Wheel bearings
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Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,302
Likes: 52
From: Hinton, Alberta
Wheel bearings
To you guys that have changed your own wheel bearings. How did you get your old bearings out? A friend with some metal working tools has an idea for a puller. He's going to make it tomorrow. Just wondering what pullers you used.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
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From: Broomfield, CO
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,666
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From: Styxville
Heat the hub with a propane torch or heat gun and the bearings will pretty much fall out.
Gentle tap with a long thin punch through the axle hole from the other side may be needed if you don't get it quite hot enough. Get it hot enough that it sizzles when you spit on it is about right. And freeze the new bearings so they will fall into place.
Gentle tap with a long thin punch through the axle hole from the other side may be needed if you don't get it quite hot enough. Get it hot enough that it sizzles when you spit on it is about right. And freeze the new bearings so they will fall into place.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: South Jersey
I Have a piece of old 1" bar that I weld into the bearings inner race. Then just knock the bearing out with a long punch. On 99 and down models I weld a washer to the inner race and knock it out. Most of the time the weld shrinks the race anyway and it just falls out. I've been meaning to just cut off a handfull of 1/4" thick pieces of 1" roundstock just for welding into bearings to knock them out (now that I'm replacing more 2000 and newer bearings at the 'Ol home shop). When you press the new bearings in make sure they get pressed by the outer part of the bearing. I only say this because I've worked with guys who called themselves mechanics and pressed in cars hub bearings using too small of a tool and ruined the new bearing.
Last edited by BikerV; Jun 25, 2010 at 05:36 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Decatur, Alabama
I purchased the puller/installer from www.georges-garage.com
The link didn't work for whatever reason. I googled it and came up with this:
http://www.georges-garage.com/
The direct link to the wheel bearing pullers is here: http://www.georges-garage.com/chassis_tools.htm
By the way, thanks for posting up the original link.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Windham,Maine
Having the right tools makes any job a joy to do,and having a little mechanical ability is a required skill.Personally have repaired a lot of stuff over the years from do it yourselfers.Especially those with short fuses.
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Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,302
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From: Hinton, Alberta
Had a look at Georges-garage. I may have to go that route if the puller my buddy is going to make doesn't work. Hope his works seeing as how my wheel is sitting on the work bench 
I looked in some tool supplier catalogs and didn't find any bearing pullers that would be even close to working.
I looked in some tool supplier catalogs and didn't find any bearing pullers that would be even close to working.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,395
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From: Utah
Has anyone tried the $16.95 Harbor Freight inner wheel bearing puller? It looks very similar to the one that HD has in the shop manual. Hard to believe this will work when George's wants $195 but if you don't do it all the time, why go to that expense? I would like to do my own if possible but with the inner cylinder spacer it takes a very careful setting of the inner collet because the shoulder that you can grab on to is very thin!
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Farmington ,MS
I have a full set of bearing pullers that work with a slide hammer...they would not budge the wheel bearings...bought this one...works like a charm
http://compare.ebay.com/like/1706102...=263602_309572
http://compare.ebay.com/like/1706102...=263602_309572
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Blairsville GA
I go to my local Advance Auto Parts and borrow a bearing puller. It's free but they take an imprint of your credit card in case you don't bring it back. The kind you want is the one that goes through the bearing and expands when tightened. Use a slide hammer on the bearing to remove.