Am I the only one who keeps seeing people torque wheel bearings wrong?

I swear I've watched three different guys at our shop just crank down axle nuts till they feel tight. Last Tuesday a kid on the line put a 200 ft-lb torque on a bearing that calls for 35. I had to redo a whole nose wheel assembly because the bearing was already grinding after one test flight. Why is it so hard to just read the manual and use a damn torque wrench?

2 comments

2 Comments

robins831mo ago

Jeez that sucks man. I get what you're saying but you gotta remember that axle nut torque is usually the bearing preload not the clamp load of the nut itself. A 35 ft-lb bearing that got 200 ft-lbs probably failed from the rolling elements getting smashed not from the nut being tight. Next time try giving the nut a quarter turn past zero and then back it off til it spins free before you do the final torque. Saves a lot of headaches.

michaeltorres1mo ago

Man that is rough. Seriously sorry you had to deal with that whole mess. I know how it feels when you think you're doing everything by the book and something still goes sideways. It's frustrating as hell and makes you question every step you took. You definitely got a raw deal with that bearing setup. Hope things go smoother next time around.