Double bearing upgrade tools?

[Motogeek33]

I got my Timbersled double bearing upgrade kit for my 2012 ST a few weeks ago, but I've been unsure about diving in. Besides the standard sockets and wrenches, does anyone have any tips to offer on what's needed? The instructions mention this stuff:

1) 1/2" drive air impact wrench (may not be required, but makes things easier)
2) Butane torch to heat the bolts to loosen the thread locker
3) 2-jaw puller (any particular size or style I should look for?)
4) 3/4" brass punch
5) dead blow hammer
6) snap-ring pliers
7) bearing removal tool (a socket will also work)
8) drill and 25/64" drill bit
9) blue thread locker
10) a press to remove and reinstall the black drive sprockets
11) anti-seize lube

The thing I'm the most unsure about is the press. Is there a particular brand and model that works well? Can I get away with buying a cheap one at Harbor Freight?

Any additional tricks and tips are welcome!

 

[Rush44]

I just took my driveshaft to my local sled shop and they pressed the bearings off/on for me for $20. Seemed like less fuss than doing it myself when I was upgrading drivers for my LT conversion.

The tool list you laid out looks pretty complete. I've never found the need for any air tools other than for maybe pulling the bearings off the shaft. Sometimes that can be a real MFer.

 

[summitboy]

Press is a press. I have a cheap 12 ton Princess Auto (Canadas Harbor Freight). Been using it for 8 years.

 

[9Miler]

A piece of pipe and threaded rod cheapest press you can buy

 

[Jon Mutiger]

The only thing I think your missing is a tap and die set to make it so your not fighting the extremely hard to deal with loctite. If Timbersled is doubling production next year, I'm buying stock in loctite now.

Seriously, it can cause thread damage, and screw up how tight you think you are putting things. I use a thread repair set which is pretty much a tap and die set just to make sure the nut and bolts run easily.

I'd personally use Pink or low strength locite on re-assembly. The reason is you have all of these locking features, and I've never had a 222 loctite (Pink) thread come loose on me, assuming it was clean to start with.

Jon

 

[Ryanexcr]

Thanks for this post very helpful info for sure. I am getting ready to do this with a couple other guys I ride with on 3 kits.

 

[lacesout]

any little arbor press will work.

 

[vmax1200]

Worst case synerio could removed the towing hitch ball on your truck than use a bottle jack to push the driver shaft up through the 1-3/4'' hole.That if your trucks high enuff.

 

[Motogeek33]

Worst case synerio could removed the towing hitch ball on your truck than use a bottle jack to push the driver shaft up through the 1-3/4'' hole.That if your trucks high enuff.

That's a great idea... when I get to that point, I'll have to see if I can rig it up and make it work.

 

[Chadx]

Anyone working on a "how to" video for this? Would be great to see before diving in. I haven't checked recently, but last time I did I didn't see one on the timbersled site.

 

[Frostbite]

I agree ChadX. I would LOVE to see one!

 

[Chadx]

And it doesn't have to be all fancy post-productiony. Just a good basic, "this is what it's going to look like as you pull it apart", "do this trick to make it easier" and "don't do this" type stuff. Would help those of us that haven't pulled a skid apart before.

Brett and/or timbersled,
Any plans to record a swap? Would be great to see and hear right from the source.

Or anyone else? There are probably some shops that have or are doing plenty of these so why not record it and slap up your shops logo at the end for some free advertising. Ha. Nudge nudge.

 

[Niskibum]

My kit should be here this week and I live close to Sandpoint. I would be happy to bring it all up to let you guys video changing mine out, just to help out my fellow riders of course.

 

[adamd1979]

Finished the install last week and the instructions are pretty good at explaining every step. I've never pulled mine apart either, so I know how you feel. The only tip I'd have is when drilling out the new housing holes. The old bolts are pretty sloppy and don't line up perfectly centered. This may cause the housing to be offset just a bit. I just cut a quarter inch strip of electrical tape and wrapped it around the bolts until it fit snugly in center. Not sure if it would make a diff, but it may

 

[Chadx]

Good tip, Adam. Thanks. Jon made a good point on cleaning off all the old threadlocker with a tap/die set before reassembly to get good torque specs, etc. (and possibly using different strength loctite for reassembly).
Are all the torque specs included in the instructions?

Like others have mentioned, I would much prefer the timbersled kits used metric rather than SAE. A waste to have to carry two sets of tools and a small annoyance when working on them in the shop to dig out the SAE when literally nothing else I own (ATV, motorcycles, cars, etc) use SAE. And what bikes do these go on that are not metric? Probably a matter of timbersled choosing to use US sourced parts and perhaps metric parts are more expensive or rare. Not sure on that but there has to be some reason they still use SAE so giving them the benefit of the doubt..still a pain, though. ha. Maybe someday they'll change over and it's not a huge deal at all but just an observation and it's pretty good when something so minor is my only gripe. ha.

 

[dirtrebel]

Finished the install last week and the instructions are pretty good at explaining every step. I've never pulled mine apart either, so I know how you feel. The only tip I'd have is when drilling out the new housing holes. The old bolts are pretty sloppy and don't line up perfectly centered. This may cause the housing to be offset just a bit. I just cut a quarter inch strip of electrical tape and wrapped it around the bolts until it fit snugly in center. Not sure if it would make a diff, but it may

yea the holes are a bunch of b.s. I ended up saying screw it and just bolted the template in and drilled it just as they said in the instructions. I figure that is what they do, but man are the holes sloppy. I even noticed in the pic of the housing installed in the instructions (pic labeled bearing housing installed) you can tell the housing is not centered in the hole on the side panel. look closely at the bolt heads the front ones touch the edge of the hole and the back ones are back from the edge of the hole. I figured as long as both sides are EQUALLY not centered its ok. I made sure I installed the bearings on the shaft and then bolted it in. If you put the bearings on the side panels first and then put the shaft in it could be really whacked! These holes have left doubt in my mind but I just said screw it I did the best I could with what I was given. I don't care if the housing is centered as long as it runs true? It would be nice if they gave you some bushings for the loose sloppy bolts to make them fit tight and have the drilling template installed without slop. Going forward it would be nice if the holes on the kit weren't huge compared to the bolts! The instructions are pretty good, but one thing I did was not completely remove the left side panel. I just took out the bolts up to and including the front skid bolt and first subframe bolt behind the jackshaft and then FLEXED, not bent, the panel out enough to get the shafts out. I figured the more I could leave the kit assembled the less the huge holes would hurt me in the end. Just a few things I noticed, maybe I screwed mine all up, who knows!

 

[vmax1200]

If a person had the right equipment ,meaning flex senseors fitted to the side panels you would be scared to see how much these kits flex during operation .or just have a CAD 3D program to simulate under stress condtions to get the full effects

 

[M5-]

Started my upgrade yesterday, the holes which retain the bearings on the left side were/are actually ovaled out both the bearing retainer and the side plate so I ended up just centering everything as much as possible before I tightened on the template drill guide. I left the skid in the kit I don't really see any need to completely remove it just need to line everything up prior to reassembly and make sure its not all racked out of alignment.

M5

 

[PalousePoo]

On the two kits I've done, the scribe marks on the new shaft aren't located properly. After centering the drivers between the two marks, the space between the drivers was too wide, and wouldnt allow the drive sprockets to even start to engage into the track drive lugs. I had to press each sprocket towards the center of the shaft about another 1/8", to get the right amount of side to side play, when engaged in the track

 

[dirtrebel]

On the two kits I've done, the scribe marks on the new shaft aren't located properly. After centering the drivers between the two marks, the space between the drivers was too wide, and wouldnt allow the drive sprockets to even start to engage into the track drive lugs. I had to press each sprocket towards the center of the shaft about another 1/8", to get the right amount of side to side play, when engaged in the track

same here! I just made it work like you did, but it made me angry! the drawing says 5.066 center to center on the drivers and I calculated more like 4 7/8. I even called timbersled and they said I was the first to say that out of a few hundred calls. I checked my old shaft against the new one with the drivers off and noticed it immediately. I went with the marks anyway and it would not fit in the track, so I had to move them to the middle evenly till they fit with a little clearance. I checked with a friend who had another upgrade kit and my old shaft did not match his new shaft either! The marks on the new shaft match the drawing in the instructions, but for me the drawing did not match the track. To me it seems like the drawing is wrong and the shaft is marked to the drawing?