I read here on the forum that a member had frozen a wheel bearing by putting in frig. for like 4 hours and warmed up the wheel with a hair dryer and the "frozen" wheel bearing dropped right in???? Just wondering if anyone else had done this or even heard of such a thing? Any other EZ (cheap) method, Dealer want 1/2 hour to install per bearing!!! T.I.A.!!!!! Tim..... :-)

 

If you put them in the freezer, it will help some. I had mine in over night, but they still did not "drop in". It will still take some force from a plate puller to seat them all the way.

Unless you heated the entire rim from the bead all the way to the bearing bore, I cannot see how that would do much good (with a hair dryer). You could only raise the rim temperature 30-40 degrees tops, that is not enough to expand the bore enough to drop the bearing in.

 

Put the bearings in the freezer for a couple hours. Lay the wheel out in the sunshine to warm it up. Install the bearings quickly though, cause once they heat back up they won't fall in so easily. Cold contracts the bearing and heat expands the wheel.

 

But a thick threaded rod from the hardware store. Get some big fender washers of different sizes and nuts. Make a tool to pull them both in, one at a time.Dont forget the spacer or to seat the bearings fully either.. usa assembly lube on them.

 

This is the only easy way to install wheel bearings without a press, and it works great. I used the Sun/freezer method yesterday on a F150 they did not drop right in but it was close.

 

Nope, but I'm getting some new wheels and I'm going to use this method.
We used dry ice and ovens for this in the Navy.

 

Freeze the bearings and heat the hub (I use a heat gun). Have your press ready or use the threaded rod method. Work quickly when installing, you don't want to stop with them half way in.

 

I have not had to do this (yet) but reading the responses had me doing an experiment. Naturally getting the bearing cold in the freezer will cause it to contract, at least somewhat. Heating the hub will of course cause it to expand.

For the experiment I used my digital thermometer on my Snap on rolling stool and the starting temp was 67.2. After just 2 minutes with my heat gun set on high it got to 208.4 degrees. It may take some trial and error but between the hot/cold and other suggestions you should be able to pull it off without much problem.

 

You might be able to get somewhere with a heat gun, they get a lot hotter than a hair dryer.

 

I've frozen my nuts off before, that count?