Swaping a 5/8 axle spool hub bearing to 3/4

Ok now for the 3/4 axle reading

Now get them damn 5/8 bearings out of the hub

Here is the original 5/8 next to the new 3/4 bearing...yes you can get them with the same O.D. to fit the spool.

Don't forget that the center bearing spacer needs to be replaced as well..hope you have a lathe!

Now that the 5/8 bearing is out..lets measure it's O.D. and for the hell of it the reading inside the hub.

Now lets get our dimensions for the new 3/4 axle bearing spacer figued out before we hit the lathe

Don't be afraid to use the caliper..like the wood shop teacher always says..."measure twice..cut once" well wood is cheap steel isnt..so measure often and don't fuck up is what I say.

Get your measurments down..and recheck before tuning the steel

Here is the new spacer material..we machined it down to the proper O.D.

Ok to continue this thread here is the rest of the process:
We didn't have the correct diameter bar stock on hand so we turned down a piece of scrap solid 1" we had on the steel rack. unless you have material that already has the 3/4 ID hole in it and the correct OD, you can machine a piece of steel. Turn the OD of the material first this allows you to center drill the end and use a live center for the machining of the bar stock.
After the stock is machined check for a proper fit before you move to the boring/drilling process.

Then back to the lathe for the boring/drilling of the ID hole.


After you finish drilling the hole you can then cut off the spacer to the correct length. Check the height with the original 5/8" spacer to be sure you made it the correct length..too short and your bearings will not get the needed support..too long and the bearings will not seat in all the way.

As you can see the wall thickness of the new 3/4 spacer is thinner..be sure to keep tight tolerance on your machining..if you undersize the OD too much or oversize the ID you will run into potential problems and the wall thickness may get to thin to support the pressure and could bend causing bearing failure.

install spacer and check for proper fit

perfect fit

Now for the important bearing install...make sure you press or pound the bearing in STRAIGHT and do not put any pressure on the inner ring of the bearing..you will damage the bearing and have to get a new one. A press would be the ideal way but we used a plastic mallet and a 3/4" socket to pound in the bearing


Finished..and you also get rid of that orange bearing for a nice black one.

Check the 3/4' axle for proper fit and make sure it down not bind when you spin it.

Next we will make the new 3/4 axle and use the pike nuts from the old 5/8' one