I have the 4wd drive unit bearing type and I purchased new Timken bearings from Summit racing in Akron, Ohio.  It was not instock but they shipped direct to me in a week no extra charge for shipping.  I also replaced my U-joint with a good one with grease fitting and rebuilt the brake caliper too.  The old wheel bearing inside seal rusted out and fell off when I took it out.

^^  Agree. There was a post by a member a few years back who cheaped out on unit bearings - forget who it was. The "offshore" unit bearing separated and the wheel came off while tooling down the highway. This post had pics showing the separation, so if whomever posted it up reads this, please furnish a link.

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The original axle out of my truck now lives happily under my daughter's 96 Cherokee using the 3 year warranty Autozone Duralast Gold unit bearings,

^^  Agree. There was a post by a member a few years back who cheaped out on unit bearings - forget who it was. The "offshore" unit bearing separated and the wheel came off while tooling down the highway. This post had pics showing the separation, so if whomever posted it up reads this, please furnish a link.

Ditto, National is a decent brand. My local auto parts store carries brands like "Nascar" and "Certified". Those are the kinds of parts I stay away from.

I second the Timken units. Have a little over 2k on my set, I beat my truck like it owes me money and they are still tight as they day i bought them.

The Autozone Duralast ones are made by Timken, and I believe (but not positive) the Duralast Gold ones are the exact same as Timknen's own.

The question of whether the Timkens (or other higher end and higher priced brands) are a better fit for you will depend on how much you like replacing unit bearings.  Personally, I think its a pain in the arse and I'd rather spend the extra money to know I won't have to deal with it for a long long time.

Don't know what the cause was. I thought I was having problems with the steering as the truck would pull right every once in a while. After pulling over and checking all the steering components three times I decided to ignore it. In hindsight, it was not the steering, but rather the unit bearing locking up. 6 miles later the front corner of the truck dropped down all of a sudden and as I looked to see if I had a clear lane beside me to pull over I saw my tire rolling down the road, no longer attached to the truck.

That's them. Was the separation due to "questionable quality" unit bearings or something else? I don't remember for sure........

thanks. that is good to know. The Autozone Duralast (no gold specified) is about half price of Timken's own. In the product description I see that the Timken is heavier as far as the packaged item goes (by a pound) and has a 3 year warranty vs. the store brand 1 year. I do need to replace the bearings but I'm already way past budget for this truck that was supposed to be a 'hobby.' This will not be a DD and will not be taken off road; you reckon the quality of the Timken branded is worth the $100+ difference (pair) than either Autozone or Advanced private brands?

That was me. I can't find the pictures anymore, though. The problems I was having with unit bearings have been fixed by swapping out the D35 for a HP D60 out of a 1998 Ford F350.

Can I just buy the National brand hub assembly from Advanced @ $75 retail ($52 after coupon) and be satisfied that it will work fine or do I need to hunt down a brand name bearing? I can't determine that my bearings have play but something is making a crazy racket like someone is sharpening scissors that gets worse when I turn the wheel so I can only imagine it's the front bearings since it doesn't change when I take it out of gear. Anyway, preference on hub assembly brand?

The Autozone Duralast ones are made by Timken, and I believe (but not positive) the Duralast Gold ones are the exact same as Timknen's own.

I was surprised how well the truck handled and how stable it was rolling on three tires and skiing on the passenger steering knuckle after the bottom part of the lower ball joint sheared off.

As long as you stick with a good brand you are OK. Avoid the cheap McParts house ones unless you want to do this again in 12 months

One of my customers is a Bearings and Seals store. Yea, all they sell. Surprised they make money, but they are busy. sell alot of bearings to factories and warehouses.