Front wheel bearings

[JimSraj 430]

Been. Working on a 1267 for a few months now and have the engine rebuilt,installed and running well.  Governor is going to need some more adjusting though and since I don’t have a tach I’m not sure about the high end rpms. Any help on that would be greatly appreciated. 

Also, want to replace the front wheel bearings before I take it to my camp in WV where it will be put to work. If I’m measuring correctly the bearings in the wheels now are 3/4” id  and 1-1/4” od. Can anyone confirm that?  I thought they were gonna be 1-3/8” od. 

Thanks ..

Edited May 3, 2022 by JimSraj

[ebinmaine 67,657]

5 hours ago, JimSraj said:

don’t have a tach

There are cheap electronic tachs available on the interwebs. $20? Maybe less. 

Definitely a worthwhile purchase. 

 

5 hours ago, JimSraj said:

If I’m measuring correctly the bearings in the wheels now are 3/4” id  and 1-1/4” od. Can anyone confirm that?  I thought they were gonna be 1-3/8” od

 

Have you measured the wheel bore as cleaned all out?

Double checked to be sure there is no interference or damage?

 

[Racinbob 11,096]

Double check that Jim. They should be 1-3/8" OD. 

[953 nut 55,324]

Perhaps @WHX?? will stop by, he has more '67 Wheel Horses than anyone else, sure he will know.

[WHX?? 48,833]

Yes 1 3/8" OD x 3/4" ID for sure. They are just the real common low speed bearings that can be had at the jungle or fleabay.

If they are a little loose lightly prick punch the inside of the hub in a couple of spots.

They will have seals both sides so pick out the inside seal if you plan on lubing  them through the zerk.  Greasy easy Pete would say repack them with red hi tack and he is right as they don't have much in them if you are going to run them sealed.  

They don't come with a lot of quality lube in them but I don't think you are gonna run the Indy 500 with her. 

General consensus here is run them sealed for a queenie or light duty... grease if a worker. 

[Cee245 818]

12 hours ago, JimSraj said:

  Governor is going to need some more adjusting though and since I don’t have a tach I’m not sure about the high end rpms. Any help on that would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Here is a cheap tach/ hr meter I hooked up. I use it on my 417a. It has adjustable settings so you can use it on multiple applications. I set mine to 4 stroke twin and it maxes out around 3600rpm which is about what it should be. Works for me. Good luck

 

 

Cory

[JimSraj 430]

Thanks for all the advice. I’ll rechaeck that diameter tomorrow. I’ve ordered the tach that cee245 suggested. Hope I can figure out how to use it correctly. 

[davem1111 2,030]

I was looking to see what I could find out about front wheel bearings across WH models. Not sure which ones are the same, or how hard they are to change.

 

Mainly I'm looking for 1980's-early 90's 300/400 series and a GT-1848, but I also have a 1976 B-100 that is my "winter project".  Most of them are a bit wobbly, and it seems like the inside bearings are the worst.  On the one 416-8 I have a brand new pair of wheels + tires that I bought through Walmart, that fit and look great but the inner part that slides over the spindle isn't as wide as it should be, so I had to put bushings on the spindle first that are about 1-1/2" wide. (I used some plastic ones I had on hand that fit pretty good but I'm sure won't last very long- will buy some brass ones at some point). For the rest, I'd rather repair the rims I have.

 

I guess the main questions are:

 

1) how hard is it to get the old bearings out?  I don't have a press, would probably be putting something through the inner hole to hammer out the bearing on the opposite side, which most likely will destroy it. If I can do that without damaging the rim, I won't care because I'll be putting new bearings in.

 

2) Where is the best place to source new bearings, and do they go by WH model or just the size?  Do these models use the 1 3/8" OD x 3/4" ID like the 1267 discussed above?  I have a caliper so I guess I can just measure them tomorrow.

 

Thanks!  -Dave

[Racinbob 11,096]

They are very easy to replace. No press needed. I have 5 tractors and the only oddball is the 60 Suburban. The 64, 68, 76 and 05 all take the same bearing. 

1 3/8" x 3/4" flanged. Several years ago I decided to clean the wheels of all grease and used sealed bearings. After 4+ years I've had zero failures. Two of the tractors receive very heavy year round use. I figure if one starts to go I'll replace all four. The others are probably close to failure. With a lifespan like that and being pretty cheap and easy to change I won't be going back to a grease gun. 

In 2019 I replaced the mower spindle bearings on a 42" and a 48" with sealed. It takes us 4-5 hours to mow every week with both tractors going. So far so good. 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Racinbob

[wallfish 17,014]

1) Yes, knock them out from the inside. Just move around from side to side and around in a circle tapping them out so they go out straight. Tap them back in the same way. Fairly easy to change them.

2) Search heavy duty 3/4 ID by 1 3/8 OD flanged wheel bearing. Some are stamped steel and cheaper cost but cheaply made.

Here's an example set of 4 to do them all

Bearings

[Snoopy11 5,714]

 I would go with Stens 215-267... @davem1111

 

Don

[ebinmaine 67,657]

5 hours ago, wallfish said:

heavy duty 3/4 ID by 1 3/8 OD flanged wheel bearing. Some are stamped steel and cheaper cost but cheaply made.

Here's an example set of 4 to do them all

 

1 hour ago, Snoopy11 said:

 I would go with Stens 215-267... @davem1111

 

Both good examples on the opposite end of the spectrum.  

 

For a VERY heavy worker I'd certainly use the more expensive (and larger)   

 

For an average duty Horse a price like 12 bucks PER SET of 4 is tough to beat.  

[davem1111 2,030]

5 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Both good examples on the opposite end of the spectrum.  

 

For a VERY heavy worker I'd certainly use the more expensive (and larger)   

 

For an average duty Horse a price like 12 bucks PER SET of 4 is tough to beat.  

 

I appreciate knowing what the options are. In my case and my budget, I'm going to give the less expensive PGN's a try. If they last me 3 years, by then I am likely to have a much smaller yard to mow and will probably have downsized to just one or two tractors anyway.  

[wallfish 17,014]

The Stens 215-267 bearings roll on the soft steel of the spindle, not on a hardened bearing race. I use them for the steering bearings on the tractor bike because the leverage creates a LOT of pressure in a small area. 10x that of a front wheel on a tractor. It actually destroys the regular wheel bearings fairly quick but not those Stens 215-267. BUT as a trade off it damages the 3/4 pin. That 3/4 pin gets changed too but it's just a pin, not a steering spindle which isn't as cheap.

Those PCN type bearings will easily last more than 3 years. The Stens 215-267 are over kill for the average tractor and if they get any dirt or grit in them, they will definitely grind the spindle down.

[ebinmaine 67,657]

32 minutes ago, davem1111 said:

will probably have downsized to just one or two tractors anyway.  

I know what all those words are but not in that order.  

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

41 minutes ago, wallfish said:

The Stens 215-267 are over kill for the average tractor and if they get any dirt or grit in them, they will definitely grind the spindle down

That may be true sir. It hasn't happened to me with my machines... but I also re-grease mine very often, which I would imagine really helps with the dirt issue.

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

On 9/25/2022 at 3:14 PM, ebinmaine said:

I know what all those words are but not in that order.  

 

What @davem1111 means, @ebinmaine is that Dave is going to leave me an inheritance: his collection... and that you, Eric, are going to build me another bahn to hold them!!!

 

Don