Association Forum - RELOADING TRAVEL CAR BEARINGS ????

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

RELOADING TRAVEL CAR BEARINGS ????

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

hillerji
1st Mate

Member Avatar

USA
37 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/07/2009 : 07:42:46

Wondering if anyone has a neat little trick for reloading the bearings in a Harken traveler car? I'm now rerigged and ready to go and am hung up on a $6.00 part that will take a week to get here from Harken that allows reloading the bearings. Just wondering if anyone has successfully done this before?

Thanks in advance,

JH

Jon

'Arabesque'
#2479
1982 SR/FK
Thames Yacht Club
New London Ct.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2009 : 08:20:51

I've never had the pleasure of having to repair the traveler car. I think there's probably a reason the bearings exited so a new one is in order, but can you tie the thing down securely in the middle until the new one gets there and go sailing?

Edited by - on

hillerji
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
37 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2009 : 09:04:04

Thanks Dave,,,

Actually someone (?) thought it would be a good idea to remove it over the winter....NGI Not good idea....

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

2402 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2009 : 13:52:56

The bearings are supposed to fall out. The 6 dollar plastic part is what allows you to remove the harken car. You need the Harken part. Can you put the car o the track and load one on each side from the end of the track? ... then keep loading alternating sides.

Edited by - pastmember on 08/07/2009 13:53:57

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

2402 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2009 : 14:31:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by pastmember
 The bearings are supposed to fall out. The 6 dollar plastic part is what allows you to remove the harken car. You need the Harken part. Can you put the car o the track and load one on each side from the end of the track? ... then keep loading alternating sides.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

This acts as a section of track to hold the balls in.

Edited by - on

skrenz
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
351 Posts

Response Posted - 08/17/2009 : 13:52:29

I reloaded the bearings in my old Harken traveler car by hand because A. I needed to take the car off of the track to rework the track B. there seemed to be some missing balls and C. I had no idea of the handy device noted by Frank, but even so, I probably wouldn't have spent the money on it.
Essentially the way these balls in the races work is with a recirculating race, one on each side. In the newer cars Harken has included a little rubber band that keeps these balls in place if you ever take the car off of the track but in the older cars, these balls are free to fall out.
So with that in mind I did the following. Unfortunately, this process requires that you have the track free.

You slip in as many balls as you can into the back side of each recirculating race. Then you slip the car onto the track so about 3/4" is on the track. This should allow you to put in place a few balls between the track and the race on the car. Slide the car down the track a little more and add a few more balls. Repeat until you get the car almost all the way onto the track. When you get here, slide the car onto the track and move it up and down a number of times. This will redistribute the balls so that all are on the down end of the recirculating track both the inner race and the race between the car and track. Carefully slide the car back up to the end of the track again. You will probably see that there is space for a few more balls either between the car and track or along the inner race. Add these balls and slide the car on the track several times again. At some point you should have all the balls in the recirculating race that it can hold. Put on the track end caps so the car cannot come off and you are done.

Edited by - on

hillerji
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
37 Posts

Response Posted - 08/18/2009 : 04:46:52

Steve,

Thanks for the finely detailed steps. I have put the car on without any bearings in the interim and yesterday my $6.00 device showed in the mail. As a penance I should make myself put them on your way so that I will think through next time before I remove something.
Thanks again for your help.

J

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

2402 Posts

Response Posted - 08/18/2009 : 07:24:33

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by hillerji
 Steve,

Thanks for the finely detailed steps. I have put the car on without any bearings in the interim ...

J
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Oh my, I hope you didn't hurt the bearing race. If you sailed much I would guess your car will now growl with bearings and probably chew them up. Good luck

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.