Re: spare wheel bearings for the road

MMcavoy1@aol.com
Thu, 29 Jul 1999 21:48:43 EDT


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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I am in the bearing business and hope this helps re the trailer bearing
question. Most trailers utilize a bearing design called a tapered roller
bearing....they are two piece bearings...the outer ring is called the cup and
it is pressed/interference fit into the hub...the inner/roller & cage set is
called the cone and it is a loose or slide fit on the shaft
...the dimension of the shaft usually will tell you what bearing set to
order....I would jack up the trailer...remove the tire....attempt to obtain a
part # from the inner/cone and, if I had to, I might remove the lock nut and
washer and remove the inner/cone and read the part #
...It may be something like LM 11949 and the bearing houses know they should
also sell you a LM 11910 to go with this particular set ( LM 67048 and LM
67010 are another popular set ) There are lots of sizes so look!

When examining the inner & rollers/cone I look for wear, scoring, smearing,
heat discoloration or any other sign I can find that the bearing has been
harmed. If I do find this then I assume the outer ring/ the cup also needs
to be replaced and, as this is pressed into the hub, it may be a trick for
you to remove....but it should be done or you are wasting the effort...IMHO.

There are or were emergency bearing kits available for boaters. You supplied
the part number and the kit came with 2 Cups, 2 Cones, a dab of bearing
grease and a handy-wipe to clean your hands.

If you don't want to go thru all of this you should be able to find the name
of the trailer mfgr on the trailer and if you call them they will be able to
give you the bearing part numbers for the set you need ( the bearing part
numbers follow a generic system ...but not all brands are of the same quality
so...... )
..... good on you to plan ahead for an emergency. I have helped people out
on the road and notice that bearings never fail where it is easy to find the
right replacement set....weekends, nights or deep in the pucker brush.

Mike McAvoy
Portland, OR
Who is still looking for a 19' WWP