Hi, just wanted to know if anyone has done this job and if it can be done at home without special tooling to press on the bearing retainers?

Thanks
Geoff

I haven't seen it done, but heard about using a pipe over the axle and a hammer...

my special retainer press tool is a big peice of heavy gal pipe. Once ya got ya old bearing and retainer off, (grind it thin and give it a good ol whack with a hammer and chisel to crack it should slide right off) slide the new bearing and retainer down the axle. makke sure your pipe is bigger than the inner diameter of the retainer, but smaller than the outer so if you where to hit down on it, it would be hitting on the retainer.
The peice of pipe i use is long and heavy, so rather than hitting it, i slide the pipe up the axle then smash it down as hard as i can onto the retainer (reverse slide hammer)
Note!- place a peice of timber through the centre of the studs so that the studs dont touch the ground.
Been using this method for 13 years, and never had a prob yet, exept one time i put a tappered bearing on facing the wrong way lol (i must have been part drunk lol)

bahahahahahahaha i'd lay bets on drunk

whats bad about that aiden? i did myne exactly the same, grind then chisel old ones, till they break off, then slide new bearing on, and hit down with a bit of pipe that is the right diameter...
it works, i did myne just like that worked perfect !
cheerrs
Dan

i do mine the same way. except i have a 20 ton press at home not a bit of pipe

Once the old retainers and bearings are removed. . .

Throw the axle in the chest freezer.

Heat some oil up in a frypan, add bearing and retainer.

Once everything is hot/cold it should just drop together. should

Better have a piece of pipe around as a back up plan. . .

Main thing: Keep everything square during the belting.

Method 1 risk: putting the bearing on backwards
Method 2 risk: 1st-degree burns + frostbite