Servicing wheel bearings

Thanks fellas. A few different opinions seem to prevail.

Phil, your argument seems logical. I just have to trust that they actually did what they claim to have done.

As I said to the caravan service manager, if my Dad had seen me doing that to the old FJ, (after he had taught me to do it properly) I would have lost my driving rights for weeks!

Kingo.

Phil,

This is particularly important with boat trailers, My old dad always put plenty of grease in the available space, he always said grease was much cheaper than a failure on the track.

Pooley

not with todays Greases , some claim to have any heat / no liquid properties - , meaning your bearings will be glowing white before the grease liquifys (if at all ) then disperses - i have not seen this as yet - but have to presume truth in advertising.

as for packing the dust cover - it may be a waste of grease , but who will honestly be stingy enough to say that 30 mls of grease is an unexceptable waste of grease ? also , if this space is occupied with grease , it makes water and dirt ingress into this area a lot harder than if it was not packed with grease.... when you correctly pack bearings using the palm of your hand to force grease into the races - you will probably waste the same amount of grease that would be in the dust cap anyway ....

Another thing to think about is that providing you have a good seal in your cover - then once the grease heats up - it will expand , thus forcing its way into your bearings where an air pocket may be present , almost acting like the mechanical greasers you see on machinery with a preloaded spring and adjustable dispenser.

some machinery ( inc some new machinery ) still use a simple dust cap that you pack with grease and screw on to "inject" grease into bearings .... i have not seen these bearing produce excessing heat ? and this is going into a machine worth about $150 k ( one of the cheapest machines by far i have to maintain)

everyone will have a theory - greasing is not brain surgery --- having more grease than less will not create excessive heat - its a lack of lubrication that will produce heat ... grease often if in doubt - look for tell tale signs such as grease that goes off colour in a very short time ........

Boc

check out TBF TECH - repacking wheel bearings....silverback

David,
I think the technical article is true of vehicle bearings, but doesn't matter on trailer bearings because they don't get as hot.

yea, guess not. i used to think if 5oz was recomended 10 must be better.....silverback

Thanks Roscoe,

That's just how my dad taught me to do it!

I can accept some of the advice above with reference to putting some grease inside the cap to prevent moisture getting in. The new caps were very difficult to drive home. In fact I used my Dremel to smooth the outer surface before they would fit.

Kingo

Kingsley,
That's how I was taught as well by my father-in-law who was a mechanic. You're right about those caps they can be a challenge!!
as a matter of interest I use Nulon Xtremel tacky stuff and seems to really stick to the rollers