Thread: Swivel Pins

If you mean sideways movement, the answer is NO. With new components there should be no play on either top bush or bottom bearing. I can see several possibilities as to what has happened.

1. Swivel pin is an excessively tight fit in the railko bush, so the preload is reached without actually taking up the free play. If not new pin, is it rusty? If all new, components out of tolerance.

2. The bearing cone is not a press fit in the housing or the cone is not a tight push fit on the bottom pin - possibly worn pin or incorrect bearing

3. You are measuring the load with the seal in place.

4. There is a foreign body preventing the bearing from going right into the cone.

John

Yep sideways movement of the type i was hoping to fix by renewing the swivel pins (they were totally flogged).

All components are new. I drifted out the old bearing cone and railko bush and pressed in new ones. The railko bush is a tight fit, but can be easily put in by hand. The stack of shims is say ~4mm. I have yet to fit the sweep seal to the swivel housing.

I got all the parts from 4 wheeldrives - came part of a kit. The railko bushes are bearmach parts and the bottom bearings of Japanese origin.

so in essence i am struggling to get the correct preload without any play in the bottom bearings. I either have a swivel which is really tight and no play in the bottom bearing, or the correct preload and play in the bottom bearing

Originally Posted by Veryan

Yep sideways movement of the type i was hoping to fix by renewing the swivel pins (they were totally flogged).

All components are new. I drifted out the old bearing cone and railko bush and pressed in new ones. The railko bush is a tight fit, but can be easily put in by hand. The stack of shims is say ~4mm. I have yet to fit the sweep seal to the swivel housing.

I got all the parts from 4 wheeldrives - came part of a kit. The railko bushes are bearmach parts and the bottom bearings of Japanese origin.

so in essence i am struggling to get the correct preload without any play in the bottom bearings. I either have a swivel which is really tight and no play in the bottom bearing, or the correct preload and play in the bottom bearing

That sounds strange, as there should be no increase in load beyond that involved in pushing the pin into the railko bush until all free play in the bottom bearing has been taken up. Two points occur to me - did you oil the railko bush before assembly? And is it possible that the bush is slightly cocked due to dirt or picked up metal stopping it from seating properly. The 4mm of shims sounds a bit thick compared to what I have seen, but this varies quite a lot, and will, of course, be thickest for new components.

John

James

I noticed that you used the term "shimmed up the top bush" - are you aware that you need to shim the top and bottom pins so that you centre the seal on the chrome swivel ball as well as getting the tension correct?

Did the bearing cone fit as a slip fit on the pin without movement?

Did you put the correct studs in the correct holes?

These shouldn't be "movement" in the bottom bearing/pin.

Diana

In a word....no....!

There were no shims on the bottom cone bearing when i took it apart. But that does make sense that there should be.

Erm....is there any easy way to work out how many there should be?


I know that seems like a fairly dumb question.....!

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

James

I noticed that you used the term "shimmed up the top bush" - are you aware that you need to shim the top and bottom pins so that you centre the seal on the chrome swivel ball as well as getting the tension correct?

Did the bearing cone fit as a slip fit on the pin without movement?

Did you put the correct studs in the correct holes?

These shouldn't be "movement" in the bottom bearing/pin.

Diana

The bearing was a push fit on the bottom pin. There was not really any signs of wear here - the hardening seemed intact.

The movement is occuring between the bearing and the cone which the bearing sits

Originally Posted by Veryan

The bearing was a push fit on the bottom pin. There was not really any signs of wear here - the hardening seemed intact.

The movement is occuring between the bearing and the cone which the bearing sits

The way the swivel is built, there can be no increase in load on turning the swivel until all play is taken up in the bottom bearing. If there is, either the top pin is a too tight fit in the bush, the bush (or the pin or the bottom bearing or its cup) is not in line with the swivel axis, or it is tightening against something else that should not be there. As you reduce the thickness of shims, it just pulls the swivel housing higher until the load is taken up by the bottom bearing, which would remove all play there. You need to find what it is tightening against, or why everything is not co-axial.

Have you confirmed that the bottom bearing sits properly in its cup? It is possible that you have been sold a mismatched bearing cup and cone, Note that unlike most such bearings the cone has a significant extension of the inner part above the rollers on the large end.

Note that incorrect shimming of the bottom bearing will not give the problem you have - it will simply result in the axis of the stub axle being slightly higher or lower than the axis of the axle housing, and may prevent the large seal from bearing evenly on the ball housing.

John

As John is suggesting there is something not quite right if you have movement in the bottom bearing - the cone and the cup into which it sits.

One cause of this can be that your studs/bolts are too long (or in the wrong hole) and are fouling with the swivel ball preventing the cone/bearing and cup from seating.

Diana