Wheel Hub Life

[alrock]

It is not the lug nuts. It is the axel nut in the center of the wheel that you need to torque it by hand to set the bearing preload, and not a impact gun.

Thanks. For those they've been done about a dozen times on each side. Run up with an impact but torqued by hand. So yeah, we've been careful with those.

 

[Mr_Rich]

How in the world are you guys getting those kind of miles out of bearings?! Only thing I can think of that I probably do more than the average person is fording. Is water really that tough on unit bearings?

It's not just the water that gets through the seal. When you ford through a stream you stir up all the grit and that's what can compromise the integrity of the seal. If this is a regular occurrence then I think it can be a possible problem. I bought a '97 K2500 last summer that was driven at the beach and I have had to clean an amazing amount of fine grit oil grime on the lower frame, engine, and associated parts. I've been powerwashing and disassembling a lot of the running gear to replace seals and refinish parts. Lot of work...

 

[amrg]

I used to drive the beach every weekend, go through sea water like crazy and even cross the sea streams that depending on the tide may reach the fog lights and I am yet to have an issue. The summers here are crazy hot 125* and still original.
The oem ones are great quality!

I do wash the underbody immediatly after wards though to prevent corrosion and rust!