Wheel spacers

Had a mechanic pop my bearings out of the front and rear rims and he didn't separate the front and rear spacer tubes when he gave me the old bearings and such back. I'm installing my fresh bearings, and am pretty sure the shorter spacer goes to the back wheel, but when seating my front bearings they bind tightly against the longer spacer. I am correct in thinking the longer spacer goes to the front wheel, and the shorter to the rear, right?

 

Hmm, maybe I'm looking at this wrong. The bearings do bind up against the spacer when seated, it's the outer bearing races that move when the wheels spin. My mistake for not searching far enough into the forums.

 

You don't want the bearings to sit tightly against the spacer as that will put a side load on them and cause them to wear out quicker. The spacer should be snug but still able to move up and down against the inner races.