Tail Wheel Bearing Race removal???

[4-Shipp]

Help! How do you remove the bearing races and spacers from inside the tail wheel halves? Gentle persuasion with a mallet and punch has not worked.


Thanks, Bruce

[GAHorn]

Remove the tire/tube. Separate the wheel-halves (first removing the axle.) The bearings (items 41/42) can usually be pressed out by hand. (Perhaps yours have been epoxied or installed incorrectly? or wrong bearings? They virtually fall out.)

[4-Shipp]

Hub is split as you said. The bearings (40/41 vs 41/42) cone half of course fell out as you said. The cup -part 41) is stuck as is the spacer, part 39. Neither half is willing to budge. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[minton]

I would check out several sizes of 4130 tuding and see if any will just pick up the small protruding "lip". If so tap on it and walah!! If not have one machined.

Back up the edge with the appropriate socket.

[Indopilot]

Try warming the bare wheel halves in an oven to 150-200 degrees and then popping them out. The aluminum should expand more than the steel and leave the race a little more loose. Brian

[4-Shipp]

Success! It took a while but the cups have been liberated from the hubs! I had a double predicament as not only were the cups stuck but the spacers for the grease retainers, number 39 on fig 94 of the IPC were stuck as well.

I took Indopilot's suggestion and heated the hubs in a 200F oven. I then stuck a wet paper towel in the center to try to cool the steel spacers. they then cam out fairly easily using hooked scribe to run around the bottom of each and work them towards the top of the hub.

I then ran an ice cube around the cups to try and shrink them. They finally started to move but they took a significant amount of encouragement with the hammer and punch.

I don't have the new cups yet, but I do have a new set of spacers. The dropped right in each hub with very little resistance. I'm not sure why there is such a difference in fit between the old spacers and the new. There is no expanding force on them that would cause them to grow.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone else if they have a similar problem.

Bruce