Install wheel bearings letter side out??
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Central, Ca.
Install wheel bearings letter side out??
Manual says letter side out, both sides of the bearings look identical, guess it doesn't matter, putting fresh bearings in rear wheel.
Thread Starter
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 39,824
Likes: 2,121
From: Central, Ca.
Ya, there must have been a reason for the manual to say that, maybe earlier bearings could take cornering thrust better installed like they say. Both sides have the same printing on current bearings
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Vermont
There are not numbers on letters/numbers on both sides. The black seal of the bearing has numbers on both sides, but the internal race of the bearing has letters/numbers on one side only. That is the side that faces out. In the attached pic, the red arrow points to where you will see the numbers.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 983
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From: Indiana
why it's important
Since they specify a direction it is probably because the bearings are a angular contact type bearing.
Standard ball bearings are only good at taking a load at a 90 degree angle to the axle.
And are very poor at taking side loads.
In applications where loading in both directions is important a angular contact bearing is used.
In this case it is a angular contact ball bearing. In a bearing without seals is is normally easy to tell the correct mounting because one face of the bearing is wider than the other.
In this application the wider outer race would be to the inside, and wider inner race to the outside.
The attached picture shows how a set of angular contact bearing would be mounted.
The only thing different on a wheel is that there is a spacer between the bearings.
The wheel hub itself is the outer spacer and the inner spacer is a sleeve.
The length of the inner sleeve can be changed to control the end play.
Standard ball bearings are only good at taking a load at a 90 degree angle to the axle.
And are very poor at taking side loads.
In applications where loading in both directions is important a angular contact bearing is used.
In this case it is a angular contact ball bearing. In a bearing without seals is is normally easy to tell the correct mounting because one face of the bearing is wider than the other.
In this application the wider outer race would be to the inside, and wider inner race to the outside.
The attached picture shows how a set of angular contact bearing would be mounted.
The only thing different on a wheel is that there is a spacer between the bearings.
The wheel hub itself is the outer spacer and the inner spacer is a sleeve.
The length of the inner sleeve can be changed to control the end play.
Last edited by vzts4q; Jul 25, 2011 at 10:55 AM.
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Novice
Joined: Oct 2010
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I believe the reason for the orientation is the numbered side will take more stress....for the installation of the bearing.
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