Bearing grease question

Paramenace · 03-13-2016, 03:54 PM

How much grease can I expect to use when I grease my Springdale SG 282?

**chuckster57** · 03-13-2016, 04:18 PM

Are you going to use a grease gun? I hope not.

If your going to pack them by hand, then a can of grease from the A/P store will be plenty. I think a can is about a pint.

rhagfo · 03-13-2016, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Are you going to use a grease gun? I hope not.

If your going to pack them by hand, then a can of grease from the A/P store will be plenty. I think a can is about a pint.

X2!!!

I will do an inspect and repack about once every three years, as current mileage isn't that great.

**sourdough** · 03-13-2016, 06:57 PM

Is there a problem with using a grease gun on a trailer wheel? When they come with a grease zerk I'm assuming they are intended to be used. Should we ignore/remove them and just pull the wheels and pack the bearings a couple of times a year? I think I'm missing something here.....or at least hope so. I really don't want to expand that thought and remove my driveshaft, ujoints etc to grease them by hand.....

**chuckster57** · 03-13-2016, 07:07 PM

Biggest problem with pumping grease through the zerk is you have no idea when you've overdone it and greased the shoes, magnet and drum. Not ALL ideas are good ones, as to the U joints on your driveline it's easy to see when grease starts oozing out of the cups

mosquitoman · 03-14-2016, 02:39 AM

When you use the grease zerks on the axle it takes a lot more grease as well because you have to fill the void between the bearings before any grease gets to the bearings, you will see grease start to come out around the outside bearing when the void is full but you can't see if grease is coming out around the inside bearing. You can possibly blow out the grease seal as well if you put to much grease in through the zerk. I prefer removing the bearings and cleaning and inspecting them and the brakes as well.

cw3jason · 03-14-2016, 05:52 PM

You will go thru a tube and a half to 2 tubes of grease per wheel using the zerk fitting. If you choose this method, pump slowly with a hand grease gun only and rotate the wheel while pumping to avoid blowing out the rear seal.

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bobbecky · 03-14-2016, 06:37 PM

The other down side of using the zerks to grease the bearings is, you have no idea what's going on with the brakes. Pulling the drums once a year, greasing the bearings and inspecting the brakes is really cheap insurance, even if you have to pay someone to do it. Most of us have a lot of money tied up in these rigs to be risking going cheap on annual maintenance.

roadglide · 03-14-2016, 07:11 PM

This is what I found When lippert pumps grease into the sert it packs up against the back seal .The bearing wont get packed that way glazing the outer bearing carriage and race. When I packed the bearings for the first time all I seen was chrome that just isn't right . If your going to grease do it right or not at all. If something happens under warranty and you over greased its your fault. Lippert used red grease on mine and I hear its not wise to mix grease.

Desert185 · 03-15-2016, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadglide

This is what I found When lippert pumps grease into the sert it packs up against the back seal .The bearing wont get packed that way glazing the outer bearing carriage and race. When I packed the bearings for the first time all I seen was chrome that just isn't right . If your going to grease do it right or not at all. If something happens under warranty and you over greased its your fault. Lippert used red grease on mine and I hear its not wise to mix grease.

That's the other problem with anyone using the zerk fitting. You're mixing greases that may be incompatible. It's always best to remove the bearings, clean them and then manually pack them...if that process can be trusted by whomever is doing it. That's why I like doing it myself.

bsmith0404 · 03-24-2016, 07:12 PM

Lippert and Dexter both have a list of recommended compatible grease on their websites. I use Mystik #2 red which is listed by both. If packed properly, you don't need to add much grease to a wheel between packing. I typically pack trailer wheel bearings by hand every other year (more on boat trailers). On odd years I will top them off with the gun through the zerks. When using the grease gun, you need to rotate the tire and pump very slowly, an old long handle lever type gun does not work well. Again, pump very slowly while rotating the tire and watch very closely for any grease pushing from the bearing. Stop as soon as you start to see the grease bubble at the end of the bearing.

If you have never added grease to your hubs, expect to use a couple tubes, probably 1/2-3/4 of a large tube per wheel. For some reason, they all seem to come from the factory with very little grease in the hub.

PerryB · 03-25-2016, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cw3jason

You will go thru a tube and a half to 2 tubes of grease per wheel using the zerk fitting. If you choose this method, pump slowly with a hand grease gun only and rotate the wheel while pumping to avoid blowing out the rear seal.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

A tube and a half to 2 tubes per wheel ??

SAABDOCTOR · 03-25-2016, 05:05 AM

Why are you putting that much grease in?

cw3jason · 03-25-2016, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PerryB

A tube and a half to 2 tubes per wheel ??

takes a good tube or more to purge all the old grease out and get new grease in. If you use the easy lube axles it has to flow in thru the rear bearing fill the cavity between the bearings and flow out the front bearing. The instructions say to pump grease while rotating the wheel until only new grease comes out. that is how you purge.

I personally like taking the bearings out and hand packing them. a lot less grease to use and you get to inspect them and the breaks, but that was not the question asked.

**chuckster57** · 03-25-2016, 06:53 PM

Your hoping the the grease comes out the front (outer) bearing before it comes out past the seal and coats your shoes I guess. Is it worth the risk? Only you can decide, but I would hate to pump 2 tubes, wonder why nothing has come out the front. Only to pump more before I finally take the drum off to find I have now ruined my shoes and maybe the magnet, never mind the gooey mess you have to clean up.

I've seen plenty of wasted brake assemblies and I can say none have been mine.

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