smokey axle trouble

**krow** · 07-08-2009 08:02 PM

ok, so i just traded for a set of '08 smokies and today i tried to put my friends 10mm bearings on while i wait for mine to get here, and they fit on the first, second, third.. foruth they get stuck right after they pass the threads

?! and you have to use all your strength to pull it back off. advice on what to do? please and thanks!

**Crappysurfer** · 07-08-2009 08:06 PM

try to make sure you're putting the bearing on at a 90º angle.
also you could rub the axle with some steel wool...
actually i recommend doing the axles with steel wool then putting some oil on them, the bearings/axles have a tendency to get a little rusty then get stuck

**Ogre** · 07-08-2009 08:09 PM

make sure that that axle is consistantly larger then the other 3..try another of the bearings to be sure it ian't a bugered up bearing.. if that is the case take some emery cloth and poliash off that one axle a bit..try it again and repeat until you get a nice 'slip fit' tolerances are tight and a .001' may be all that needs removed

**krow** · 07-08-2009 08:13 PM

alright, thanks for the quick responses guys! i appreciate it!

**krow** · 08-12-2009 03:32 PM

alright, hey guys. Im having some more trouble once again this we these lame axels... Im trying to get my otangs off and they wont budge because my bearings are stuck on the truck.. Ive tried forcing them off and putting some lube on them and they will NOT move at all. What are my options?

Thanks!

**K-Rimes** · 08-12-2009 03:36 PM

Your options are:

Get a bearing puller.

Get a hard metal object (skate tool, ratchet, etc) and tap it off. Tap on all sides of the bearing till it comes off.

**krow** · 08-12-2009 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by K-Rimes

Your options are:

Get a bearing puller.

Get a hard metal object (skate tool, ratchet, etc) and tap it off. Tap on all sides of the bearing till it comes off.

Oh, i forgot to say that the wheel wont come off the bearings because i think that both bearings in the wheels are stuck

**TIMORNE** · 08-12-2009 03:50 PM

tap,taP,tAP,TAP the wheel

**dozer jr** · 08-12-2009 03:51 PM

i have the same problem. just wiggle the bearing and pull really hard and it should come off

**krow** · 08-12-2009 03:55 PM

alright, i got the wheel off but just one bearing to go. its not giving up!

**krow** · 08-12-2009 04:07 PM

alright, this thing is not moving. im trying to pry it off, not working. im trying to pull it off, not working. and im trying to tap it off, none are working at all. Ive got a really dumb question but what would happen if i soaked it in coke or something for a while? Im pretty much out of ideas, the truck is winning

**TIMORNE** · 08-12-2009 04:13 PM

push the bearing back,then put a drop or two of bearing lube where the bearing & axle meet.then tap-n-tap again.

**krow** · 08-12-2009 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by TIMORNE

push the bearing back,then put a drop or two of bearing lube where the bearing & axle meet.then tap-n-tap again.

the bearing is against the spacer and wont move either way what-so-ever.

**K-Rimes** · 08-12-2009 04:45 PM

Tap, tap, tap. Lightly tap the spacer as well. If you haven't somehow tapped enough to BREAK the bearing, you haven't hit it with a solid one yet. Put a soldering iron to the spacer to heat it and then douse the axle quickly to cool it. Other than that, call LY.

On all manufactured products you can expect a bad egg. Sometimes you'll get an extra tight inner race bearing (+-.01) paired with a slightly oversize axle and the combo will get em' stuck. Sounds like the spacer is the real issue here.

**krow** · 08-12-2009 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by K-Rimes

Tap, tap, tap. Lightly tap the spacer as well. If you haven't somehow tapped enough to BREAK the bearing, you haven't hit it with a solid one yet. Put a soldering iron to the spacer to heat it and then douse the axle quickly to cool it. Other than that, call LY.

On all manufactured products you can expect a bad egg. Sometimes you'll get an extra tight inner race bearing (+-.01) paired with a slightly oversize axle and the combo will get em' stuck. Sounds like the spacer is the real issue here.

thanks for the help. It almost seems like the axel is a hair bigger than 10mm

ive tried putting my friends 10mm bearings on just to see if it was my bearings, but his fit the same as mine and they are more difficult to get on my smokies then they are to put on his. they still go on and off but its a little harder.

Its hard to get a good hit and the bearing because the hanger gets in the way when you try to swing, but im not giving up!

**FaceVsAsphalt** · 08-12-2009 05:02 PM

Krow those are the smokies you got from me correct? If so one of the axles is just tight. You have to use something to get the bearings off. I used a rubber mallet and rags to pad the bearing.

**lollygag** · 08-12-2009 05:04 PM

Pull the axle and replace it.. I'd ask landyachtz to replace them free.. they know of the problem. a batch of them came a micron big. Ive gone thru this numerous times. switching out the axles is fairly easy.. you dont need a press.. they pull out and push in quite easily. you will need a drill press and a new 3/16 bit pref Cobalt to drill the new axle for the roll pin.. which is probably the trickest part.. getting it back in. they go in and pull out from one side. I had a roll-pin press available as we use it to put pins in fins.

**wooden** · 08-12-2009 05:20 PM

the axles on smokeys are designed to be difficult to get bearings on and off, keeps them from wiggling around on the axle while you're bombing. I had to use a hammer and pokey object to slam down on the inner race of the bearings a few times to get them off, but after you've done it a few times they start slide on and off easily. Don't give up, it's just a little more work than normal.

**tenorman** · 09-02-2009 10:35 PM

hi KROW:

any updates? or is everything sorted out now?

Originally Posted by krow

Oh, i forgot to say that the wheel wont come off the bearings because i think that both bearings in the wheels are stuck

earlier in this thread someone suggested a bearing puller but i can only find 8mm bearing pullers. however, i was able to improvise one for the 10mm bearings with an allen key. just hook it in at an angle and lever the bearing out. you can use a long thin pipe as an extension lever if you aren't strong enough. it doesn't matter if the spacer is jammed between the bearings either as the allen key will dig itself between the spacer and the bearing race because the pressure is applied at an angle due to the bend in the allen key. see the pic:

the earlier advice of decreasing the diameter of the axles slightly is good. i actually had the same problem with my brand new 2009 smokies and that was exactly what MEATBALL did when i couldn't slide my 10mm bearings over the axle. he just sanded the axle for about 10 seconds with emery cloth and that was all that was needed to enable the bearing to slide over the axle.

on my own pair of smokies, i think i'll try the same trick with the pivot pin after i get the spherical off. i could only get it off about 4 or 5 mm before it got stuck. see pic:

i kept pulling and pulling until i ruined the spherical--eventually i decided i better bring it to landyachtz and let them remove it before i did any further damage. i should have listened to MEATBALL and just waited until it needed actual replacement and then hammered it off but i'm just impatient lol. anyway it costs less than 10 bucks to replace so it was worth a shot to try and do it myself. i asked MEATBALL about CRAPPYSURFER's suggestion to use steel wool instead of emery cloth since steel wool probably conforms better than emery cloth but MEATBALL said all they had was emery cloth. however, he agreed to let me bring him some steel wool to try and he would let me know which was better. i'll probably got down to the shop next week and i'll update this thread as to what MEATBALL thought was better--steel wool or emery cloth.