Tw 125 wheel bearings

[bggc]

For all TW 125 owners I thought I would share with you the wheel bearing codes. We nearly lost a wheel today which could have been extremely dangerous, there was little warning either until it was almost too late. Fortunately we heard the noise which alerted us to it, from now on we will be carrying out a 'wobble' check on both wheels to find any early signs of wear in the bearings. There are two bearings required on the wheel, both are Taper Roller bearings, one large (the inner one) and one small (the outer one). Unless you can find a correct fitting Alko (the axle manufacturer) wheel bearing kit you will probably end up with a pair of bearings from an industrial bearing supplier, as I did. The large bearing should have a seal built on the end to keep all the road dust and grit out. The one you will buy from a normal bearing supplier will most probably not have a seal, I strongly urge you to order a separate seal to add to your large bearing, without it your new large bearing will take in grit and it's life span will rapidly be reduced. The remainders of the two bearings and seal can be seen below.

The large bearing code reads LM45449/10/701513

The small bearing code reads LM11749/10/701512

Seal code reads TC 40 52 7 ( these are physical dimension sizes of the seal and will be familiar to any reputable bearing supplier)

The bearings you will receive may have slightly different numbers on, this is ok as the supplier will recognise the above numbers but your new bearings may not display the exact same code but a slightly different variation of it. Tips, after fitting the seal first make sure you fit the new bearings the right way round, big bearing on first with taper facing out, fit wheel then small bearing with taper facing in.

When fitting your seal on the stub shaft of the axle, remember this is the first thing you put on, open side facing the outside of the chipper! When you have assembled everything else, remember to pack cover cap with grease, and also tap in the new seal from underneath the chipper, all that messing with the wheel will probably leave it hanging half out, you don't want any grit in that nice new shiny bearing! Prices can vary,I was quoted £114 for two sets of bearings minus the seals, I actually paid £38 for bearings and £12 for the two seals from somewhere else. Quality of bearings can vary, from cheap Chinese bearings to top quality Timkin etc, I can recommend BML Hayley as a supplier, they seem to have many branches. Good luck folks!

[Timberwolf Official]

Hello bggc

 

Your experience highlights how critical the servicing regime and changing of bearings are for the safe use of this type of towable equipment.

 

Timberwolf recommend original equipment from the manufacturer should be fitted on all occasions to be sure the correct specification of parts are maintained.

 

Al-ko have their own service centres located throughout the UK usually based within established caravan and towing centres details of the locations can be found on the Al-ko website.

 

Hope this helps all