Baystate Jeepers

So I just put in new trailer bearings for the trip to rausch. They are actually from a 1950's ford pickup front spindle! The spindles were welded to box tube to make the axle.



How tight should the nut be? I made it so without the wheel the hub could turn about 2-3 times after a good push, but with the weight of the tire/rim it would spin 10-15 times. Too tight? Too loose? Trying to find the right balance between support and friction.

From e-trailer.com...

Final Castle Nut Adjustment:
To make sure the hub is seated properly, back off the castle nut until it is loose.
Then tighten the castle nut snugly until it stops.
Look to see where the cotter pin hole lines up with one of the notches on the nut.
On hubs that use the tang washer or cage to lock the nut, you will have to do this by sight.
Then back the nut off one notch, so that the cotter pin will fit through the castle nut.
Install the cotter pin and then spin and rock the hub.
When you rock the hub you should feel the hub barely moving front to back.
Try experimenting by loosening the castle nut one more notch to feel the difference in the play in the hub.
Then install the wheel and rock the hub again.
On the outside edge of the tire, the movement should not be more than 1/4" inch.
Any play should be barely noticeable.
When you are satisfied with the adjustment, secure the cotter pin.
Push the pin through the hole on the end of the spindle and through the notches on the nut.
Then split the bottom of the pin to the left and right.

I was surprised about how "loose" the nut should be when I looked into it. It seems to work though...

JW

Me too!! When I figured out the only thing keeping my camper on the wheels was a loose nut and an old bent cotter pin, I splurged for the 28 cents for new ones.

hopefully it's ok! there is less then 1/8" of play in the tires, so i guess I'll see how hot things get. The other potential problem is that the races are slightly pitted, but i broke two pullers trying to get them out.

Trailer bearings typically run loose compared to auto apps. I know your spindles are truck units, but with <1/8" of play, they'll be fine. The Dexter axles in my trailer are spec'd to run loose and ran perfect (nice and cool) going to Moab and back.

You should also only need a drift to remove the races from the hub. Remove the outer bearing and from the backside, tap out the front race. Then with the front bearing and front race removed, put the spindle back on and and finger tighten the hub nut. Now pull the hub off with a nice quick pull and the inner bearing and oil seal with pop off. Then tap out the inner race with the drift.