tapered bearing replacement of steering bearings (atc125m)

[sammiefish]

How difficult is it to use one of the ALLBALLS kits to replace the steering bearings.
I understand they are tapered bearings and require inserting a race as well I would think

is there a ridge in the tube that serves to stop the new races

is there a spacer involved?

Has anyone done this? How difficult is the job.... ???

ive done a search but arent having good luck finding a picture series...
and im not finding an ATC done on youtube.

[Dr.Lovewell]

I'm not familiar with this specific trike but they are all about the same so I'll give my 2 cents. If the old races are not damaged you could reuse them but if they are scored or gouged they are bad you will have to remove them. If you don't have a press then you'll have to use a large socket and an extension and hammer to knock them out and knock the new ones back in. Shouldn't be too difficult depending on your mechanical ability. Best of luck! ;)

[DasUberKraut]

It's not that difficult. Usually the hardest part is removing the OEM race from the triples.

The common suggestion is to find a suspended front end from 185s or 200s. I did the conversion but never got to ride on it. Frame snapped in half before I got the rest of the machine back together.

Edit - if you utilize the search button I have a thread with pictures and so do other members.

[sammiefish]

would you mind pointing me to the pics of your steering bearing stuff...
I found your cracked frame but not the bearing stuff...



It's not that difficult. Usually the hardest part is removing the OEM race from the triples.

The common suggestion is to find a suspended front end from 185s or 200s. I did the conversion but never got to ride on it. Frame snapped in half before I got the rest of the machine back together.

Edit - if you utilize the search button I have a thread with pictures and so do other members.

[DasUberKraut]

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/141871-84-125m-To-200s-Front-End-Conversions

[kb0nly]

Getting the races out of the head of the frame and that dang lower race off the triples are the hardest part, other than that, not bad. Putting them back together is definitely a lot easier. And you will want to replace both the top and bottom races regardless.

[sammiefish]

Das, thanks for your link... the pictures help me make more questions.... : )


of course Im not planning to change forks... so...

did you just use heat and a hammer to get the original bottom race off or was there a trick? (cut or otherwise)

after removing the original bottom race... is there a washer there that will stay there under the bottom tapered bearing?

as for the top... is there a washer for the top then the seal or are they the same things???

[kb0nly]

Some have the washer, some don't, but follow the info from AllBalls, they include a washer, then a seal that has to be slid on then you put the bearing on and tap it down with a piece of pipe or such that only taps on the inner race of the bearing to seat it down the rest of the way.

As for getting it off, the last one i did i cut that bottom race til it was almost all the way through on one side, being careful not to cut into the shaft, then a chisel and a hammer to hit it a few times to crack it and expand it a bit then it slid right off. If its really being a pain you can cut it on two sides and crack it with the chisel to get it off.

[DasUberKraut]

I used the heat and beat method.
Froze the new races for 24 hours.
Greased everything up with marine grease. (personal preference)

[DasUberKraut]

Do not pound that bearing set all the way down on the triples either. Leave a small gap in case they need to come off later.

[oldsguru]

I did the ALLBALLS tapered conversion on my 84200ES. It was simple. Brass drift to knock out the original races and also to tap the new races into the stem. No heat or freezing necessary in my application. It sure beats messing around with 40 some balls falling on the floor during assembly.

[oldsguru]

And yes, there is a ridge in the stem to keep the races from being inserted to far....