Rear hub bearings

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:26 pm

Hmm...

KevR · Post by **KevR** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:26 am

Now that's a proper blowtorch! Reminds me of when a front kingpin seized solid on my JCB. I rigged up a blowtorch like that and walked away for an hour or so, then quenched it with a couple of buckets of water. Then did the same again three or four times - worked in the end!

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:16 pm

Hmmmm....

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:34 pm

Was the blowtorch simply to soften the bearing race then, to make it machineable?

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:50 pm

Yes.

I've got a number of worn-out hubs on the shelf, and thought of trying to use a pair of them on the stationary engine project. Even though the yield strength might suffer a bit in the annealing process, the loads will be significantly smaller than in the automobile use, so I think it should work.

Post by **Defender110** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:28 pm

Why do you need to soften them, they'are not case hardened? They should be machinable without softening??

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:33 pm

Why can't you drift out the bearing from the road wheel side of the hub ?

I bet you just like playing with that 'weed burner' thing and showing off your lathe !

I'm jealous!

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:51 am

There may be differences in different brands. A least in those ones I checked, the races were directly machined into the hub material, and seemed to be hardened at least on the surfaces to the degree that I considered them un-machineable with regular bits. (Must admit that I didn't actually try, though..)

Post by **Defender110** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:09 am

I thought you were turning out the hub but that is the actual race which is seperate to the hub and knocks out (and is hardened)

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:20 am

Defender110 wrote:I thought you were turning out the hub but that is the actual race which is seperate to the hub and knocks out (and is hardened)

At least in that hub (as well as in a couple of others I checked), the outer race was not separate but machined directly into the hub, and that's the whole problem. Had to machine it out in order to be able to fit a separate bearing and not having to buy an entire hub. What they sell as "rear wheel bearing" at least over here is actually the entire hub assembly. Different thing with the front wheel bearings, which are more sensible design and do knock out.

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:33 pm

Two standard 40x68x15 bearings in place of the original integral one.

Post by **Defender110** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:15 pm

Nice to see a bit of good old fashioned engineering in this new throw away society.

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:41 am

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Tue May 01, 2012 3:10 pm

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Sun May 06, 2012 6:02 pm