I recently had the rear axles out, and though I thought the bearings felt OK before dis-assembly, when I got it apart, I saw that they needed to be replaced. I tried everything to get the old bearings off. Hammer, torch, hot water, more hammering...I finally took the axles and new bearings to a machinist and he pressed the old off, and pressed the new on. I will never again try to remove those bearings without a proper press. Other than that, it is a simple and one of those "as long as you have it apart" things that you should do.

The pinion bearings are a whole different story and I replaced the seal but left the bearings alone...

Thanks Rus.  That matches what I was thinking.  I will thoroughly clean them, and look carefully for any damage before making a final decision.

And it looks like the consensus is to let a machine shop do the actual replacing!  Do I buy the bearings from someone like Walcks first, or let the machine shop source them?

-Paul

I've buggered my fingers too many times!  I do try to learn each time...


Paul, you may be able to source them locally.  Once you remove them, you can read the number and ask around.  From that you can compare the prices on ordering or purchasing locally.