By ISAAC EISENMAN (Tropicjungleboy) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

since we cann't change size or design on our aatv's axle bearing aplication without mayor modification there to achieve endurance and performances it's just a matter of hi quality material and excellent lubricant retainer...go for german or sweeden made ones ( like skf, fag,)

By Timothy Schotanus (Mudbuster) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Max did start using a better bearing several years ago. About 1994 or 95 I think. The part that the locking collar grabs on to is heavier on the new ones. As for the general quality of the new bearing I dont know.

By mike martindale (Wetsu) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

has anyone had as much trouble with bearings on their bigfoot as i have with mine?it seems that i'm going through them exessivly fast.now besides the obvious.yes i do keep them greased ,and yes i do keep them clean.in the last 3 months i have replaced all but 2 of them( and i'm getting ready to do that this weekend).it's like they just explode,and send little ball bearings everywhere.my dealer has no idea why this is happening but he is beginning to enjoy selling me all those bearings,and seals.
i have 214 hrs on my bigfoot,and i think ishould be able to get more life from them than that,is this just wishful thinking on my part or what?
could running the 25" rawhides be a contributing factor? am i greasing to much?i ussually put in 1-2 squirts just before i ride depending on how long it has been between rides.if i don't plan on riding for a while,i'll shoot enough in till all the water comes out,if i did alot of water riding.
i normally use a marine grease,like i use in my boat trailer. could this be the problem? or should i have just changed them all at the same time and been done with it? when 1 side went out i went ahead and changed the other side too.and now i am down to my last set( the fronts ).
since i'm trying to sell this thing,i don't want whoever is going to buy it to have the same problem.any ideas would be greatly accepted.

By liflod (Liflod) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Maybe your chains are too tight. If they are too tight , when the sprockets rotate the chain gets really, really tight and puts more strain on the bearings than they can handle. Always jack up the whole side of the machine and rotate the wheels until you find the point where the chain is the tightest. Adjust from there.

By david berger (Davidrrrd) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

WHEN THEY EXPLODE AND SEND LITTLE BALS ALL OVER IT CAN OF COARSE BE FROM WHERE N TEAR BUT ALSO SOMETIMES IT IS SIMPLY FROM A BLOW INLINE WITH AXLE, (THRUST LOAD )OVER AND ABOVE THERE LIMITS,
A LITTLE WORN AND A BUMP JUST SO = LOST BALLS, HEH HEH

By argoguru on Unrecorded Date: Edit

mike,
I only grease my bearings about every 20 to 30 hrs. 2 squirts is adaquate. Use a good tacky grease that sticks to your fingers good when you touch it between your thumb and index finger, that will tell you how it sticks to the axle and hold water and mud out.
their is the quality issue also. these are not a top end bearing in these machines.
One of the biggest problems is the set screws coming out, or loosening. If they are not tight on the axle, the axle will wobble, hence you think the bearing is bad, retighten the set screws and alot of the time the bearing will feel like new if their is not alot of use with the set screws being loose. Use red locktight on the set screws when you change the bearings, or they will vibrate loose. also do not over grease. their is alot of pressure coming out of the average grease gun, plus to much grease can make the bearing run hot. When you put a new bearing on the axle, make sure the bearing sleeve has no play in it,(the inside tube that goes over the axle). if a bearing has run bad along time or the set screws were out or loose, the sleeve will slip on the axle and take the axle out of specs for proper diameter. I had two switch the driver side front axle with the rear axle because of that problem. the bearing extender alows for that do to bearing placement on the axle front to rear. if the axle has been slipping in the bearing sleeve, you probably will see grooves on the axle were the set screw aligns. Hope this helps.

By argoguru on Unrecorded Date: Edit

mike,
I only grease my bearings about every 20 to 30 hrs. 2 squirts is adaquate. Use a good tacky grease that sticks to your fingers good when you touch it between your thumb and index finger, that will tell you how it sticks to the axle and hold water and mud out.
their is the quality issue also. these are not a top end bearing in these machines.
One of the biggest problems is the set screws coming out, or loosening. If they are not tight on the axle, the axle will wobble, hence you think the bearing is bad, retighten the set screws and alot of the time the bearing will feel like new if their is not alot of use with the set screws being loose. Use red locktight on the set screws when you change the bearings, or they will vibrate loose. also do not over grease. their is alot of pressure coming out of the average grease gun, plus to much grease can make the bearing run hot. When you put a new bearing on the axle, make sure the bearing sleeve has no play in it,(the inside tube that goes over the axle). if a bearing has run bad along time or the set screws were out or loose, the sleeve will slip on the axle and take the axle out of specs for proper diameter. I had two switch the driver side front axle with the rear axle because of that problem. the bearing extender alows for that do to bearing placement on the axle front to rear. if the axle has been slipping in the bearing sleeve, you probably will see grooves on the axle were the set screw aligns. Hope this helps.

By mike martindale (Wetsu) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

well liflod,i would consider that if on this last little outing my chains would not have changed lanes on my sprockets. a little to much floating on the part of my sprockets.it appears that 1 of my set screws came out on my front sprocket.which by the way is not the side that the bearing swarmed on me. is it possible that the chains stretched to far and ruined the bearing?
so far all the bearings to go have been on the right/drivers side,and i just go ahead and replace the left while i got it up.they started in the back and finally made it up to the front.
i know i read in here that some have gotten like 750hrs on 1 set,and i was wondering what the secret is.i just ordered 2 more and i htink when i get them in i'm just going to let it sit,till some one buys it,or the worms eat it.on the other hand once i get these done,i should have at least another 214 hrs till i have to do it again ha ha ha.

By mike martindale (Wetsu) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

geru,
that was what i was originally doing,greasing every 20-25 hrs as per the manual.that was when the first 1 went.so i tried every 10-15 hrs.whammo second set said adios.then i went to before and after every ride,and that was when the last set went.as far as the type of grease gun i use.....it's the little cheap one from wal-mart.i took the solid tube off and put a flexhose,to reach those hidden front bearings.
i thank you for the info,on both the bearings,the chains.i'll give shoup a call in the A.M.to get a price on some chains,and i hope they are less than $24.00 per foot.(which is what I.B.T. wants for theirs).oh and so far the only grooves i have seen is where the seals ride on the axle.( i hope ).right now i'm beginning to think i over greased.which might explain why the middle and front went so quik.i'll just grease the new front ones when i do them this weekend and keep an eye on the ones i've already done. once again thanks for the help,i really do appreciate it.

By Diggs on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I have a 90 Magnum. As I change bearings, I am upgrading to the newer design outboard flanges. Problem is, I cannot seem to stop one axle from floating (right side, 2nd from front). I have tried to tighten the grub screw...but no luck. It seems that I cannot get in there well enough to tighten it enough. Is there a small depression in the axle where the grub screw is to be set. Can I install the bearing and outboard flange while the axle is off the machine?

By Diggs on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I have a 90 Magnum. As I change bearings, I am upgrading to the newer design outboard flanges. Problem is, I cannot seem to stop one axle from floating (right side, 2nd from front). I have tried to tighten the grub screw...but no luck. It seems that I cannot get in there well enough to tighten it enough. Is there a small depression in the axle where the grub screw is to be set. Can I install the bearing and outboard flange while the axle is off the machine?

By argomag on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Diggs, I don't know if this is where you are talking about but if you pull the floor pan out of the back and look at the axle between the frame and the body, there is a small screw that must be fastened down into the small depression or grove on the axle. I think ( if my crappy 18year old memory is right, it is on the inside section of the frame and sprockets. I am not sure if this is what you are talking about, but it may help. When i replaced my 2 back drive chains (rc50) i discovered mine were loose. I don't know what they hold but i check them whenever the pan is out now!

Do you have a picture of your machine?? I also have a magnum and I would like to compare. my e-mail is djhkeeso@rogers.com if you have any other questions.

By mike martindale (Wetsu) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

diggs,i don't have a magnum,but i just did a bearing change on my bigfoot.you can install bearing and the flange with the axle out.but once the the axle is installed you will have a slight problem trying to tighten the set-screws in the bearing to the axle.what i did was drill a small hole in the frame to get an allen/hex wrench into the frame to tighten up the set-screw.(which is what i'm guessing your grub screw is).on the bigfoot,there is a bolt,with 2 washers that keep it from floating/moving.it screws right into the end of the axle,then there should be 2 set screws per bearing.4 total per axle.on my bigfoot i hve 2 indentions on the axle to secure the sprocket to the axle.hope this helps.

By mike martindale (Wetsu) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

diggs,i don't have a magnum,but i just did a bearing change on my bigfoot.you can install bearing and the flange with the axle out.but once the the axle is installed you will have a slight problem trying to tighten the set-screws in the bearing to the axle.what i did was drill a small hole in the frame to get an allen/hex wrench into the frame to tighten up the set-screw.(which is what i'm guessing your grub screw is).on the bigfoot,there is a bolt,with 2 washers that keep it from floating/moving.it screws right into the end of the axle,then there should be 2 set screws per bearing.4 total per axle.on my bigfoot i hve 2 indentions on the axle to secure the sprocket to the axle.hope this helps.