M116A3 trailer with tore up inner bearing race that I can't get off

[pclausen]

I've been working on a A3 trailer that holds my MEP803A set and started tearing into it today.

I noticed the right wheel was WAY sloppy, so I pulled it and the hub and found this:



So inner bearing completely destroyed.

I tried pulling the race out:



But even after putting a lot of heat to it, it would not budge.

I then removed the brake assembly and tried both a drift punch and air hammer/chisel. Still nothing:



Closeup:



Those chips on the shaft were already there, those are not my doing.

My guess is that the rollers from the destroyed bearing put a lot of force against the race to where it basically became part of the axle.

The wheel had so much wobble that it scraped up against this piece and bent it pretty badly: (I was able the straighten it out easily in my press)



So what should I try next? Take a Dremel with a cut off wheel and carefully cut through it?

 

[Roller]

I've been working on a A3 trailer that holds my MEP803A set and started tearing into it today.

I noticed the right wheel was WAY sloppy, so I pulled it and the hub and found this:

View attachment 961723

So inner bearing completely destroyed.

I tried pulling the race out:

View attachment 961724

But even after putting a lot of heat to it, it would not budge.

I then removed the brake assembly and tried both a drift punch and air hammer/chisel. Still nothing:

View attachment 961725

Closeup:

View attachment 961726

Those chips on the shaft were already there, those are not my doing.

My guess is that the rollers from the destroyed bearing put a lot of force against the race to where it basically became part of the axle.

The wheel had so much wobble that it scraped up against this piece and bent it pretty badly: (I was able the straighten it out easily in my press)

View attachment 961727

So what should I try next? Take a Dremel with a cut off wheel and carefully cut through it?

Score it with a cut off wheel and split it with a chisel.

 

[Tinstar]

That’s impressive!
Good catch.

Recommend you also replace the bearing set on the other side regardless of how they look now.
That way you know exactly what brand of bearings you have and that they are properly greased, etc.
Use Timken if you can. They are worth the extra cost.

Agree with the scoring and chisel method.

 

[NDT]

I typically surgically cut it off with cutting torch. Gor to be super careful you don’t cut the spindle.

 

[pclausen]

I cut it with a Dremel:



Then I heated it and got on it with a chisel:



Nothing.

I then switched to an air hammer: (after heating it some more)



Still nothing.

I then tried my puller again. Nothing.

I'm thinking maybe I cut it on the bottom as well and then try working the 2 halves?

 

[pclausen]

As for ordering new bearings, am I correct these are the ones I want?

Inner Bearing/Cup: L68149/L68111 Timken SET 17
Outer Bearing/Cup: L44649/L44610 Timken SET 4

The above Timken sets are readily available on Amazon for cheap.

The seals are harder to find. I think this is what I'm looking for:

Seal: 12436705 / NSN: 5330-01-468-4566

 

[juanprado]

from other posts seals are 10-36:

https://www.etrailer.com/p-RG06-070.html

M101A2-A3 Brake Shoes & bearings

I have a few of the a2/a3 trailers and have found a lot of auto parts stores and Agri Supply carry the bearings and seals for these trailers. I also know that Titan/Dico makes the Backing plates and some brake parts. Bendix also some parts.....BUT ......... does anyone know if the brake...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[Jbulach]

The race must have spun and perfectly friction welded itself to the spindle. It maybe imposable to cleanly remove without finding someone with a lathe big enough to chuck the axle in and cut it off. Or maybe someone here has a good axle laying around…

 

[Roller]

I cut it with a Dremel:

View attachment 961755

Then I heated it and got on it with a chisel:

View attachment 961756

Nothing.

I then switched to an air hammer: (after heating it some more)

View attachment 961757

Still nothing.

I then tried my puller again. Nothing.

I'm thinking maybe I cut it on the bottom as well and then try working the 2 halves?

I agree, that way it will be easier to split

 

[juanprado]

Yes try another cut and spray pentrating oil and atf to let it sip in.

A3 axles are pricey some on ebay as they have the drop for hmmwv wheels and tires.

 

[Tinstar]

 

[Tinstar]

I would cut it again and try again.
Like already mentioned, looks to possibly be friction welded on.

Use chisel laterally also.

This happened on my 1986 Airstream, but it came off much easier than this.
Grind, chisel and it was off. Emery cloth made it look new again.
No issues since.

 

[87cr250r]

Lots of options to remove it. An air propane torch isn't going to cut it for heating. You need rapid heating to create a temperature differential between the race and shaft. Properly fit that bearing race will have 0.002-0.003" of interference fit which is quite heavy which will require about 150°F of temperature differential to expand the race sufficiently. With that said automotive spindles don't run proper fits for tapered roller bearings as they typically have clearance.

The Dremel is a good idea. You need to cut close to the shaft diameter for it to work. It's not the end of the world if you cut the spindle a little.

You can just run a 4.5 inch grinding wheel on it. When the race starts getting thin you'll start to see the metal discolor. Stop when you see this.

I had to cut this one to take the rollers out so I could disassemble it. Bearing removal is a destructive process.

 

[pclausen]

I'll cut another notch in it and make sure both are deep to where the metal starts to discolor.

If that doesn't work, I'll switch from the air propane torch I have been using to my acetylene torch.

@Tinstar Thanks for the pics of the Timken bearings. Already ordered the Timken SET 4 and 17. I'm now wondering if I ordered the wrong ones. Guess I'll find out soon enough and if I did, will return them and order the ones you pictured above.

 

[Tow4]

+2 Use the acetylene torch.

 

[pclausen]

I cut a 2nd groove, this time going a little deeper. I then started hitting it with a chisel laterally and then with an air chisel. Finally started to see a crack:



Cut the groove a little deeper in front of the crack and then used the air chisel some more, both laterally and pushing the race until I finally saw the race start to move on the spindle!

I then put on my puller and it started to come out. Once I got it pulled out about 1/2", I cut the race some more in the area that had not yet cracked as I could now easily cut it since I was away from the spindle shoulder. And then the race popped. Puller was easily able to pull it off the rest of the way at this point.

So here's what the spindle looks like:



So definitely looks like the race spun on the spindle. Clean it up with some 400 grit sandpaper and then emery cloth?

Inside of race:



I'll do the other side next, hopefully that will be a lot easier.

 

[Tinstar]

Nicely done!
Glad you discovered the problem when you did and not on the side of the road after you lost a wheel.
Great pictures showing detail.

Go slow and it should clean up nice.
I used a flap disk and then emery cloth and it cleaned up really nice.
While yours is a bit worse, it looks like it's definitely savable.
Key is to go slow and not remove too much material.

The part numbers of the bearing sets are pinned in a thread at the top of the trailer forum.
I have used these bearings/seals on 4 trailers so far without fail.

 

[pclausen]

Other side came right off:



But unfortunately, I think I found out why the inner bearing was destroyed on the other side:



The whole spindle is bent downwards by several degrees...

I'm guessing the whole axle is toast or can a good shop straighten it out?

 

[juanprado]

Did the tire on the damage side show irregular wear?

 

[87cr250r]

Axles are supposed to have camber which will cause them to appear bent downwards. The spindle in the second pic looks fine. The bearing seats are clean. The rough area looks like the forging was too small to clean up during machining. On the damaged side I would get it cleaned up enough to get a bearing on it and take it to a trailer shop and have the spindle replaced. It will be undersized by the time you get it cleaned up.