Okay I want to throw the old wheels into the blasting cabinet and clean them up then repaint.. What is the best way to remove the bearing races from the wheels without a press.. Can it be done?? Then the best way to put them back? I do not want to blast the wheels and force media into the bearings.. And i do not want to just beat them out and possibly damage the wheels I do not have extras.... Let me know your secrets I am willing to learn...
removing bearing races from wheels
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If they don't come out with a light tap with a brass punch (if you're trying to save them) run a bead of weld on the running surface of the race, it'll fall out.
That's where a tig setup comes in handy, no problem doing it with a stick but tig is sooo much easier.....Mike
That's where a tig setup comes in handy, no problem doing it with a stick but tig is sooo much easier.....Mike
Brass is a no-no for tapping bearings out. It chips too easy. The proper item is a length of keysteel. It doesn't chip and is a lot softer than bearing steel so that it won't harm the rings. Hardened punches, on the other hand, will chip bearing steel.
This tip obtained at a bearing seminar put on by Torrington bearings. Competition is tough for steel mill bearings ($10,000 each bearing and a dozen or more bearings a year in our shop) and they don't want their bearings wrecked from improper work habits so that someone else gets the contract. (The competition may have longer lasting bearings!)
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Very good tip---Steel keystock is easy to find, and fairly cheap--most every DIY has some in their junk drawer....:fing32:
glenn
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I have always used a large screwdriver to tap the races out--until I bought the proper bushing/bearing driver tool....which I think I've used all of twice in 15 years!...
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That info's filed away or future reference, thanks......Mike
True............ to a point, which is what you will have at the end of a soft brass bar small enough to drive a bearing out of a hub as the bar peels, creating chips, against the sharp bearing edges.
Different grades of materials for different jobs.
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WOW, after 60 years I have been doing it wrong? NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, me too!! Seems to me better to chip the brass rather than chance chipping the brg race. And why wouldn't common hot rolled round or square stock work in place of keystock?
Mike
I agree. I did it incorrectly for 15 years as a millwright, untill I learned from experts in the field 25 years ago. Now that I know better, I don't take the chance.
Drill rod stock, plough steel wire stock (used to make wire rope, or by its more common name, cable) and bailing wire stock are examples of "common" hot rolled round stock. That's a wide variety of specs. Key stock is more limited in specifications.
Just passing on information. With the speeds and loads on GT wheel bearings it would take a long time to destroy them with a few brass chips. In a rolling mill, it can happen quite quickly. Quite often with expensive collateral damage.
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In the "which stock to use" debate, you may want to consider that the source of the stock, especially recently, may have a real effect on this debate. In days of old, when you got mild steel or brass stock, you knew it was fairly soft and malleable, making it excellent for forming. More recent stock seems to be coming in harder and less malleable, hence the new instructions from the experts. As examples, I've seen flat bar that cracked when cold bent 90 degrees, and new pipe that you couldn't thread with a hand threader. This harder stock will be more susceptible to chipping and cracking. Key stock has to be kept soft for its application, and so is a safer bet. It's unfortunate that we can't count on materials like we used to, but we have to learn and adapt.
Given Bob's info above, I might even anneal a couple of pieces of keystock, label them, and keep them in the tool box as punch tools. Thanks for the info.
Given Bob's info above, I might even anneal a couple of pieces of keystock, label them, and keep them in the tool box as punch tools. Thanks for the info.
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Glad you got them out OK, can't wait to see pics of the cleaned up wheels!
Lots of good info here. One other tip (stolen from an old Troy tiller manual) is to use a short length of steel pipe with one end cap. The diameter of the pipe needs to be about the same as the bearing. You put the open end on the bearing and hit the capped end with the hammer.
BTW, it's much better to use a proprely sized bearing punch, but this does work. Just be careful if the pipe is smaller than the outer race, in that case, move the pipe around as you hammer on it, so you're not hitting the inner race (as this could destroy the bearing).
Mike
Lots of good info here. One other tip (stolen from an old Troy tiller manual) is to use a short length of steel pipe with one end cap. The diameter of the pipe needs to be about the same as the bearing. You put the open end on the bearing and hit the capped end with the hammer.
BTW, it's much better to use a proprely sized bearing punch, but this does work. Just be careful if the pipe is smaller than the outer race, in that case, move the pipe around as you hammer on it, so you're not hitting the inner race (as this could destroy the bearing).
Mike
The same thing on a larger scale and they do not come fully assembled. TQO bearings are 4 row tapered roller bearings consisting of 8 primary pieces or assemblies, including the 2 rows of caged rollers on each cone as one assembly. Think of 4 tapered roller wheel bearings with 2 pairs of inner ring assemblies mounted back to back as double cone units and 2 outer rings mounted face to face as a double cup unit. Now stack the whole works, one piece/assembly at a time, with appropriate spacers, in a chock.
You will have to help them down the bore with a bar. The I.D. of these bearings is 20" or more, depending on which mill they are for and you don't want chips left in them from the assembly process.
Here's a pic.
http://factory.dhgate.com/roller-bearings/four-row-tapered-roller-bearing-p38550434.html
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