How to Replace Skateboard Ball Bearings

Video Transcript

"We're talking about skateboarding parts and maintenance and we're going to talk a little bit about bearings and replacing them. The wheel is attached to the axle of the truck however, a urethane wheel can't spin on it's own. That is why each wheel has a medal bearing on either side, one on the inside and one on the outside. This allows the wheel to slide around to the fix axle and causes you to go faster. Many times bearing will wear out because the small ball in the middle of the bearings will become rusted or worn down and won't spin around in the manner that they are suppose to. To check for a bearings that are broken or damaged simply spin your wheels, if we spin this wheel we get a smooth sound we know the bearing is okay. However, if we spin this back wheel we notice a high pitch rattling sound. This means that one or more of the bearings in this wheel are busted or broken. If you come across the problem of having a busted or broken bearing you can replace them yourself. Simply buy a pack of 8 bearings take one bearing at a time if this is the damage bearing inside of the wheel. Simply place a screwdriver or other pointed object into the wheel then pry the different sides of the bearing until it becomes loose. Eventually the bearing becomes loose enough in the wheel you'll be able to ply it completely out and replace it with a new one. Putting the new one in is as simple as placing the bearing on top of the whole and lightly tapping with a screwdriver until the bearing has completely inserted into the wheel. Having your bearing flush and straight with the side of your wheel make is go faster and last longer."