Can anyone help me out here, I swapped from 5/16 to 3/8 spindle bearings. I always used a blowtorch to heat my spindles up while the bearings are in the freezer. They usually slide right in no problem but these 3/8 bearings dont go in easy and I destroyed them trying to hammer them in
Hammers are never your friend when trying to install bearings into a race. A press is the proper way to do them. Something as simple as an Arbor Press from Home Depot will do the trick. Use a round spacer roughly the same size on the bearing’s outer ring (sockets are my go to because there’s plenty of diameters to choose from). Put the press onto the spacer so that it only pushes on the bearing’s outer ring so you don’t put too much pressure on the internal bearing. Shouldn’t take too much force and it’ll make sure you’re not damaging things as they go together.
Heating up the spindle and putting the bearing into the freezer will help. But the big mistake is using a hammer.
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Yeah I found out the hard way on the hammer 
. I’m gonna check out those arbor presses at home depot. Thank you!
Use a bolt of the correct diameter and length, a nut and two large washers, tighten the nut and bolt and it will press the bearings in squarely.
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Thank you greg! This is a way cheaper way then going out and buying an arbor press
Always looking to help. The simplest answer is usually the best one.
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