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Wheel bearing greaser


Jason

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I think the boat trailer is a GREAT EXAMPLE!! Because most will pump them up via a bearing buddy, until the grease comes OOZING out... Another reason could be that many boat trailers have smaller wheels/tires than our rigs and follow behind at full speeds... adding to the wear and tear on them. I'm not downing those that tinker... Heck!! I'M ONE OF THEM!!! Just not on my wheel bearings... lol

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I seen these tools and a buddy uses it on he SxS, but the bearings come pre greased, yes it doesn't look like much but if you have too much it can harm the bearing as well.  Heat expansion will happen and if you fill the bearing grease will come out the seal as discussed in the video, but the minute that the seal pushes out grease also opens the seal to allow stuff in.  Also with the grease filling the bearing race it can cause more heat because the ball bearing inside will not move as freely. 

 

Mistake 2 – Over and under Lubrication

The second mistake we must avoid is adding too much, or not enough grease. Too much grease builds pressure, pushing the rolling elements through the fluid film and against the outer race. The bearing now has to work much harder to push the rolling elements through a mud bog of grease.

The increased friction and pressure from too much grease raises the temperature inside the bearing. Excess heat could decrease the effectiveness of the lubricant causing the oil to separate from the thickener. Not adding enough grease has the same life-shortening effect.

How do we know when just the right amount of grease has been added? By monitoring the friction level with ultrasound as new grease is applied – slowly, one shot at a time.

Listen to the bearing and measure the drop in friction as the grease flows in to the bearing. As the decibel level approaches a minimum value and stabilizes pay close attention. Add single shots. Should the decibel level begin to increase slightly, stop! The job is done.

 

taken from https://www.maintworld.com/Applications/The-Three-Mistakes-of-Bearing-Lubrication

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was thinking about greasing the bearings on my 2020 hd 10 defender. it has 7,000 miles on it. lots of information in this thread. Sounds like you have to take a bunch of stuff apart to even get started. Is there any videos on YouTube or somewhere else on what to do because I haven't found one yet? and is this the right greasing tool i need in this thread? Any advice would be awesome! Or does it even need greased?

Edited by Hammes357
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i did my x3 bearings when i first got it and at 2000 miles.  now have 5000 miles on it and havent done it since.  i am not sure that i will any more.  i am not planning to do my defender, so we will see what happens with that.  

its a couple hours worth of messing around to do them. not hard work but work none the less.

steve

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On 9/16/2022 at 10:41 AM, honda400ex2003 said:

i did my x3 bearings when i first got it and at 2000 miles.  now have 5000 miles on it and havent done it since.  i am not sure that i will any more.  i am not planning to do my defender, so we will see what happens with that.  

its a couple hours worth of messing around to do them. not hard work but work none the less.

steve

talked to the can am mechanic in our area about greasing them on my 2020 defender and he said they are sealed so no need to worry about greasing them? I don't think that's right our i guess im wrong?

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He is correct- they are sealed and are not recommended to be greased. 

Some of us take the next step and do them since they can be greased with a tool you can buy aftermarket that allows you to pump grease in the bearings from the middle where it is open.  you have to pull the hub, slide the adapter greaser tool on the shaft like it would be the hub then pump grease in the opening in the middle of the bearing.  you have to be careful when you do it so you dont over grease it and push the dust seals on the outsides off.  

Does greasing them help?  maybe.  i havent had trouble with any of them yet dont drive through a lot of mud either.  we grease car hubs, axles, bearings etc. and almost nothing gets greased on these off road machines.  i prefer to do as much greasing as i can, thus why i did my x3.  i got lazy and didnt do my defender i suppose.  it isnt just a quick thing to do, it is something you have to be committed to doing because you have to remove parts, torque stuff back down, etc.

steve

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I have owned the canam quads since they first came out and most were in the deep a few times and I did not grease the wheel bearings on any of them. I have ridden with quads of different manufacture and none of them had a bearing failure while riding with us. I haven't had to grease the wheel bearings on the many cars or trucks and no failures either. I do grease the suspension points with grease nipples every fall to try and displace any water that may be in the joint itself.

I do give the trailer bearings with grease buddies a shot or two of grease after retrieving the boat, sea doo etc. in the fall but the pontoon boat has oil in the bearings and has not been serviced since new in 2012.

On the other hand many feel the need to grease and since its their machine they get to decide.😉

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That's why I haven't done my defender.  It isn't necessary, in my opinion.

I just did my x3 after too much reading on forums haha when I first got it 

Steve 

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