolt slides in with a little leeway. The expanding collar wouldn't fit thru by hand, but a few taps with a wooden mallet and it slipped in. My bolt is by Ramset and has two collars. I removed the plain nut-end collar to get room to hold the bolt by the thread while tightening the nut. 

Had problems trying to put the link here. So amend the following - youtube.com/watch?v=t7VQnNfqJtA