Dexter Axle Bearings

[dewdev 48]

After seeing a past post about bearings and if they are made in China, I did some research as I want to have a spare set of Temkin bearings on hand and be able to change out my bearings when I hit around 12,000 miles on my newly purchased 2018 Oliver Elite II.

Here is what I found:

- On my first call to Dexter they refered me to Southwestwheel.com. South West sold bearings made in Japan and Timken bearings made in the US.

- A week later, I contacted Dexter again and they told me they sold bearings that are made in China.

- After hanging up from Dexter, I contacted South West Wheel and they gave me the following information for Dexter's 3500 lb axle (but they said to compare these part numbers with the ones printed on my existing bearings):

South West Wheel, Part #  KT84 for Timken bearings_complete kit = $102.60

Timken Kit Contains:
2 - HL154A Grease Caps
2 - L44649 Timken Outer Bearings (1 1/16" ID)
2 - L68149 Timken Inner Bearings (1 3/8" ID)
2 - L44610 Timken Outer Races
2 - L68111 Timken Inner Races
2 - 55846 Seals
12 - X1023R Nuts
2 - 90601 1" Spindle Nuts
2 - A1W Spindle Washers
2 - 18X134CP Cotter Pins

2 - FS622P Torsion Axle Grease Caps w/Rubber Plugs

2 - FS122 Torsion Axle Tang Washers

My first  question - Since I do not want to buy the bearing kit and then start the bearing removal just to find out they are the wrong parts, can anyone confirm that these are the correct Oliver/Dexter 3500 lb axle bearings?

Second question - Does this price look reasonable?

Third question - South West Wheel also has a larger kit that also includes the wheel hub (the part that the breaks press against). For those that have replaced bearing (or repacked their bearings) is it necessary to replace the wheel hub when replacing wheel bearings?

Thanks

 

 

 

Edited February 11 by dewdev

[John E Davies 1,437]

You drive out the rear seal and bearing to service it (clean, inspect, and grease it) and replace the seal with a new one every time. If either bearing is bad, you drive out the races and install two new bearings and races. Never change just a bearing or race, they are matched sets. Never change only one bearing set if it is bad, the metal particles have already damaged the other set.

You can carry a complete spare hub assembly with bearings, it would be very awkward and heavy. When you install a new drum, the worn shoes will not match the curve of the new drum, so that brake will never work right. If you replace a drum, both drums on that axle should be replaced AND both brake assemblies. $$$$

This is why disk brakes make so much more sense.... they have none of these “mismatched” wear pattern issues, and are super easy and inexpensive to service.

John Davies

 Spokane WA

Edited February 11 by John E Davies

[bhncb 195]

There are a lot of unnecessary parts listed in that kit, some you can't even use. All you need are the bearing cones and races and a grease seal. Everything else can be reused unless you damage or lose something. The bearing sets are available for $5-6 and a seal is around $3-4.

Those bearing part numbers listed are correct for your axles but they are also industry standard numbers that every bearing manufacturer uses. Timken specific numbers to search for a cone and race set are: SET17 (for the inner), SET4 (for the outer), and then 473336 for the seal, which may be in either a National or Timken box.. Sometimes pricing will vary between buying a SET part number and the individual numbers. For instance: SET4 versus L44649 and L44610.

[topgun2 1,406]

What bhncb said above if you are doing this service at home.  However, if you are interested in carrying an "emergency" pack to be used in the event you have a problem on the road, you can either simply buy a third (or forth ) set of bhncb's recommended parts, wrap them up in bags and rags, or you can get something like the picture below to carry around with you.  I've been carrying two of these for the past five years for the "just in case type of thing" plus a small can of bearing grease and (thank goodness) have never needed them.

Bill

 

Edited February 11 by topgun2
added detail

[bhncb 195]

Another point to remember is that bearing don't have a recommended change interval. Don't just assume because they have 12,000 miles on them they're shot. The number one cause of  trailer bearing failures is infrequent use and the subsequent corrosion or pitting that can occur due to grease contaminated by condensation/moisture forming inside the hub. Routine inspection and repacking, or more frequent supplanting of old grease, are the accepted ways to extend bearing life.

[dewdev 48]

This information is great. Thanks ALL!!

[AndrewK 193]

Dexter recommends Permatex High-Temp Red RTV Silicone Gasket to be used on the bearing seal before installation.  Is this needed on Timken bearing seals?

Thanks,

Andrew

[NCeagle 473]

If you are going to use Timken's, they make their own brand of grease:  https://www.timken.com/products/timken-mechanical-power-transmission-products/lubrication-lubrication-systems/automotive-wheel-bearing-grease/

Not sure if it's better or not (probably not), but I picked up some Timken specific grease for when I replace my Dexter's.

[John E Davies 1,437]

I am sure the Timken grease is really good, and also really expensive. But it is still a regular lithium based product, with all the limitations that come with that kind of chemistry.

 

If you are going to invest in a premium brand of lubricant, you should probably get the most premium one available.

I have been using CV2 in just about everything for several years now, and I am not going back. I used to pay $14 for a dinky 3 ounce tube of special Phil Wood  bicycle bearing grease, for just $2 more I get 14 ounces, so now I just use the Redline.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited February 18 by John E Davies

[2008RN 14]

John,

Thanks for your input on Grease,  I repacked all of our bicycles this winter, and of coarse I used Phil Wood Grease.  I love it, using CV2 on most of my grease needs.

[Ralph Mawyer 22]

They still make Phil Wood grease?  I'm still using a tube from my bike mechanic days from the mid-70s. 😉

 

[2008RN 14]

I bought 3-4 tubes back in the early 80s, back with ordering through a Nashbar catalog.  Back then there wasn't that many great bike shops to buy good gear, so I would save up and make large purchases a couple of times a year.  I still buy more tubes than I will ever need. I bet I have at least 8 brand new tubes on hand. I end up scrapping  some now and then due to age. I keep enough parts on hand to repair any problems on our bikes that would arise.  I also went through a time starting in the late 80's with hubs with sealed bearings, so the headset was the only thing that got re-greased.  Now we have 4 bikes that are back to loose bearing.  Back in the early 80s I even had a tools for lubing the old clusters, I could hook up the tool with the tube and grease the cluster.  Oh ya back on topic, this is  an Oliver forum.