Hub bearing adjustment w/dial indicator

[Rawze]

Many thrust bearing assembly manuals for machinery say that 0.001" pre-load is better than any clearances on new bearings for achieving an extended lifespan. I have also seen this same thing stated in some of the manuals for axles and hub bearings on trucks.

I set mine for a bit of pre-load a long time ago and have had better results in minimizing hub bearing wear. I torque them to 70-80 ft-lbs when there is no sleeve, and to 260 ft-lbs when there is a sleeve. All makes are slightly different though so someone should follow the manual for that model and make axle if they are not sure.

I know though, that anything more than about 0.002" clearance on most trucks, the inside edges of your tires will not last as long as they should.

Nice setup with the bar btw. Is that a Hendrickson front axle? -- Kinda looks like one in the pic but hard to tell. If so, I set mine for about 230 ft-lbs (mine have the sleeves) and have more than a million miles on them with no signs of them wearing out yet.

-- I have recently purchased a 50-ton press for doing that kind of work instead of having to put them in the oven.