M880 / variants Front Wheel Bearing info please.

[rustywagoneersdotcom]

Hello Gentlemen.

Looking for anyone who has ever had an actual problem with the front wheel bearings on any of the various Dodge M88x family trucks.

Magazines and old wive's tales abound aboutt how terrible this particular front wheel bearing setup is. I have used a couple of these types of fronts on other vehicles in the past and am very near putting one of them back to work. I spent a little time in a BCA bearings book this evening and determined the set 35 / set 37 bearing combination to be very similar (set 35 and 104910 - 104949 iirc) to what is in the later (up to 2000 at least) 1/2, 3/4, and 1-ton. The particular axle I am considering putting back into service was in a ramcharger or 1/2 ton when it was born, I rebuilt it, new ball joints, u-joints, bearings, seals, and changed it to same-vintage (brand new from NAPA) 8-lug hubs/rotors. I did drill the holes a little larger in the hubs / rotors to make sure i had room for my grease-gun nipple to fit through, making bearing service a little easier, you just have to make sure you are not blowing grease all over hellandgone...

It has maybe 3000 miles after the rebuild when it was in a wagoneer frame, under a scrambler body.

I do not hear horror stories about 'new' Dodges and those 'awful' hub bearings, but by the same token, I admit I am not living / breathing / eating / sleeping Dodges every single day, either.

Any info much appreciated.

peace
Dave

 

[Elwenil]

Unit bearings are bad all the way around. The new Rams have similar issues, but the trend toward large backspacing on rims keeps them alive longer. A wide dished rim on a 1970s era Dodge unit bearing will eat it up pretty quick. Under normal use with stock or near stock size rims and tires and with regular maintenance the unit bearings seem to hold up a lot longer. I know several people with 70s era trucks that drive them all the time with no issues, but for anyone wanting large or heavy tires and rims the early 70s and 80s two bearing set up would be a better choice in the long run.

 

[rustywagoneersdotcom]

ever had one fail / seen one fail in person? I am certainly aware of the concepts involved, and if this thing turns out to burn me in a few month, I will obviously changing everything from the outers out... I just haven't seen one fail, despite all the 'betterness' of the more conventional arrangement, with more distance between the 2 bearings to reduce the 'felt' amount of leverage against the bearings.

thanks for the input,
peace
Dave

 

[McGuyver]

I've had my M880 for 8 years and only ocassionally lube them, and I've never had one fail. But then, I only put 3,000 - 5,000 miles on the truck per year, and the largest tires I've run until recently were 265/75R16. So maybe I haven't been abusing them too bad.

 

[Bob H]

My parts truck is pretty wore out,
drivers side front axle u-joints mutilated, brake rotor wore completly off of the hub
wore out 33 x 12.50 x 16.5's on fairly wide wagon wheel rims.
wheel bearings are still in decent shape.
My M882 has seen way to much abuse, (my kid drove it his senior year)
No wheel bearing problems, just keep em greased.

 

[rustywagoneersdotcom]

Thanks, Gents.

as the saying goes,
trust, (in what the engineers came up with)
but verify, (or at least keep spares and a back up plan!)

peace
Dave

 

[Elwenil]

I know of one truck in particular that ate them every few months or so. This was on a Plymouth Trailduster (1/2 ton) with a 4" lift and 33" tires. I'm pretty sure there is a difference in the size of the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton bearings and that may explain why most of the ones I have seen are half tons. I have seen a few of the 3/4 ton bearings fail but they are more rare. It could be that the 3/4s are more rare in this area or that the bearings are made better or both. It's important to note that I an a Mopar Parts Advisor in a Dodge Dealership Parts Dept. and have worked in other parts stores in the area, so I see this stuff more than the average guy. I do know of one local that has a "civilianized" M880 series that needed a front bearing and then needed the other shortly thereafter but the mileage is unknown and they may have just been worn out from age and use. The truck has been sitting since they were put on, so I can't say how long they have lasted either, lol.