Yes I am glad the mystery is solved too! Just got back from a short 150 mile test ride!!

 

Picture

 

can this bearing be pulled and reinstalled without ruining it? i thought they were a one time install bearing even with the right puller?

 

That's a good question. Based on my experience, pulling a "brand new" bearing and reinstalling it is not a faux pas. I say this contingent on the fact that the installer uses the proper bearing puller and seater. If you are using the bull-in-the-China-shop approach and beating your bearings into place, that's another story altogether. Clearance tolerances between the ***** and the race are very, very close. Anything that could cause race deformation will likely contribute to accelerated bearing wear. That's why tapping them into place is risky, compared to "pulling" them into place with constant, equally distributed, controlled pressure.

It is important to use plenty of Permatex assembly lube during install to minimize pressure on the bearing race. And if you need to pull it out for some reason, the assembly lube serves to reduce forces to a level that, in my opinion, are of no consequence to the bore alignment of the 25mm bearing.

Make sure your puller is a 25mm puller, not a 1" puller. Most bearing puller sets come with three collets. BUT, usually, none of them are 25 mm. I bought a 25mm collet from George's Garage. One inch equals 25.4 mm, not 25mm. That extra .4mm may not sound like much, and it isn't. You can get away with using the 1" collet if you want, but I am a "right tool" guy so I use the proper sized collet to match the bearing bore.

I would never remove and replace a used bearing with any miles on it at all. Sure, you might get away with it, but those bearings can put you on the ground if things go wrong. So to me it's not worth the cost differential to re-use a "used" wheel bearing that has been removed. Too many unknowns.

Of course these are just my personal opinions, based on my experience with wheel bearing installations. YMMV

 

That is looking good.

 

I have one of these bearings that is "new take-off" that I'll give away to anyone who needs it and is prepared to pay postage.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...t-train-6.html

 

That was a very informative post, pics and all...excellent!! Thanks Joe