SKF launches high quality, easy to use tool for mounting and dismounting HBU 2.1

The SKF Vehicle Aftermarket is pleased to announce the addition of two universal wheel bearing tool sets to its product portfolio. These innovative tool sets allow easy mounting (VKN 600) and dismounting (VKN 601) of compact HBU 2.1 bearings of all sizes. This way mechanics can save space and money, as they only need to stock one tool instead of individual tool kits for different bearing diameters. With a small future extension the dismounting tool set will also cover several HBU 3 wheel bearing diameters.

Dismounting a HBU 2.1 (compact bearing), but more importantly mounting the wheel bearing onto the vehicle, requires the use of specific tools to ensure that the pressure for inserting the bearing into the knuckle is applied at the right area (outer ring).  
When mounting a HBU 2.1 bearing with a standard hydraulic press, the flange is often mistaken for the area where force could be applied to push the bearing into the knuckle. However in these cases the pressure is actually transferred from the flange through the inner ring onto the rolling elements and only lastly to the outer ring. This will cause premature damage to the bearing and can lead to water ingress and early failure of the bearing. With the SKF HBU 2.1 tool the pressure gets correctly applied directly to the robust outer ring, leaving the other bearing components unaffected. 

With these new tool sets SKF now provides one of the most advanced HBU 2.1 mounting and dismounting solutions in the market, covering a car parc of more than 20 million cars on European roads. Refer to excel file for kit designation and application details. 

About the tool: 

• This tool covers the whole 2.1 HUB range and selected HBU 3 bearing diameters (see table for application details).

• The SKF universal tool has flexible mounting feet to fit bearings of varying sizes, covering all diameters between 62 and 85 mm.

• In its basic model the tool is manually operated but it can be complemented with a hydraulic cylinder (VKN 602-1) for an even smoother, easier fitting.

• Each tool set includes a link to digital instructions with step-by-step guidelines on how to carry out the mounting/dismounting of the wheel bearing correctly.

• The tools packaging is robust, lightweight and easy to transport if necessary.