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Thread: Wheel bearing swapping question

  1. #1

    Wheel bearing swapping question

    Hi folks:

    I've purchased some wheels for my ultralight project, and I'd like some ideas on how to change the wheel bearings. The wheels are this model:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    These have the basic wheel bearings that I'm going to replace with sealed ball bearings (5/8 inch axle). My question is how do I pull the old bearings? They're really tiny, so normal puller tools don't seem appropriate. Obviously, I'll just press the new bearings in when the old bearings are removed.

    Thanks,

    Michael

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    Just tap the bearing out using a steel bar from the opposite side.

  3. #3
    George Sychrovsky's Avatar
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    This is a wheel barrow wheel and the bearings that are in it have a flange on the outside which holds the bearing in position preventing it to go any further in , the real wheels have a flange reduced diameter on the inside of the wheel which prevents the bearing to go further in and real sealed bearings have no flanges,
    In other words you got the wrong wheels.
    Disclaimer ; opinions of others will vary depending on what they’re selling.

    http://the-grand-design.com/

  4. #4
    Nope - got the sealed replacement bearings from the same manufacturer, and they have the flange too.

    I think I need something like this, but smaller:

    https://www.harborfreight.com/Rear-A...Set-62960.html

    I'm thinking I could grind off the sides of a washer so it slipped down through the hole, and make it work the same way.
    Last edited by Michael Miles; 09-03-2017 at 09:00 PM.

  5. #5
    George Sychrovsky's Avatar
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    In that case you can knock the old ones out with anything that fits through the opposite hole, they come out real easy
    Disclaimer ; opinions of others will vary depending on what they’re selling.

    http://the-grand-design.com/

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Like the others have said, can use a punch & hammer and tap them out from the opposite side. If that's too easy, a finger puller or other hook on a slide hammer will work. They make them small enough to pull a 6mm ID bearing.

  7. #7
    Thanks for the inout everybody - I ordered a bearing puller slide hammer kit from amazon (1/2 price of the same at Harbor Freight). Needed this forum to know what they were called so I could google search.

    Michael

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    1,609
    I never did like those steel rims. AZUSA now makes there rims in a 3 inch flavor. But this was not always the case. I took a set of their rims and had them machined down to replace this rim you show. They look way better and weigh less then these steel rims for these are aluminum.

    Here is a video I made showing these wheels or rims. Jump to 1:30 on this video and I show these rims. Now AZUSA offers these rims just as you see them here. They use a better bearing and you can setup brakes if you want them. But not needed really.


  9. #9
    The Mark 1 version will use the steel wheels with the idea of upgrading if needed/wanted. That's one reason I'm going with the 5/8 inch axle, so I can replace them with AZUSA wheels. I'm looking at the AZUSALITE nylon wheels too.

    I did get the first wheel modified by using a finger puller and slide hammer as suggested by martymayes. Getting them out was harder than I thought it would be , but installing the new sealed ball bearings was a lot easier than I thought. I just used a 5/8 bolt and 3/4 inch washers (all grade 8) which cleared the inner race, but pressed on the outer race to tighten both bearings into the wheel at once.

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