Wheel bearing service-fill the hub?

Dopp Creek · Jun 19, 2015

The other day I put new tires on the haybine so I took the opportunity to repack the wheel bearings. They sounded dry and in fact were, but the hub was full of grease between the bearings. Little rain this morning so I pull the hubs off the baler to repack them- same thing, dry bearings but a hub full of grease. Do you guys fill the hub with grease or just repack the bearing and call it good? I just don't see the grease migrating to the bearings as the hub-fillers thought it might. What is your practice on low speed wheel bearings/hubs?

Happy haying!

JMOR · Jun 19, 2015

(quoted from post at 10:53:30 06/19/15) The other day I put new tires on the haybine so I took the opportunity to repack the wheel bearings. They sounded dry and in fact were, but the hub was full of grease between the bearings. Little rain this morning so I pull the hubs off the baler to repack them- same thing, dry bearings but a hub full of grease. Do you guys fill the hub with grease or just repack the bearing and call it good? I just don't see the grease migrating to the bearings as the hub-fillers thought it might. What is your practice on low speed wheel bearings/hubs?

Happy haying!

ope! That would just be a waste of grease & eventually dried up grease to clean out later.

K Effective · Jun 19, 2015

I do not fill the hub unless equipped with a zerk to force more grease to the bearing- no motive force as you found, unless the bearing heats enough to melt the grease in, when it is probably too late by that time

MARK ROBKE · Jun 19, 2015

I tried it on a car years ago -leaving the center hub dry after packing the bearings-the bearings failed!It took a year maybe,but they were dry.After that,I believed that the OEMs do it for good reason.Mark

rrlund · Jun 19, 2015

I've got one of those wheel bearing packing cans. I generally pack them that way,but I put a lot of red wheel bearing grease in the hub too. Some of these Olivers are nice in that they have a plug in the hub. You can put a little 90 gear lube in them to thin things out and pump them full of grease too and work it in to the bearings.

Bob Bancroft · Jun 19, 2015

My experience agrees with yours in that all that grease in the middle cavity does little good. When I pack bearings, I hand pack the bearings, smear grease on the races, and try to fill the cavity between the inner bearing and the seal. I might smear a little extra around the nut/washer area of the smaller bearing too.

Much of my machinery now has grease fittings on the hubs. When you push grease out the seal, then you know that critical area between the seal and the bearing is full of grease.

D beatty · Jun 19, 2015

Bob I have done the same thing with most of my equipment. I have put grease zerks on the front wheels of my tractors and it has worked out good.

Allan in NE · Jun 19, 2015

The only time you fill the hub is on a boat trailer. Waste of grease otherwise.

Allan

pat sublett · Jun 19, 2015

Spread a wad of grease on the palm of your left hand, take the bearing in your right hand, wide edge down and press down into the grease forcing it through the bearing retainer and around the bearing. Continue to rotate the bearing until you have filled all the void around the bearing. You can also buy a device that clamps on the bearing and you can force the grease into the bearing, You will never have a dry bearing if you do this.

Dick2 · Jun 19, 2015

I think of the hub as a means to keep the bearings from slinging the grease into the empty center hub. Yes, it is lubricant that won't be used, but it does dam up the grease so it is more likely to stay in the bearing. If the grease gets slung out of the bearing, it is never coming back so I do pack the hub to try to keep the grease in the bearing.

pete 23 · Jun 19, 2015

All the old H & M farmall tractors had shield behind each bearing. No grease inside the hub at all. But, everyone wants a grease fitting sooooooooo, eliminate the shield, pump the entire hub full of grease and then every time you pump grease into that hub you have to pump in enough to force grease into the bearings. My opinion, bunch of crap. Grease rarely actually gets into the bearings unless you are one to really pump it to it so to speak. Take them out, clean them, then pack them properly.

D beatty · Jun 19, 2015

All most all you new trailers haveing greased bearing use the EZ-lube System and you pump grease until it comes out the front side filling hub with grease as you do it.

D beatty · Jun 19, 2015

I have an farmall tractor that we used for loading manure and other chores.We replaced front wheel bearings and seals every two years because dirt and crap would get through the seals . We ended up putting in new bearings and seals and put zerks on dust covers and sealed them to hub.Every 4 or 6 months I would pump grease until I saw fresh grease coming out back and wipe the excess off. Those bearings have been in over 20 years now and get greased once a year now since we don't have cattle.

Allan in NE · Jun 19, 2015

Yes,

That's because people are lazy and don't want to repack their bearings. Just simply a convenience thing.

Allan

Two Dogs · Jun 19, 2015

My FE35 is factory equipped with zerks on the front hubs for a reason I suppose. I pump a few shots in until a little comes out the seal. Wasting grease? It must take about a dollar's worth to fill the cavity. And nothing but grease can get in there. TDF

Traditional Farmer · Jun 19, 2015

Yep if you have grease coming out nothing else will be going in,I want a hub to be packed as tight with grease as I can get it.And I almost never have a wheel bearing failure.

Bob Bancroft · Jun 19, 2015

Oh no! That's way too harsh. We're not lazy. Today we have to be more efficient users of time! Besides, who wants to get their hands all grease? Just grab the grease gun, give it a few shots, and off you go!

I just ordered my very first power grease gun. Yipppeeeeeeeee

RusselAZ · Jun 19, 2015

I grease the bearings real good on my own equipment then put about a 1/4 of a can of STP or something thick in the hub. I doubt you will ever have a dry bearing again unless there is no seal at all.

My customers get the old tried and true way as stp is a bit unorthodox.

Frank41 · Jun 19, 2015

I use a needle with a zerk on the end. The needle will go between the rollers to fill them up. Your seals are probably not right to hold oil like on semi tralers.

pete 23 · Jun 19, 2015

I think we are out numbered on this one. Funny how I kept seeing bearing failures with hubs and wheels chock full of grease.

Geo-TH,In · Jun 19, 2015

I think both my dump trailer and implement trailer have dexter axles. They have a rubber plug on the bearing cap. Behind the cap is a zerk that will lub the bearings, it fills the hub too. I use special grease for wheel bearings in grease gun. Many axles on boat trailers are the same way.

In the past, I would remove the bearing and used a gismo that would fill bearing with grease. I really don't see the need to fill hub because grease doesn't move from the hub to bearing. Only reason to fill hub is to keep water out, like on boat axles.

Dalex · Jun 19, 2015

My '48 JD B has grease zerks in the cast iron hub covers , so I guess they think it's a good idea....

NoNewParts · Jun 20, 2015

I just do the bearings, and make a little grease 'dam' with my finger on either side of the bearing and race.
By the looks of the old grease I find in the center of the hubs...
no way do I want that stuff pushed thru the bearing furthest from the zerk.
After, if there is a zerk, I give it a shot once in a while, knowing that I am just doing the close to zerk bearing.
I still need to manually do the far one routinely.

Besides, if I don't go in there, I won't get to see all the interesting
'make it works'
ya know, regular nuts, stripped nuts, nails, extra washers, no pin at all, welded...great fun

john in la · Jun 20, 2015

d beatty
I agree with you.
Adding a bearing buddy to hand pack bearings and pushing the grease out the seal is asking for trouble.

But if you have the EZ-lube System the hub is made to be greased with a grease gun.

I have Vortex hubs. They come with a 6 year no touch warranty.
Stainless steel metal parts; triple lip seals; and a o-ring on the hub cap.
Fill it with Lucas marine grease and forget about it.

Another system I have heard about is the VAULT system made by UPF.
It uses a special grease that turns to a liquid lube when hot.
The system is under pressure to keep out water.
Hub has a 10 year no touch warranty.

You guys still hand packing bearings on trailer axles are still living in the ice age.

Wheel bearing service-fill the hub?

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