Replacement Brakes and Hub and Drum Assemblies that Use L68149 and L44649 Bearings

Question:

I have a 1984 2-horse trailer. I need to replace the brakes and would like the full assembly on both axles. I have removed a drum to check the bearings, the inner bearing is L68149 and the outer is L44649. The AKHD-5475-35-K brake drums indicate they fit these bearing and also list a 3,500-lb axles with #84 spindles. How can I determine if my axles are 3,500-lb axles with #84 spindles to insure I have the correct drums? I am also looking at the AKEBRK-35L-SA Electric Trailer Brake Assembly - Self-Adjusting - 10

asked by: Brent H

Expert Reply:

The fact that your existing hubs use bearings L68149 and L44649 indicates that the trailer has 84 spindles and the axles are more than likely 3,500 pound axles. The bearing numbers is how we identify things like the correct hubs and capacity so you are good to go.

The bolt pattern the wheels use to secure to the hub and drum assembly is the other key factor. I have included a link that explains how to measure for bolt pattern. The hub you asked about, # AKHD-5475-35-K, has a 5 on 4-3/4 bolt pattern which is not all that common. So determining the bolt pattern is very important.

The most common bolt pattern for hubs that take these bearings is 5 on 4-1/2. Once we have determined the bolt pattern the next step is to determine if you have standard or EZ lube axles. This is easy because if they have a grease fitting at the very end of the spindle (axle) and standard ones do not.

So for example hub # AKHD-545-35-EZ-K has a 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern and fits EZ lube axles. The standard counterpart is # AKHD-545-35-K.

The wheel bolt pattern and standard or EZ lube will not apply to the brakes themselves so whatever you end up needing you can use # AKEBRK-35R-SA for the right side and # AKEBRK-35L-SA for the left side.