How do I mount the rear wheel on my Huffy 26 inch Scout Mens Hardtail Mountain Bike?
I looked at this video, but it is lacking some critical information.
The nuts in the circled area need to be adjusted precisely, otherwise there is resistance when the wheel is turning.
Doing this job is pretty straight forward, especially since you have a solid axle (as opposed to a hollow axle used with a quick release skewer). A solid axle is easier because you can set the bearing preload without any guesswork.
Remove the wheel from the bike and orient the left, non drive side to a position where you can work on the nuts and axle of this side first. I usually place the wheel horizontally on my lap with the left side facing up. You can use a chair or bench to hold half the wheel while the other half rests on your lap.
Begin by grasping the axle and try to wiggle it. Is there "play" in the axle (does it wiggle, or move, when you try to wiggle it)? If the axle system moves when you wiggle it, the bearing system is too loose and needs to be adjusted. More on that in a bit. Whatever your findings here, the next move is to rotate the axle. Spin it with your fingers. Then rotate it slowly. Things to note: the axle should rotate smoothly. Spinning it while the wheel is in your lap will impart a few rotations before it stops (it's not going to spin like a top, but there shouldn't be resistance to your finger force imparting the spin). As you rotate the axle, note any lateral deviation of the spinning end of the axle. A bent axle will cause the end of it appear to wobble as it rotates.
Other abnormal findings include a gritty feeling and possibly sound caused by rotating. If there's a "catch" in the rotation where you might notice a portion of the rotation suddenly has more resistance. The entire rotation may have excess resistance. If any of these symptoms are present, further assessment is needed. At a minimum, the axle and bearing system needs to be disassembled, cleaned and fresh grease added. It may be necessary to replace bearing balls (common and a good idea whenever you're doing a hub overhaul, which is what this is), cone nuts (the inner most nut that has a bearing race on the end of it), the axle if it appears bent, broken or has damaged threads that prevent removal of the nuts or prevents them from proper adjustment of the bearing preload.
To remove the axle and bearings for replacement or cleaning: start on the left side where the wrench flats for both the cone nut and lock nut are easily accessible. (Note: the nuts that are furthest outside and which hold the wheel onto the bike should be completely off at this point). Note that the inner most, cone nut, has very narrow wrench flats and requires a thin wrench to get on them. A rear wheel on a Huffy will have 15mm cone nuts and 17mm (11/16 inch) lock nuts.
With both wrenches in place on the left side's cone and lock nut respectively, hold the the cone nut wrench fast and turn the lock nut counter clockwise (CCW) away from the cone nut. Continue each of these until off the axle completely. The conenut may have a dust shield integrated with it. There may also be a dust shield fitted into the cup portion of the hub. Its generally best to leave a dust shield that's pressed into the cup area of the hub alone as they can be easily damaged and then difficult to reinstall. The bearing balls are now accessible and can be removed for inspection and replacement.
With the left side nuts removed from the axle, you simply remove it out the right side of the hub. Inspect axle for bends and other damage. Same for the bearings, cone nuts, and cup. Clean them with degreaser. Assuming a correct setup to begin with, the right side of the axle assembly can be left alone except for cleaning and inspection. The nuts and any spacer(s) are in proper position for the wheels alighnment to the center of the frame. I usually give the right cone and lock nut a check to make sure the lock nut is firmly securing the cone nut on that side.
After cleaning a new grease (& I recommend replacing the bearing balls as well-- these will be ¼ inch balls numbering 9 if loose and maybe 5 if used with a bearing retainer), reinsert the axle through the right side. Reverse the uninstall process.
With a solid axle system like this, the appropriate preload on the bearings (obtained by threading the left cone nut in) is when the wobble or play in the axle just disappears. At this point the left lock nut can be replaced and without rotating the the cone nut, lock down the setting by tightening the left lock nut down onto the left cone nut.
One technique is to stop the left cone nut short so that there is just a slight amount of play in the axle. Secure the the left lock nut down on the cone nut. Now, with the little bit of play remaining, you can put a wrench on both left and right side lock nuts (a 17mm or 11/16th inch on each side). Now rotate the wrenches clockwise from the perspective of facing their side of the hub. A fair amount of force is required due to rotate the lock nut system, but only a quarter to half turn may be necessary to get the play removed from the system. In fact a quarter turn is all that should be done and then check for play again, and, if present, complete another quarter turn and check again. Continue this until all play is removed.
Check your work by holding up the wheel by each side of the axle and giving the wheel a spin. Free, nearly silent, smooth rotation is what should be felt. Reinstall wheel and ride.
