Nosewheel bearings

[AlexPeterson]

Alan, do the parts labelled "axle bushings" come together in the middle? Or, as with the newer Van's design, does the bolt torque affect bearing preload?

Alex Peterson

[Hawkeye7A]

The "axle bushings" don't touch in the middle. The bolt sets the pre-load. As a matter of fact in order for me to slip the wheel/bearings/bushings into the fork I have to spread it very slightly. I emphasize "slightly". It's easy enough to do with my fingers but the point is, there is NO clearance at all.

[robertahegy]

Too bad Van's did not use this setup. It looks like it could be adapted to our forks by machining the axle hole to fit the mushrooms and tapping in some holes for the keepers. A new mounting system for the pant would be needed. Do you have any shots of how the fixed wheel pant is mounted?

All wheel bearings are loaded by a bolt and/or nut. The problem is when the bearing is overloaded in an effort to prevent the assembly from turning on the axle bolt as is the case with Van's. At least staking the mushrooms resolves that issue. I do like the Lanceair axle better.

Roberta

[Geico266]

Dumb question, and I think I know the answer, but does the tow bar go on the axle nut or the two screws that hold the wheel pant on? I bought the 9A second hand and the builder used the axle nut. During the condition inspection I noticed the galling mentioned here, so I'm trying to eliminate all problems. I think the "force of the tow bar has weakened the fork just enough to allow the mushrooms (spacers) to spin. The bearings were turning on the mushrooms also.

I installed 2, 10-24 screws to hold the spacers in place after "Swedish knurling" the surface the bearings ID rides on. IMHO the seals are causing the heavy drag. At least they don't spin in the air.

[ralph skorupa]

This wheel is a very poor design. I have both the Matco and cleveland setup so I can change tires easily. The Cleveland wheel has a real axel that is slightly shorter than the units that put pressure on the bearing race. I have problems when I use the Matco because of the huge rolling resistance , but no problems with the Cleveland

[terrykohler]

To prevent rotation of the spacers, the machine screw process described (with photo) by Roberta is sufficient. As far as setting load on the bearings, the objective should be zero endplay and zero preload. The old school thought was that by adding "some" preload, end play is eliminated and bearing life is improved. Problem here is that it is very difficult to measure how much load is actually being introduced, especially when this is done using torque. Torque to clamp ratio is highly variable and is greatly influenced by friction (thread form and the presence or absence of lubricant on the thread and clamping surfaces. That's why torque angle is used on critical faster applications. Preload on a bearing can lead to premature failure. If the wheel rotation is tight after installation, you are causing damage to the bearings.
Terry
RV9A
N323TP