Bearing grease zerks?

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

Ah ha! I think I may have it. I just went and dry fitted one of the new 1-1/16" bearings and it slid into place nicely, but I notice that the threaded end of the spindle was machined down a bit, so I measured it and remeasured the castle nut and tab washer and they appear to in fact be 1" ID, which seems to be a much more available size. Here are some pics. Tell me if you think I'm correct. Thanks again.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

UPDATE: Whew! Ok so I think I got it! After realizing that I really needed a 1" castle nut and tab washer, I found a place in town that had them all for $4 So I drove across town picked them up along with a mini grease gun and some marine grease from good ol' Harbor Freight for about $15 total. The bearings and seals were about $27 total. So I'm in for about $50 so far, but I think have all I need (see pics below). Although, the bearings kits came with (2) 1-1/16" bearings, a cotter pin, a rear oil/grease seal and what appear to be 2 races, one for each bearing. However, I don't think I need them for my particular application, or do I? As I understand it, I will put on the rear seal, rear bearing, front bearing, thrust washer, tab washer and finally the castle nut. See pics below for clarification. Thanks.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

I have been using a standard size grease gun and on mine, it takes about 1/2 tube per side to flush it out. Once you get things sorted out you will be amazed at how easy it is. Yes I know your should pull it apart once a year but all I have done so far it to flush it out with new grease and if their isn't any sign of water contamination I don't see the point. I do jack it up and test for slack in the hub and so far it has been just fine. But this type of hub turns a several hour job into a 30 minute job.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

I agree. It seems like a sound design that saves a lot of hassle, if you stay on top of it. Do I need the "races", or do the barrels of the bearings ride along the inside of the wheel hub itself? Thanks.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

Re: Bearing grease Zerks?

...and what appear to be 2 races, one for each bearing. However, I don't think I need them for my particular application, or do I?

Yes, You Do!
The outer races are inside of the hubs.
They are matched to the bearings.

If you are putting on new hubs they definitely need to go on.
If you are reusing the old hub, you need to replace the old worn ones that are in there.

They can be taped out with a screwdriver an a bit of patients.
The new ones are pressed in.
Warming the hub in an oven can somtimes help in the removal.
Freezing the new race will help getting them in.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Gotcha Uncle Willie. I just watched a handy vid on youtube of and Aussie replacing his races and bearings, etc... I think I finally got the hang of it all. I definitely need to punch out the old ones clean the hub and seat the new ones that came with the bearings. So here's what I'm 99% sure I need to do. 1.) punch out old races 2.) Clean/inspect hubs 3.) Replace inner and outer races with new ones that came with new bearings 4.) Install prepacked rear bearing 5.) Install and seat oil/grease seal 6.) Slide hub onto spindle 7.) Install prepacked outer bearing 8.) Install thrust washer 9.) followed be tab washer 10.) thread castle nut until seated, then back off 1/8-1/4 turn until wheel spins smooth, silent and free 11.) fold over tab in washer into one of the slots in the castle nut 12.) pump grease into hub using EZ lube system until it oozes out around the nut 13.) replace metal dust cap w/ little, removable rubber insert that makes future EZ lube jobs quicker. Did I miss anything?

Good news is that virtually everything except the paint will be new on the trailer after this job. So far this season I've replaced the bunks, carpet and hardware, bow strap, guide-ons, lights and Magic Tilt pivot bolt. All that remains will be tires and a spare, which should be easy enough to find and paint, which can wait a while. It's been a bit of a pain, but I've learned a lot and it should be good to go for a while. I'll have to take a longish trip when this is all said and done. Thanks again!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

That's it Karl. You're all over it, but one thing concerns me a little. There's so much water under the bridge at this point I'm not sure what size spindle you have. As long as you are that's all that matters, but you might want to compare the new bearings to the old ones before you install them to be sure you have the right size.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Thank Incoop. The spindle is 1-1/16", but the threaded portion the castle nut and washers go on is 1", both of which are pretty standard sizes. I initially thought that I needed a 1-1/16" castle nut and washers, but I was wrong. They're really 1". The parts were actually pretty easy to find once I go the right size (drrrrrr). Measure twice, buy once. Plus, I took the old bits with me when I got the new ones to be sure. I'm gonna give it a go tomorrow. Once it's all put back together, the EZ lube system should make maintenance pretty easy and straight forward......I hope. Thanks again. I'll report back with pics, etc...tomorrow.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

...10.) thread castle nut until seated, then back off 1/8-1/4 turn until wheel spins smooth, silent and free ...

You've got it!
Just one slight detail.
Don't take the 1/4 turn so literally. This is a Touchy Feely Thing.

Tighten the nut as tight as you can get it with just your fingers while spinning the tire.
You should hear the telltale rumble of bearings that are too tight.
Now back it off to the first flat that the tab washer will align with. (<1/6 Turn ?)

Check for fit by grabbing the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions.
Push one side while pulling the other back and forth. (Remember dancing the Twist?)
You should just barely see any play but you should feel a slight "Tick" as you take up the play.
Give it a spin it should sound a lot quieter than it did before you loosened the nut.
Still tight? Back off one more flat.

Lock the Tab washer and test it again.

Check it again after you put 10-20 miles on it.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

UPDATE: WHEW! Well I think I got it all done. What a mess! I would've taken pics, but I was WAY too greasy to handle a camera. All told, I went through a giant roll of paper towels, 3-4 pairs of rubber gloves, a can of break cleaner, 2 tubes of marine grease and a wire brush, but now everything is clean, shiny and well lubed I still need tires, but I think I'm just gonna drag the trailer to the tire store and let the pros throw them on there. I've had my fill of trailers for a while. I've never done bearings before, and I hope I don't have to do them again for a long while Although, it should be easier next time. I wasn't sure what to do first, so I started by knocking out the races from the wheel hub, which took a while, but mostly just required patients and a long flat head screwdriver. After I got the races out, I thoroughly cleaned out the wheel hubs then installed the new races. I used a small nail punch to seat them fully without damaging them. After each race was seated in the hub, I installed the pre-packed rear bearing, then tapped in and seated the rear oil/grease seal and then mounted the whole thing on the spindle. I then installed the pre-packed front bearing, thrust washer, tab washer, and finally, the castle nut. I tightened the nut until the wheel would no longer spin, then backed it off a smidge until the tab in the washer could be folded over and the wheel spun freely, with just the slightest "tick" when you tug on it. I then pumped grease into the EZ lube spindle zerks to fill the hubs. I took about 1 tube of grease per wheel. I then put the cleaned out bearing buddy, with its own zerks, on the hub to act as a fancy dust cap of sorts. I still need to get the little rubber cap for the bearing buddy, but I think it's ok otherwise. Do I need to fill the bearing buddies themselves with grease, even though I filled the hubs using the EZ lube system already, or would that be overkill? Also, as I filled the hub using the EZ lube system, I noticed some grease coming out around the rear seal on the backside of one of the rebuilt hubs. The other side didn't seem to do it. Should I be worried? Do I need to take it off and re-seat the seal, or something? Thanks again.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Their shouldn't of been any grease leaking out past the seals. and as a pure guess is it on the hub that failed earlier. But yes you should take it back off and see why, it may be just the seal or worst case the surface where the seal runs is bad, if it is a speedie seal and sleeve will fix it right up.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Thanks MH. That's what I was afraid of :/ and it is on the side that failed, come to think of it. What is a speedie seal and sleeve? Where can I find one? Do I need to add more grease to the bearing buddies theslves, or is everything ok because I used the EZ lube system? Thanks again.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

I suspected it was on that side because it had been leaking water in and grease out before and may of caused the frailer in the first place.

A speedi sleeve is a repair kit for a damaged seal surface it has 2 parts, a sleeve that goes over the seal fit area to give a the new seal a smooth area to ride and seal on and the installing tool

A bad seal surface if what causes most frailer`s in the first place. It eats the seal rubber away with use.



http://www.vsm.skf.com/en-US/HeavyDuty/KitsAndTools/SpeediSleeve.aspx

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

I think you might be right MH. Clever little product. I'll make some calls tomorrow and see if I can find one. Do I order it by spindle size? Thanks.

edit:
I think this may work. No?

http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=60-02072-1&eq=&Tp=

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Yes it looks like its the same thing, that type of thing has been around for years and I am not sure on how its sized but on the site you posted it looks like its by bearing size.and OD of the seal surface.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Also, when you install the inner seal be sure it's flush and no more. Many people drive them in too far. IMO the best method is the old wood block and hammer approach.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Do I need to fill the bearing buddies themselves with grease, even though I filled the hubs using the EZ lube system already, or would that be overkill? Also, as I filled the hub using the EZ lube system, I noticed some grease coming out around the rear seal on the backside of one of the rebuilt hubs. The other side didn't seem to do it. Should I be worried? Do I need to take it off and re-seat the seal, or something? Thanks again.

No more grease, you have more than enough grease in the hubs already. 1 tube per hub? That's a lot of grease. Probably why you're seeing grease come out the rear seal.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

No more grease, you have more than enough grease in the hubs already. 1 tube per hub? That's a lot of grease. Probably why you're seeing grease come out the rear seal.

On the EZ Lube setup any extra grease comes out through the outer hub. You can pump all day and not blow the inner seal. If there's seepage on the inside I suspect an incomplete seal due to surface issues.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

On the EZ Lube setup any extra grease comes out through the outer hub. You can pump all day and not blow the inner seal. If there's seepage on the inside I suspect an incomplete seal due to surface issues.

Ok. Still trying to figure out where a whole tube of grease went, however........ Unless it's possible to get it all in the hub. That's a lot of grease....

 

[lncoop]

Re: Bearing grease zerks?

Ok. Still trying to figure out where a whole tube of grease went, however........ Unless it's possible to get it all in the hub. That's a lot of grease....

LOL. Yeah, I'm with you there. That is a head scratcher.