How often do you have to replace your rear axle bearings

[86350X]

Jus wondering,, I've found that I have to do mine at least 2 or 3 times a year,,,, What about you guys?

[Mobular]

Wen they start to go. All depends

[Joel85350X]

86350X,

There is not a said time and day that you should replace the bearings, like an oil change. They just need replacement when they are worn. If you ride only 1-2 days out of 10 days, then I would say you are replaceing them too often. That doesn't mean that they aren't bad though.

A few reasons they could go bad early:

1. If you do not pack the actual bearings full of grease during the install and rely only on the lame manufacturers grease, you will see less life out of them. This involves carefully removing the seal on either side of the bearing and literally packing the bearing full of grease.

2. If you do not tighten the axle nuts tight enough of if they come loose this could lead to premature wear. Getting these nuts super tight, or installing a lockable nut, is the key.

3. If you ride through water often, you need to pull the rearend apart without removing the bearings from the carrier and remove the seals again and pack the balls full of grease. Riding through water will tend to wash all of the grease out over time, and also lead to corrosion on the unfinished balls and races of the bearings.

4. You should always buy Honda axle seals. (Separate part from the bearing cover seal) I have had a set of non-honda bearings in my X for about 11 months, but because of the seals, they still look like new today.

Hope you can help the longevity of your bearings with one of these tips. You are spending a lot of money on bearings!

[86350X]

Thanks,, I do know they only need to be replaced when they are worn out,, The reason I asked is because today when I was checing my air pressure I noticed that they are worn out again,,,, I will repack the new ones when I get them, I haven't done that before,,,, Also I will put new seals in,,,,,, I live in the northeast and I ride in a lot of water and mud,, You have to figure that these bearings take a lot of abuse,,, evry root or rock is a huge jolt to them,,,,,,, Thank you for the advice though..

[Joel85350X]

Since you ride on hard terrain, you may want to consider a bearing carrier this time. I bought a unit made by Magnum from Worldclass ATV that has two rows of bearings already installed with seals. It was $179 for my '85 350X, but I think the '86 is $10 cheaper. They also have a tapered bearing carrier that sells for around $229. Might be something to consider. When it's all said and done, you'll probably spend $200 in bearings and seals each year anyway.

[Tri-Z_Jim]

I ride my blaster often and I keep them greased(installed grease fitting).My stock rear bearings lasted about a yr.The current bearings are over a year old and still no play in them.My front wheel bearings on the blaster are original(2000) and they just started to wear recently.I greased them about twice a year...too much hassle to take them apart to grease often enuff.
My Tri-Z's I dont ride enuff to worry about grease,and they both have all new bearings.

[86350X]

Joel,,,, thanks.,,,,,, I was thinking about getting a new bearing carrier,, I want to take care of some other stuff first ( fenders) I will probably get a carrier next month,,,, Do the dual row carriers really extend the life of the bearings, cause when they do go I will have to buy twice as many bearings,,,,,, So unless they last over twice as long it would not equal out,,,,,,,Would the tapered bearing one be better???? Let me know,,,,,, and by the way, I have not heard from service honda yet,,,, As soon as I do I will let you know,,,,,

[Joel85350X]

I am not as familier with the tapered bearing carriers. I do know that the dual row would be a lot better than what you have. Think of it this way, you will have twice as much holding your axle in place. That means if you come down from a 4 foor jump each bearing will only have 1/2 the load that is previously had. At this rate, the bearings would easily last 2-3 times longer than the stock setup, if not more. Also, even if you have to replace them only 1/2 as often as now, you'll still come out ahead, because you'll only need one set of seals. The bearing carrier I mentioned above also has a grease zerk on the end of it so you can grease it in 15 seconds.

I know the tapered unit has advantages as well, mostly because they can withstand side impact better due to the lateral protection of the tapered shape. Some of the guys at www.exriders.com woulc be able to tell you exactly all of the pros and cons.

For the money, I think the dual row is a great buy.

[atc86r]

over tightening the axle nuts can do some damage. snug em up then tighten the locknut.

[Dirtcrasher]

I read an article on premature bearing failures by SKF. Most bearing failures are due to improper installation. The outer race or the race whcich has the press fit must be supported during installation, and if the inner race also is an interference (press) fit - like on an axle - then the whole bearing both inner and outer race must be supported with a sleeve type setup. Nothing works as well as a press for bearings. Any side to side pressure or if it's going in crooked and you tap the opposite side is not good for the bearing. Some will say thats crazy because they work, yep they do but they become damaged during those processes and will not live there full life. Packing a bearing FULL of grease also prematurely destroys the bearing because they over heat. I do however check to see how much grease is in there and add some if I think it needs it, but it does need some room to expand and heat up. I have seen rotary cutoff heads that will not cut after you grease them because they heat up and the tolerences change, we started giving them a shot about twice a year and that worked.

[deliaz0]

how do u know when the bearings are worn out? Front or rear?

[Joel85350X]

This is how you know...

[Jordan]

I'll give you $50 for that set of bearings, only if you include the seals too! :D

-Jordan

[TimSr]

For me the biggest killer of bearings is dirt, mud, sand and water which will get in no matter what when its frequently completely submerged in such nasty stuff. While I fell in love with Hondas cam type carrier chain adjustment, one major advantage of the steel carrier that is part of the swingarm, like Yamaha uses, is that you can put a grease fitting in the middle of it, and pump it full of grease, while purging out the old grease after every ride you deem it necessary. On my Z I take the seals that are on the bearing off, before I install them. I still use the outer axle seals. After every outing I simply pump it full of grease until clean grease oozes out the sides, and I get several years out of them. Typically trikes will wear them out faster than quads, but I get about triple the life in actual hours on my Z axle bearings as opposed to the ones on my TRX250R.

[HypnotizeMindz]

whats the deal with these tapered bearing carriers ? what makes them better than a regular bearing carrier ?.. and why are they so damn expensive ??

[Dirtcrasher]

There aluminum, so lighter for weight. Replaceable, so the whole swingarm isn't trash. Machined, so should have better tolerences. Some are greasable, accept larger, more than one or tapered bearings for strength. Tapered bearings handle the load better than stock radial bearings. As for the price, these guys are laughing their ass off. All this aluminum horseshit is so easy to machine and cheap, like all the stuff Vito has. They setup their CNC mill or lathe and run like 1000 at a whack. So it reallly costs them dirt, the aluminum stock and the machine program is their cost - and of course the overhead. But guesss what, we all like aluminum because it's light, trick and no metal to paint or rust.

[HypnotizeMindz]

ohh... i see

i didnt know that they were more durable
i just though people were buying they knew something i didnt... and they did

thanks

[jasenr]

Does anyone know of any web sites that sell aftermarket carriers? I noticed someone said that there was a Worldclass ATV? Thanks.

[atc86r]

get a dirtwheels mag. tons of adds with carriers and prices to compare. them mags are all about ads and selling stuff.