dieselyoda
Active member
I think of "preload" as a measure of force, as with springs and shocks. What is preload as applied to fitting a bearing? Where/how is it measured?
Preload, may not be the best description of what you need to do. In the case of the bearing you are talking about, think of it as the same as a wheel bearing, cup and cone.
When adjusting a simple wheel bearing, you have a nut and cotter pin to align. You assemble, install nut and bring the end play to zero, no movement back and forth. You then back the nut off a certain amount, gives you end-play or a little bit of movement back and forth. In the case of pre-load, you bring your adjustment to zero end play, then tighten the nut a certain amount, or applying force on the cup and cone.
That's my simple explanation and I'm sticking to it. Hope that helps.