Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Yukon Spin Free Hub Kit - My Install & Review
Well, I was lucky enough to get my hands on Yukon Gear’s new “Spin Free” Unit Bearing Eliminator kit to install in my ’03 SRW 2500. I opened up the package to find a very well put together kit. It included beefy 4340 35 spline axle stubs, heavy duty spindles with ABS sensor mounts, huge cad-plated hubs, warn premium locking hubs, Timken wheel bearings and all the hardware and seals for a truly “complete” kit, just bolt it all on. The biggest reasons for me wanting to do this kit were: 1) Replace the poorly designed unit bearing & 2) To free up all the spinning drive train on the front of the truck (axles, differential and driveline) and hopefully see a little fuel mileage benefit from it all. Also, as a bonus I can now use 4WD Low in 2WD which might come in handy backing the trailer around.
It took me and 2 friends roughly 5 - 7 hours to do this install over two nights after work, and we weren’t in any hurry. I would plan for 2 nights to do this kit by yourself, to be on the safe side. Originally I planned to install this all in a driveway nosed into the garage, I was very fortunate to have one of those friends offer me a bay in his shop with a lift. Though a lift is definitely not needed to complete this kit it sure was nice to be able to stand up while doing the work!
Here’s how the install went… First thing first, get the front of the truck off the ground, zip off the lug nuts and pull the wheels. Before you un-bolt the calipers, it is a good idea to pull the cotter pin and break the axle nut loose. There is a good chance you will want someone to stand on the brakes from the cab while you get a breaker bar and cheater to get it free. I was lucky enough and the ½” impact wrench we were using was able to free it. Now you can pull off calipers and get them propped up next to the spring, then use a block of wood and a hammer to remove the rotors. Do not damage these as they will be reused. Loosen the 4 bolts on the knuckle that hold the unit bearing on. You will need to pull those bolts out to move the backing plate to remove the ABS sensor.
On to removing the unit bearing, this is when I heard a trick from those helping to get it freed from the knuckle without much effort… Have someone else jump in the truck and start it (don’t step on the brakes, remember your calipers are not mounted!), you’ll need to be VERY VERY careful here, place a shallow socket (we used a 30mm) between the axle stub yoke and the axle tube, then have the person in the truck turn the wheels very slowly to force the axle out of the knuckle and axle tube. Like I said be VERY VERY careful, I was surprised how much force your steering really has! Now that the unit bearing is freed, put the axle nut on backwards (to keep from damaging the “teeth” of the castle nut) and hit the axle stub to free the axle from the unit bearing. You should now be able to easily pull the axle out from the housing.
Grab a flathead screw driver or small pry bar to gently remove the “C” clips from the U-joints on the inside of the axle stub yoke. Once the clips are removed, use a U-joint press, regular press, or you can take it in to a service place, and press the existing U-joints out of the old axle stubs. While you can re-use your existing axle U-joints, I opted to replace my axle U-joints since it was all apart anyway. To install the new axle stub on the existing axle shaft, press in, just using a vise, the U-joint caps on the new stub, being very careful not to crush any of the needle bearings. Re-install the “C” clips on the U-Joint to hold it in the yoke, and then just check that it all moves freely. Once the stub is installed on the old inner axle shaft you will need to install the dust shroud on the new axle stub. It can be installed before installing the U-joint however we choose to do it afterward so we would not damage the shroud while installing the U-joint. You are now able to slip the complete axle back in the housing, being careful not to damage the inner axle seal!
You might need to clean, wire brush or sand the knuckle a bit to get the spindle to fit as the tolerances are pretty tight. Install the axle seal on the back of the spindle, and then just bolt the spindle up using the supplied hardware. Bolt on the ABS senor reusing the existing allen bolt, you may need to un-bolt and rotate the ABS sensor mount on the spindle to get it the sensor to mount correctly, I did on one side. Also, I needed to put a flat washer on one side to “space” the sensor up to keep it from contacting the tone ring on the hub, make sure to check for clearance here. It is important to check the clearance between the ABS sensor and the tone ring after the wheel bearings have been tightened to make sure they are not contacting each other.
Using the press again, we pressed in the wheel studs and bearing races into the new hubs. We cut a piece of 2” tube steel 5 7/8” long to back the hub flange while pressing in the wheel studs. Then packed the wheel bearings full of grease and dropped in the inner bearings and installed the inner hub seal. Install them on the spindle, and then slide in the outer wheel bearing. Torque the wheel bearing pre-load with the spindle nut with the pin pointed out, put in the lock washer lining up the pin and hole in the washer, then torque down the jamb nut, all torque specs are listed in the instructions. Slip on the rotor and bolt up the caliper, make sure to use some blue lock-tite on the caliper brackets.
Bolt on the Warn locking hubs, making sure to test them out… Works like a charm! Throw the wheels back on, and torque them, almost done… I wanted to keep the “factory look” with my stock hub caps. So in order to retain them we took a 4 ½” hole saw and made room for the new locking hubs to poke through. I think they look good, now to see how they “feel” on the road!
I’ll be posting back with some mileage numbers and driving impressions real soon, along with all the install pictures…
Before & After
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In closing, I just wanted to thank Brian Anderson (ext. 5539) @ Randy’s Ring & Pinion, he really went above and beyond to get me this kit and resolved a few questions I had. I also want to thank my very good friends Ben Sappington (of Diesel Outfitters) & Mark Harris “Hoss” for volunteering to help me with this install (6 hands are always better than 2!) also to “Hoss” for the use of his shop bay and lift, you guys are the best!
Well, I was lucky enough to get my hands on Yukon Gear’s new “Spin Free” Unit Bearing Eliminator kit to install in my ’03 SRW 2500. I opened up the package to find a very well put together kit. It included beefy 4340 35 spline axle stubs, heavy duty spindles with ABS sensor mounts, huge cad-plated hubs, warn premium locking hubs, Timken wheel bearings and all the hardware and seals for a truly “complete” kit, just bolt it all on. The biggest reasons for me wanting to do this kit were: 1) Replace the poorly designed unit bearing & 2) To free up all the spinning drive train on the front of the truck (axles, differential and driveline) and hopefully see a little fuel mileage benefit from it all. Also, as a bonus I can now use 4WD Low in 2WD which might come in handy backing the trailer around.
It took me and 2 friends roughly 5 - 7 hours to do this install over two nights after work, and we weren’t in any hurry. I would plan for 2 nights to do this kit by yourself, to be on the safe side. Originally I planned to install this all in a driveway nosed into the garage, I was very fortunate to have one of those friends offer me a bay in his shop with a lift. Though a lift is definitely not needed to complete this kit it sure was nice to be able to stand up while doing the work!
Here’s how the install went… First thing first, get the front of the truck off the ground, zip off the lug nuts and pull the wheels. Before you un-bolt the calipers, it is a good idea to pull the cotter pin and break the axle nut loose. There is a good chance you will want someone to stand on the brakes from the cab while you get a breaker bar and cheater to get it free. I was lucky enough and the ½” impact wrench we were using was able to free it. Now you can pull off calipers and get them propped up next to the spring, then use a block of wood and a hammer to remove the rotors. Do not damage these as they will be reused. Loosen the 4 bolts on the knuckle that hold the unit bearing on. You will need to pull those bolts out to move the backing plate to remove the ABS sensor.
On to removing the unit bearing, this is when I heard a trick from those helping to get it freed from the knuckle without much effort… Have someone else jump in the truck and start it (don’t step on the brakes, remember your calipers are not mounted!), you’ll need to be VERY VERY careful here, place a shallow socket (we used a 30mm) between the axle stub yoke and the axle tube, then have the person in the truck turn the wheels very slowly to force the axle out of the knuckle and axle tube. Like I said be VERY VERY careful, I was surprised how much force your steering really has! Now that the unit bearing is freed, put the axle nut on backwards (to keep from damaging the “teeth” of the castle nut) and hit the axle stub to free the axle from the unit bearing. You should now be able to easily pull the axle out from the housing.
Grab a flathead screw driver or small pry bar to gently remove the “C” clips from the U-joints on the inside of the axle stub yoke. Once the clips are removed, use a U-joint press, regular press, or you can take it in to a service place, and press the existing U-joints out of the old axle stubs. While you can re-use your existing axle U-joints, I opted to replace my axle U-joints since it was all apart anyway. To install the new axle stub on the existing axle shaft, press in, just using a vise, the U-joint caps on the new stub, being very careful not to crush any of the needle bearings. Re-install the “C” clips on the U-Joint to hold it in the yoke, and then just check that it all moves freely. Once the stub is installed on the old inner axle shaft you will need to install the dust shroud on the new axle stub. It can be installed before installing the U-joint however we choose to do it afterward so we would not damage the shroud while installing the U-joint. You are now able to slip the complete axle back in the housing, being careful not to damage the inner axle seal!
You might need to clean, wire brush or sand the knuckle a bit to get the spindle to fit as the tolerances are pretty tight. Install the axle seal on the back of the spindle, and then just bolt the spindle up using the supplied hardware. Bolt on the ABS senor reusing the existing allen bolt, you may need to un-bolt and rotate the ABS sensor mount on the spindle to get it the sensor to mount correctly, I did on one side. Also, I needed to put a flat washer on one side to “space” the sensor up to keep it from contacting the tone ring on the hub, make sure to check for clearance here. It is important to check the clearance between the ABS sensor and the tone ring after the wheel bearings have been tightened to make sure they are not contacting each other.
Using the press again, we pressed in the wheel studs and bearing races into the new hubs. We cut a piece of 2” tube steel 5 7/8” long to back the hub flange while pressing in the wheel studs. Then packed the wheel bearings full of grease and dropped in the inner bearings and installed the inner hub seal. Install them on the spindle, and then slide in the outer wheel bearing. Torque the wheel bearing pre-load with the spindle nut with the pin pointed out, put in the lock washer lining up the pin and hole in the washer, then torque down the jamb nut, all torque specs are listed in the instructions. Slip on the rotor and bolt up the caliper, make sure to use some blue lock-tite on the caliper brackets.
Bolt on the Warn locking hubs, making sure to test them out… Works like a charm! Throw the wheels back on, and torque them, almost done… I wanted to keep the “factory look” with my stock hub caps. So in order to retain them we took a 4 ½” hole saw and made room for the new locking hubs to poke through. I think they look good, now to see how they “feel” on the road!
I’ll be posting back with some mileage numbers and driving impressions real soon, along with all the install pictures…
Before & After
#ad#adIn closing, I just wanted to thank Brian Anderson (ext. 5539) @ Randy’s Ring & Pinion, he really went above and beyond to get me this kit and resolved a few questions I had. I also want to thank my very good friends Ben Sappington (of Diesel Outfitters) & Mark Harris “Hoss” for volunteering to help me with this install (6 hands are always better than 2!) also to “Hoss” for the use of his shop bay and lift, you guys are the best!
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