Just packed bearings and question...

[Handydc]

Just repacked the bearings on the TT and a question. I have the easy lube hubs but I hand pack the bearings for obvious reasons. BUT, after I pack, reassemble the hubs and get everything back together am I good to go OR is there any reason to use the easy lube feature and fill the spindle cavity with grease??????? till grease begins to come out of the end of the spindle/hub. I see no benefit to that unless you have a hub that gets submerged in water like a boat trailer to help keep water out.

To fill or not to fill, that is the question??

[birdman77]

You are good to go... All 4 of my hubs came like that from the factory. At the Goshen rally the Dexter instructor told us the only grease that matters is what's in your bearing so make sure you hand pack them correctly...better yet use a tool...I am only the messenger.

[jeffnick]

I like to fill the cavity even after a hand pack. This way if I'm planning a long trip, I can check the hub between yearly maintenance intervals by jacking up the wheel and spinning it as I put grease in the fitting. If the grease coming out doesn't look like the grease going in I know the hub needs attention.

BTW - I used the palm scratch method for packing bearings for years with no problems, but one day I decided to try one of the commercial bearing packers. I opted for the double cone model...
The above model worked fine, but it's messy and hard to store. If you're going to spring for one, I'd suggest getting one like I use now.

[dward51]

2nd photo is not showing up. Can you post a link to the product? I'd like to see the alternative as I have the cone model like in the first photo and if #2 is better, I'm open to change.

[BarabooBob]

I also hand pack my bearings. I don't use my grease gun to shoot grease into the hub because I worry about getting grease on the brake drums and shoes.

[chaps2018]

I use the double cone version. I like to be able to see the grease coming in all around uniformly. When done with the tool I use my nitrile gloves to encase the tool so grease is contained and it is easy to store.

[babock]

Originally Posted by dward51

2nd photo is not showing up. Can you post a link to the product? I'd like to see the alternative as I have the cone model like in the first photo and if #2 is better, I'm open to change.

These are the ones I use. I used to use the cone type. They work poorly compared to these:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Dwilcox]

That's the one I use. It has been good sofar.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by Handydc

To fill or not to fill, that is the question??

A lot of this depends on what kind of grease you used. If it is compatible with the factory lithium grease then you should be fine. If you upgraded to a better grease like I plan to do (Red N Tacky), it might not be compatible so it's important to remove every trace of the old lube, including purging the E-Z Lube passages prior to assembly. The concern is if in the future someone pumps more grease into the hub it would force the old grease out into the new stuff.
It might not sound like a big deal but mixing incompatible lubes can cause them to break down prematurely. If you did change the type of grease I'd at least be sure not to use the E-Z Lube for now.
As a preemptive strike, I'd like to remind everyone that the OP's post was about repacking wheel bearings, not who makes the better grease.

[dward51]

Originally Posted by babock

These are the ones I use. I used to use the cone type. They work poorly compared to these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ok, Thanks. I watched a youtube video on how that one works and it is basically doing the same thing the 2 cone will do just no grease gun involved.


I watched another video and it does appear to be less messy than the cones. Hard to consider any greasing of bearing not being messy, but there are levels of mess. I also now see there is a zerk fitting on the top to load the base with grease. I'll probably go ahead and buy one of these.


Thanks!

[babock]

Originally Posted by dward51

Ok, Thanks. I watched a youtube video on how that one works and it is basically doing the same thing the 2 cone will do just no grease gun involved.


I watched another video and it does appear to be less messy than the cones. Hard to consider any greasing of bearing not being messy, but there are levels of mess. I also now see there is a zerk fitting on the top to load the base with grease. I'll probably go ahead and buy one of these.


Thanks!

Way less messy and works 10 times better. You still use a grease gun to fill the supply of grease at the bottom. I would rather hand pack with my palm than use those disc packers.