max IV axle bearings

[TalSet]

recently i replaced all 12 axle bearings on my max IV. today i was going to re-tighten my chains and grease my bearings when i noticed that my rear axle on the driver's side had a problem. i saw that the outer locking collar on my bearing had moved away from the lip on the bearing. after taking the wheel off, i saw that the lip on the bearing had broken a small piece off and was inside the locking collar. this is what i found to be the case after i first brought this machine home and started to give it a good going over. also the inside bearing is showing the same thing. is there a problem with my frame or do i have some kind of miss-alignment problem. any and all help is greatly welcome

[Mike]

Jack up that side of the Max and put it in Neutral. Spin the tires and watch the drivetrain to see if anything is out of alignment. If it is you should be able to see some "wobble" somewhere. That is strange.

[jerseybigfoot]

You might load the bearing collars incorrectly if the axles are severely pitted.

[Robinhood02]

I have seen people put 63 mm brgs where 62mm brg should be , it is so little that you can not even hardly notice , but when the loc collar is tightened up it breaks the inner race just like what happened to you, double check your brg size is correct for that model unit
the new brg should have been somewhat difficult to slide on the shaft, usually i have to emery cloth the shafts perfectly clean to get the fresh brg on, if it went on without having to clean the shaft perfectly, it's probably the wrong brg

[TalSet]

purchased all my bearings from Richard's and they did not slide on without first having to clean-up the axles with emery paper. none of the shafts are pitted , and i replaced one on the front right side. i do notice that when i ride on un-even ground, it seems as though the frame/body twists as i go over the un-even surface.

[wfo]

frame twist is normal..i think you just may have bought a fractured bearing

[Robinhood02]

If you feel that there is excessive twist in your frame, I would check all the crossmember welds for cracks espesialy the rear corner, ive had to repair welds there before, it may also explain your excessive end play in the axle shaft that may force the keeper locs off the brgs

[wfo]

if you decide to replace the bearing just make sure when its apart you ck all welded areas
where the axle is mounted..inner and outer

[TalSet]

just came inside from greasing the remaining bearings , and i found that both inside and outside bearings on the NEW axle i replaced have also broken the lips off the bearings and the locking collar is about 1/8 inch away from the bearing.

[wfo]

What brand are the bearings

[micmac]

This is a problem with the 62 mm bearings when using lock collars to secure the axle. Argo still uses these size bearings but not lock collar ones. Max went to a 72mm bearing that uses a thicker wall. I had the same problem but used non lock collar bearings and shaft collars to hold the axle. If you stick with the lock collar ones don't overtighten them as that can crack the wall as well

[micmac]

Here is a link

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/content/256-get-rid-eccenrtic-bearings.html

[jerseybigfoot]

I always use US made bearings and have not had a problem. I also hear from various industries that allot of US sources of bearings are drying up.

[RyszardZ]

Which "US made bearings" would these be? Got a make and model number? I'm currently in the middle of tearing down my MAX IV and looking for something better than that cheap chinese PEER bearings that RI puts in these things. So far my bearing vendor is telling me there are no bearings made in the US anymore and he thought for this kind of application Sealmaster bearings would be best. Hasn't given me any prices yet so I'm open to ideas and suggestions.