BHD
Veteran Member
I was given a old (1980) Ford 350 truck, and it had some of the lug bolts broke, (find out it is not the original differential still have not totally identified the axle). It appears to be a Chevy, or GMC, hubs are Chevy type, and seem to take the 00 to 06 or so rims, (it had some ford coined rims on) and they were slopping around wearing the studs, and the hubs, so I have got the correct rims of the proper hub size, and new studs, on the worn ones and the broken one,
now in the process, there was some seepage on the seal and figured i have the hub off I should fix this, so I get seals, but because I was a little concerned getting the correct seal, I did not pull the seal until I had new in hand, so I pop the seal out, and look at the inside bearing, it is has small rust pits on it, and the cup looks like some one has sanded it with emery cloth, (am sure it is wear from the rust, and not emery cloth sanded/polished), and the rollers on the bearing have some pits on them and not exceptionally smooth, and the inside bearing just as bad or a little worst.
Now I have new bearings ordered,
(I did reassemble it to get it out of the shop until parts could come),
but once cleaned up and reassembled and no pits were clear across the bearing surface just small pits spaced around the cup, and new oil in the diff rental (and I did pre grease the bearings, I have read both ways on a floating hub, one to grease and not to grease, just to oil and get the axle tilted to get oil to it),
but I got thinking,
but how serious is a situation like this, I know it will wear faster than good or new bearings will,
but how much faster, and what to you think (if checked before longer trips, 100 or more miles) do you think the danger is or if there is a danger of failure with out warning,
(my guess is I doubt if I will put 10,000 miles more on this truck, in it's life, I am just using it for a service truck on the farm here, and maybe a once or twice a year trip pulling a stock trailer (about 100 miles round trip) twice possibly 3 times a year, and maybe a few trips to town about 25 miles round trip, other than a mile or so up and down the road, the rest of the time,
(I have worked on many bearings and if there is any flaw normally just replace, but I do not have the experience on how abused or damaged a bearing can be and be safe if properly lubricated, (I would say all the failure I have seen is a lack of lubrication),
now in the process, there was some seepage on the seal and figured i have the hub off I should fix this, so I get seals, but because I was a little concerned getting the correct seal, I did not pull the seal until I had new in hand, so I pop the seal out, and look at the inside bearing, it is has small rust pits on it, and the cup looks like some one has sanded it with emery cloth, (am sure it is wear from the rust, and not emery cloth sanded/polished), and the rollers on the bearing have some pits on them and not exceptionally smooth, and the inside bearing just as bad or a little worst.
Now I have new bearings ordered,
(I did reassemble it to get it out of the shop until parts could come),
but once cleaned up and reassembled and no pits were clear across the bearing surface just small pits spaced around the cup, and new oil in the diff rental (and I did pre grease the bearings, I have read both ways on a floating hub, one to grease and not to grease, just to oil and get the axle tilted to get oil to it),
but I got thinking,
but how serious is a situation like this, I know it will wear faster than good or new bearings will,
but how much faster, and what to you think (if checked before longer trips, 100 or more miles) do you think the danger is or if there is a danger of failure with out warning,
(my guess is I doubt if I will put 10,000 miles more on this truck, in it's life, I am just using it for a service truck on the farm here, and maybe a once or twice a year trip pulling a stock trailer (about 100 miles round trip) twice possibly 3 times a year, and maybe a few trips to town about 25 miles round trip, other than a mile or so up and down the road, the rest of the time,
(I have worked on many bearings and if there is any flaw normally just replace, but I do not have the experience on how abused or damaged a bearing can be and be safe if properly lubricated, (I would say all the failure I have seen is a lack of lubrication),