As a practical rubber-meets-the-road matter, small changes in wheel offset don't cause bearing failure in my experience. I abandoned the 17" three-piece wheels about 20 years ago and found the Ford wheels now so widely used. Fine except they're ugly. So I found some Centerline wheels with enough backspacing and I'm using 235/85X 16 tires. So the offset is outboard by about an inch to clear the tie-rod end as you all know. The tires are somewhat smaller diameter than the original 7.00X17s so that compensates some for the greater offset but they are wider and much stickier.
I've run the truck loaded with a gross of 7800 to 9100 pounds ever since. I had to replace one wheel bearing set (inner and outer) about ten years ago but that was the side with the original bearings from '51. The other side I replaced in the mid-seventies.
In the past 20 yrs I've run the truck ~ 120,000 miles and am on the second set of steer tires. Yes the steering is heavy but is that because of sticky radial tires, greater offset, more weight on the front axle or arms that are 20 years older? Take your pick. With both fuel tanks full it's a chore to move around in a parking lot.
