How did this bearing get bent?

ScottG wrote:
Maybe you were a little over zealous with what ever tool you used to remove the bearing hub cap?

Nope.

BUT.

You got me thinking.



These are the tools I had out. The one possibility that I can think of is that I **might** have used the long screwdriver as a lever to pull out the cotter pin. It's small enough to fit through the eye of the cotter pin and I have levered them out like that before. The screwdriver is long enough that I could have put it on the cage instead of the nut by mistake.

dodge guy wrote:
The outer cage doesn't do anything except keep the rollers spaced properly. A slight bend like that will not harm anything.

The rollers did spin freely. I'm just not sure if the bend will change anything under load. You're probably right - but I'm going for better safe than sorry. I'll also have a test case for OEM vs Timken.

tinner12002 wrote:
I would have thought any brake parts would have been contained inside the brake drum area.

Ha - good point. Unless we go back the alien sabotage theory :-).

Whiskey River wrote:
mrekim did you buy this trailer new?
Last year when you repacked the bearings did you soak or clean all the existing grease from bearing?

Yes, new. I don't think the dealer was in there. I cleaned and inspected the bearings last year. I can't see how I could have missed it. I think I'm going to stick with my screwdriver/cotter pin story even though I can't see how I could have put that much force on the cage with that little screwdriver. I would have thought the screwdriver would have bent/broke.