D44 carrier bearing removal

[northerndave]

Well, without the perfect puller are you best off just cutting the outer cage off, heating the inner race & pulling/cutting off and buying new bearings or does somebody have a secret for salvaging these bearings while removing?

I am replacing a mangled open carrier with a new trac lock unit which has bearings on it already but it's shimmed wrong for my axle housing.

[averagef250]

You need one of these:

http://compare.ebay.com/like/2803887599 ... 602_309572

The alternative to the clamshells is to buy two sets of carrier bearings and hone one pair out for a slip fit over the carrier. Use those for setup then press on the others when the preload/backlash is good.

[Eric L]

yep, you need a good puller to salvage the old bearing. You might get creative with a bearing splitter http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200023924 in a shop press, but most likely will still result in a ruined bearing. I use a larger version of this set http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SNAP-CJ2 ... 45f9147142 which still damages the bearing sometimes.

If you dont need to save the bearing, just get mean with it, but try not to damage the carrier.

might try to rent or borrow the correct tool?.. sorry, but there's not too many options, sometimes you need the right tool.