Floating Spacers

[deft1 0]

Alright, so I received my Sprung chassis in the mail. I then found out that the axles use floating spacers rather than the barrel-type spacers. So, I go to my LHS and ask for 8mm floating spacers. Then, I get something that looks exactly like a floating spacer:

However, when I put these spacers in the wheel, they seem too long. This causes the bearings to not sit properly in the wheel by about 2mm (1/16"). The spacers are 1.3cm (1/2") long. This is not normal, right?

[deft1 0]

After looking into it, my stupid LHS gave me the wrong spacers! Not to mention they charged me 2.50 per! I hate that place so much.

[Joker518 0]

After looking into it, my stupid LHS gave me the wrong spacers! Not to mention they charged me 2.50 per! I hate that place so much.

They gave you 688 Bearing (micro) size floating spacers... Those bastards! You need to specify 608 standard size but even then the moron will get it wrong. Bring the axle, wheel, and bearings with you so you can show them what you need.

Incidentally, Keith has said that they new frames, when they ship, will come with spacers...

[deft1 0]

Thanks, Foolboy. Definitely agreed that I should have brought the setup. I talked to the largest LHS in the area over the phone and they had no idea what I meant by floating spacers. Maybe I should put these ones up for sale!

[Sprungster 5]

After looking into it, my stupid LHS gave me the wrong spacers! Not to mention they charged me 2.50 per! I hate that place so much.

Spacers are the biggest rip in the business. I thought a dollar each was awful, but you really got the screws put to you!!

Do take in a wheel and bearings to check em out, but if they don't have the right ones, you can get some sandpaper and go at each end until they're the right length. They don't wear out, just hang on to them. Every company's are a different width. Inside every company, they vary from one batch to another because the machines get out of whack.

Here's a suggestion. If your wheels are new and the bearing seats are in good shape, don't use spacers. The Sprung axles are super precision and don't collapse the bearings. Put them in and spin em as you tighten. If one does stick a little back the axle a tiny bit. You can also hit the wheels with a screwdriver handle or somethimg like that. Sounds weird, but a lot of times it will free up the bearings so the wheel will spin better.

We have a few guys doing the no spacer thing right now to test it out. I haven't used them for a few months. I don't know how it will work with RRs though, because they have the reduced three point bearing seat which might give some.

We're still trying to get set up with plastic ones locally, but we think we'll end up making them.

[BrunoZ 0]

[Lot of rambling ahead]

The width of good floating spacers should be 10.20mm to suit most Hyper hubs if I recall correctly, I have to check for RR hubs. When you have proper spacers, even overtightening doesn't cause the wheels to stop rotating. If they stop, then the spacers are too narrow. If everything rattles too much, they are a bit too wide and/or your bearings are getting loose.

Not that it matters, btw, as I never felt that I played better or worse with perfectly ajusted brand new top notch bearings or worned out ones that rattle. Imho, only matters when you're doing speed skating or when you're a pain-in-the-ass perfectionist like I'm sorry to be.

Keith, skating without spacers sounds a bit weird to my mechanical engineer self. Mind explaining me why go without them ?

As I see it, without spacers, tightening will automatically put some unwanted axial constraint on the bearing, and when turning/cornering, the axial constraint will be always harder on the upper bearing. Better with nylon spacers, but they do deform compared to metal spacers, so the axial constraint is still not so well balanced.

The only pro argument I could find is that you can compensate for the bearing looseness and get a wheel that roll but doesn't rattle regardless of the hub tolerances or bearing health (but does it matter ?), at the expense of the nut tightening (I do hate loosing an axle in the middle of a game, threadlocker/locktight is not fail-proof) and the bearing wear (axial constraint is Evil to bearings).

[deft1 0]

So, $30 (20 for original incorrect spacers and 10 for the right ones) and a wild goose chase later, I have the right setup.

Re: no spacers - I am not sure I would try that myself. When I think of how much torque is put on a wheel when you skate at an angle, I would think having no spacers would really compromise the wheels.

[riotgear 4]

After looking into it, my stupid LHS gave me the wrong spacers! Not to mention they charged me 2.50 per! I hate that place so much.

Spacers are the biggest rip in the business. I thought a dollar each was awful, but you really got the screws put to you!!

Do take in a wheel and bearings to check em out, but if they don't have the right ones, you can get some sandpaper and go at each end until they're the right length. They don't wear out, just hang on to them. Every company's are a different width. Inside every company, they vary from one batch to another because the machines get out of whack.

Here's a suggestion. If your wheels are new and the bearing seats are in good shape, don't use spacers. The Sprung axles are super precision and don't collapse the bearings. Put them in and spin em as you tighten. If one does stick a little back the axle a tiny bit. You can also hit the wheels with a screwdriver handle or somethimg like that. Sounds weird, but a lot of times it will free up the bearings so the wheel will spin better.

We have a few guys doing the no spacer thing right now to test it out. I haven't used them for a few months. I don't know how it will work with RRs though, because they have the reduced three point bearing seat which might give some.

We're still trying to get set up with plastic ones locally, but we think we'll end up making them.

i dont have spacers in mine and they work just fine.

[deft1 0]

While we are on the topic, how does one remove bearings with floating spacers? With the regular spacers, you can catch the spacer's edge. However, floating spacers align exactly with the bearings.

[sdcopp 1]

While we are on the topic, how does one remove bearings with floating spacers? With the regular spacers, you can catch the spacer's edge. However, floating spacers align exactly with the bearings.

The little orange tool made by Sonic has been the best thing I have found because it has a "bearing extractor" the you use to pry out bearings with floating spacers. You can use a screwdriver or anything else that will fit in the bearings and allow you to pry, but I have torn up a few using a phillips head.

[kovalchuk71 212]

just use a flat head screwdriver or an allen wrench and pry it out.

[MDE3 0]

How and why for spacers....

The internal spacers used for inline hockey wheels are actually supports for the inner races of the bearings. If you tighten a bearing with no internal spacer, you are actually pulling the balls of the bearing against the inside edge of the outer race groove..which will cause the bearing to bind, as well as promote premature wear of the bearing itself. The width of the standard spacer for wheels using 608 bearings, is .400". The stack of the bearings plus the spacer should be between .002" and .004" less than the width between the frame bosses where they are mounted.

The outer races of the bearings seat up against the lip molded on the inside of the wheel hubs. These inner lips should have a width of .400" +.000"/-.004", which means they should always be equal to or smaller than the width of the inner spacers.

The theory is when you tighten the bolt/axle it pulls both bearing inner races snug against the spacer, but the outer race is not touching or just touching the inner lip inside the hub. It has happened with many manufacturers that this inner "lip/spacer" inside the wheel hub has been longer than .400". When this happens the bearings become tight up against the hub lip, before the inner races are snug against the spacer, causing the bearings to bind when tightened. The assemblies are designed so that the frame, bearings and spacer make for a "solid" body for the bearing to work within with no binding on the bearing, and the inner hub shoulder is simply there to "center" the assembly. The outer race is either just snug or has a slight amount of play(floats) so that the bearing can always be free.

When the lip is less than .400" then the whole bearing spcer assembly can move slightly back and forth inside the wheel hub, which is the "pop" or "snap" you can hear sometimes after mounting the bearing/spacer and pushing them side to side.

Running without inner spacers is not a good idea.