Getting bearing into spindle housing - tight!

[canoetrpr]

I'm not the most mechanically adept guy but I have been learning out of necessity over the past few years.

The spindle housing on the mower deck on my riding mower cracked and so I am replacing it. There are a couple of bearings that need to go in it. One of them fits very loosely - no problem. The other one is about exactly the size of the housing. I have tried to get it in and it is about halfway in - one part of it more than the other. It is at the point of no return now - I've been hammering way trying to ensure I don't damage it but putting a piece of wood over it and hammering the wood. It's not going in any furthur.

Talked to my neighbour who suggested it might be meant to be shrunk fit.. Why didn't I think of that! He suggested putting it in the freezer and trying after that. Too late for it now that is halfway in.

I'm thinking the only thing I can try is taking a torch to the spindle housing to see if I can heat it up. Except - this is going to heat up the bearing too which is half way in it - although the torch will not be contacting the bearing directly.

Just wondering if any of you guys have gotten yourselves into this kind of pickle before. Any suggestions? Maybe I should heat up the housing as far away from the bearing as possible and hope that it expands more.

Would appreciate any thoughts.

 

[CharlieS]

if its a cast aluminum housing try putting it in the oven at about 400 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes. the aluminum will expand faster than a steel bearing thus you may gain a bit of expansion to finish driving the bearing in.

 

[The Haymaker]

Well, never beat on the inner race and if it was a sealed bearing the block of wood probably pushed the seal in. Do you have a socket of the right outer diameter? Is the bearing square in the bore?

Yes, freezing the bearing overnight can help, along with heating the housing beforehand. I do crank bearings that way, they fall into place.

Got another neighbor with a press? You can also roll your own with a piece of threaded rod and large washers.

 

[SandburRanch]

One of them fits very loosely - no problem. The other one is about exactly the size of the housing. I have tried to get it in and it is about halfway in - one part of it more than the other.

Would appreciate any thoughts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
You don't have a very serious problem at this point. One part (side) being in more than the other needs to be addressed first. Place the housing on a solid surface and tap the high side outer race with a hammer until it squares in the hole.

After the bearing is squared in the hole and if you have a socket a few thousandths smaller than the outer race, use it and with the hammer drive it home. The tight bearing needs to go in until the outer race bottoms in the housing. Before the second bearing is installed don't forget to put the spacer in.

 

[canoetrpr]

I just bought a propane torch. Any risk with my heating up the housing. It does seem like aluminum or cast aluminum.

So that's what presses are for ??

 

[Bird]

So that's what presses are for ??

Yep, that's a fact.:laughing: When I started working on air tools, I was told I'd need an arbor press. So I bought a one ton arbor press. It didn't take long for me to find out I made a mistake. I gave it to my brother and I bought a 3 ton arbor press. Even that was inadequate for some things, but OK about 99% of the time. Pressing bearings and oil seals in by hammering on them makes it very difficult to keep them straight and level, but if you don't, you ruin something.

 

[beambeam]

I always use the old bearing to put the new one in.The oven sounds like a good idea.The torch doesn't.Don't turn the bearing when it's hot it will mark the race and loosen the bearing.

 

[canoetrpr]

Ok I think what I am going to try to do is unhook the housing from the mower deck, and try to get the half of the bearing that I have hammered in out. I don't think it has been damaged yet but I will check for it.

I imagine it is not going to be easy getting it out. Can someone give me an education on pulling a bearing out?

 

[biggerten]

Here's how to get the bearings in...................

CHINESE TRACTOR OWNERS CLUB FORUM - Bearings for a 2003 Polaris 700

It's not a tractor or lawnmower, but the technique is the same.

As for getting the bearing out, if it's a blind hole you might pack it with grease, get a wood or metal rod that fits in the bearing and whack that and hydraulically push the bearing back out.

If the housing is indeed aluminum, the bearing is certainly steel, and the aluminum will expand more than the steel. Good luck!

 

[mwb]

Do you have a hydraulic jack or a good screw jack (Ford trucks have them)? Block your deck up on a cement or paved floor and jack against your tractor draw bar. Don't lift your tractor though - it will drop when the bearing moves. It probably won't take much to press it in once you have the bearing aligned. I would warm the housing with a torch also.

 

[dfkrug]

Pressing bearings and oil seals in by hammering on them makes it very difficult to keep them straight and level, but if you don't, you ruin something.

Very very true, esp with aluminum housings. As soon as the bearing gets
a bit out of square, it can mark the casting.

I would remove the bearing, check for marks, clean them up if needed, then
use a torch to pre-heat the housing.

At times, I even find my 20T press to be a bit less force than I need, as
when I recently dismounted my ATV tires. I wish I had a 35T or 50T
unit. I almost never use a hammer to press bearings in.

 

[SandburRanch]

Ok I think what I am going to try to do is unhook the housing from the mower deck, and try to get the half of the bearing that I have hammered in out. I don't think it has been damaged yet but I will check for it.

I imagine it is not going to be easy getting it out. Can someone give me an education on pulling a bearing out?

------------------------------------------------------------
OH MY GAWD. You are attempting this with the bearing housing still mounted on the deck?

After you get the housing off, go in from the opposite end ( if that bearing is out ) and carefully drive the low side back out with a punch until the bearing is even ( squared ) in the hole. The punch can only contact the outer race of the bearing if you want to salvage it. Punch anywhere on the bearing if replacing it but the outer race has to come out.

Man I wish you lived across the road from SandburRanch. I have a grinder trick that makes assembly so easy it would make an enjineeers head spin.

 

[canoetrpr]

I had no idea it would be this much pain to get the bearing in. I only realized that I had been hammering away at it with increasing intensity with the housing bolted on the deck after I gave up and went in the house!

Feel free to try to describe that trick. I can use all the help!

 

[SandburRanch]

One bearing was described as fitting loosely. Let's call that one a slip fit. There are charts for fit classes with all sorts of names but we don't need those here.

If one bearing in this application can have a slip fit I see no reason the second bearing needing an interference fit of 0.001" , maybe a little less or tighter possibly, that requires a several ton press.

So what I do is place the bearing on the shaft ( slip fit ) and while pinching the outer race slightly to control outer bearing race rpm to an estimated 50 or so revolutions, and with feather light pressure, grind the outer race diameter until it is a push fit in the housing. That's slightly tighter than slip fit but slip would be ok. These bearings aren't going anywhere. In some instances it may need 0.0005" removed from the diameter or others maybe 0.0015". I don't bother measuring this because this is hand fit work. Usually takes about 3-4 minutes at most.

Now it will go together easily and there is no question whether the bearings inner races compress on the sleeve spacer between them. That sleeve spacer is to prevent axial thrust load when the blade nut is tightened. If the spacer is omitted or the inner races don't touch it when the bearings are installed it will need new bearings in an hour or less.

 

[canoetrpr]

Mower is all fixed up and working.

I took bearing out and realized I had scored the housing having put it in at an angle.

I used a Dremel to clean the burr in the housing and pushed the bearing in. It went in nice and easy.

I now have a mower that works! Thanks for all the thoughts.