# wheel bearing tourque



## NJ Rich (Dec 14, 2005)

How tight should the castle nut be tightened on my boat trailer axle?

Without a tourque wrench what is the "rule fhumb" to use? How many revolutions should the mounted wheel turn when spun to determine if the nut is too tight; too loose or just right.

Seems to me the guys at the garage used this method on the older cars and boat trailers.

Any help would be appreciated. NJ Rich


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I tighten the nut with a wrench, while spinning the hub (don't go crazy here, just tighten to "snug". Then, I back the nut off to loose. Then, retighten by hand to as tight as I can get it with my fingers. Insert the cotter pin.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

I think many of us have been taught different rules of thumb when it comes to torquing wheel nuts.

I was taught to tighten the nut until it locks the wheel from turning to make sure everything is set tight and fully seated where it should be, then to back off until the wheel just turns freely with with no or only very slight drag. 

Of course in mechanics school we were taught to use specs and tighten with a torque wrench. I tighten until lock up and back off until the there is absolutely no drag, then tighten to specs with a P.A. Sturtevant beam style torque wrench.

Applying the beam wrench to the wheel nut and rotating the wheel will show bad bearings as the needle will vibrate from the roughness. There are other uses as well.


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## davel745 (Feb 2, 2009)

Here is what I was taught.

Tighten the nut with a wrench snug then turn the wheel then loosen the nut two flats. This allows for expansion from heat. Also pack the bearings with good grease. And make sure the seals are good.


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

My father taught me to tighten with a wrench until snug, then back off 1/2 turn. Crown and pin. Or tighten with your fingers as good and snug that way and crown and pin. Now these are auto or small trailer bearings. Large bearings are a whole different thing, many are torqued. Some babbitt pillowblock bearings are designed to have a shaft float and have a oil lift pump that starts before the shaft turns. and dozens of other kinds of bearings.


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

Someone should show you as describing a "feel" is hard. One thing I do know for sure is too loose is better then too tight. I'm not talking flopping around loose I mean 1 or 2 flats of the nut looser. Tight will burn up wheel bearings. 
Were the wheel bearings properly greased by working the grease into the bearing until it came out the other side and was wheel bearing grease used? I see more failure from improper grease packing, but for some reason they put a lot of grease in the middle of the hub and the cap where it does absolutely nothing. The only grease that matters is what is in the wheel bearing. Everything else is just there to make a mess.


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

The specs and instructions for wheel bearings vary all over the place. But pretty generally old specs were looser than newer specs.

An interesting mistake is the belief that loose is better, and that they will tighten up with heat. Actually, it's the opposite. 

But, when it's all said and done, a little tight with more drag than necessary, or a little lose with more wobble and vibration than necessary, they are all pretty close to one another.


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

Cabin Fever said:


> I tighten the nut with a wrench, while spinning the hub (don't go crazy here, just tighten to "snug". Then, I back the nut off to loose. Then, retighten by hand to as tight as I can get it with my fingers. Insert the cotter pin.


+1 here.

That's how i've always done it and never had a problem.


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## Kev_Hilderbrand (Mar 8, 2011)

Spent alot of years as a truck mechanic(18 wheelers) We always tightened new bearings down while spinning the duals. When they stopped spinning, backed off a half turn then tightened again to the first notch on the locking rings.

As someone that also drove a truck. A little tight is better than loose. You'd be surprised the damage a set of duals, brake drum, and axle can do when it passes you going down the road,

Kev


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

I agree about packing the bearing properly with grease. For decades my dad and now I have used a bearing packer made by Lincoln.

Here is a cheap one that I'm betting will do a great job. http://www.jackxchange.com/products/G721.cfm


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## L.A. (Nov 15, 2007)

I also like to check them again after 100 miles or so, after the grease and everything has heated up and settled in, so to speak.


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