Checking a beam off the car?

[bigcheez2k3]

I have a beam in the garden and I want to check it for camber, would it be as simple as bolting wheels on it to look? Got a couple bare alloys I can attach.

Normally you'd just look at it in relation to the car.

[cwspellowe]

If the beam's off the car just get a good hold of one end and rattle it about looking for play mate, if the bearings move freely enough and no untoward play it'll be fine

[Danny2009]

you cant check them like that they need to have weight on not sure if you can check them off car

[cwspellowe]

Er, how can you not check them like that? If a bearing has play, it has play. You can check anything with the right leverage and effort.

[bigcheez2k3]

If the beam's off the car just get a good hold of one end and rattle it about looking for play mate, if the bearings move freely enough and no untoward play it'll be fine

If it's all ok, it should be pretty solid, should it? Meaning nothing can be wobbled. Wheels bearings are fine I think, just want to check the main ones on the trailing arms.

[Danny2009]

I've always checked them on the car never off that's why I said I was unsure if you could or not but turns out you can

[cully]

put the wheel on the beam axle
upend the beam
stand on the inside of the wheel
grab beam tube and try to move it feel for movment within the tube bearings

[Jimbo]

There will too much tension from the TBs to feel off the car properly. If u look at the inner seal if it looks perished etc chances are corrosion will have f*cked bearings

[cwspellowe]

Nothing to do with tension on the torsion bars. If the bearings are f*cked you'll be able to see movement of the trailing arm. Trust me, i've seen it on beams off cars.

[miles]

The only thing you can do is check the the seal to the trailing arm is a uniform gap all the way around, whent he bearings fail you'll see the arm at a angle to the tube, mind this is only a check and even beams that appear OK are quite often scrap when stripped done