What are the good quality bearings for a TT?
Timken or SKF are as good as they get? A frame shop told me few years the name of a good one made in Japan but can't remember the name. This is the first time for me to be ordering bearings and se...
Forum Discussion
ktmrfs wrote:
you do have an oddball. normally the alko 4400lb has 10" brakes. From what my good supplier friend told me, the 4400lb alko's use a 5200lb tube, but normally 10" brakes, and an oddball spindle and either a 5 or 6 lug wheel. Bearings and spindle are bigger than the 3500lb but NOT the same as the 5200's which uses the same spindle and bearings as the 6000lb and I believe 7,000lb axles. In that case you have a spindle and bearings capable of handling way more load than they will ever see. That's one advantage to the 5200lb axles.
BTW alko documents do show the PM for the bearings, seals, etc.
so, either you have a 4400lb axle with 5200 brakes or 5200lb axles with 4400lb springs which is a configuration available from Alko.
When I upgraded one trailer from alko 4400lb axles/springs to 5200, their where mulitple spring options, from 4400lb all the way up to 6000lbs. I went with 5200lb springs.
Once you know the bearing number you can compare to alko's list for spindles and verify you have a 5200lb tube AND spindle. I suspect that is the case since normally the 12" brake backing won't fit onto the 4400lb spindle, the bolt pattern is different.
Excellent info, thanks!
I was not able to get hold of the right guy at Alko today. They're under a new name now that they're part of Dexter - Industrial Axle Co. Went to a frame shop that is the local Dexter supplier to the RV dealers around here. They couldn't come up with an answer on the bearings and also said it's an oddball. I'm hoping if I give them the axle serial no. they can tell me exactly what we've got.
Then went back to the industrial bearing supplier I was at yesterday and had the numbers I pulled off the bearings. They had US made Timken bearings in stock on the shelf. Nice find! They could not help with the bearing cups so now I have to get those out to get the number off them. Apparently they come in 2 or 3 different sizes. Maybe I can figure it out by looking at the Alko info. you mention. Is it what shown in this Alko catalogue? Not sure what our "T-52D" designation means over the "T52" that is in the catalogue.
Was not able to find a brand name set of seals and ended up buying a set of generic ones with no markings for now. I thought US made bearings would be nearly impossible to find.
