O/T Trailer bearings
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi everyone. Ive replaced trailer bearings loads of times before but never come across this. I was given this trailer and now i think i know why.

I replaced the bearings as their was that much play it felt the wheel was going to come off. I noticed that the washer wasnt flat as normal and had grooves in it. At first i thought it was normal as it didnt look like they had worn that way but on closer inspection it may have. Im just not sure.
Has anyone come across conical bearing washers with grooves in them?

Few pics.








If i put the washer on one way, the nut goes in too far and the split pin becomes redundant as well as just locking up the wheel.
Put it the other way around and it all sits right but the washer is turning when the wheel spins and will just wear itself and the castle nut out.

Thanks for looking.

Matt.

From the top photo, the inner race of the bearing is all wrong - it is far too far in, it should be just a little bit further out than the shoulder on the stub shaft, not behind the shoulder.

As it is, the washer can't clamp the inner race like it's supposed to so I'm not surprised the washer has been wrecked.

Unless the berings have a specially extended inner race (like later mini wheel bearings) there should be a spacer between the two inner races and I would guess the spacer is missing hence all the damage.

Would need to see the hub completely in bits to be certain though.

EDIT - the other possibility is the race is in backwards.

I'm assuming ball bearings (as it's just a trailer) but if they are taper roller bearings they may be of the design that doesn't use a spacer but allows you to set the end float by hand and just relies on the split pin to maintain it.

If so, there is still something seriously wrong as the inner race has to be further out than the outer race to be able to set the end float.

Edited by Rod S on 26th Jul, 2012.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

do you know the manufacturer of the suspension units? that may help is getting the correct details

Those are taper bearings and they are installed the wrong way - Very dangerous.

Edited by Sprocket on 26th Jul, 2012.

Cheers lads. They are taper bearings and i have installed them exactly the same way they came out which is worrying. Its got ALKO on the hub caps. Ill strip em down again and have another play. If its going to cost £££'s then its going for scrap as i got the trailer for free and spent about £60 on it already. Probably get £20 scrap.

Will strip the hubs down this weekend and take some more photos. Thanks for the advice.