Packing Wheel Bearings

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Ewalk02
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Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by Ewalk02 »

Can someone walk me through packing the wheel bearings? I can pack the bearings by hand easy enough but did you fill up the space between the bearings with grease also...I would assume so.

11 hours down on the build and loving it!
Brian E.
Kansas City, MO
Highlander #223
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stede52
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by stede52 »

No, you don't fill the space between the two bearings with grease, just press the grease thru the bearings themselves. Something else which is very important to do correctly on the matco wheels is the amount of torque you apply when tightening the axle nut. Read the instructions, when the wheels are installed correctly you will feel drag on the wheel when you try to spin it, I can't remember exactly how its defined in the instructions but if they don't drag you will destroy the bearings in no time.

Steve D
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Ewalk02
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by Ewalk02 »

Thanks for the quick reply Steve. I did read about the torque to apply to the bearings in the manual, it's a little vague but I got the idea.
Brian E.
Kansas City, MO
Highlander #223
Bay State Flatlander
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by Bay State Flatlander »

Need to resurrect this thread. I am trying to hand pack the bearings but am not sure enough grease is getting between the races. These bearings are sealed at one end, so I can't tell if it is getting in.
The bearings are the ones that come from Matco (Timken sealed) with the Highlander kit. If the seal wasn't integrated into the inner race I'd feel OK trying to pry it out. Timken website not much help.

Thoughts? Suggestions?
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gkremers
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Hand bearing packer

Post by gkremers »

You can buy this at Aircraft Spruce or an automotive store. I've had one for many years. Clean the old grease out completely and then repack with new grease.
12-02578.jpg
Gary
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bluemax
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by bluemax »

Bay State Flatlander wrote:Need to resurrect this thread. I am trying to hand pack the bearings but am not sure enough grease is getting between the races. These bearings are sealed at one end, so I can't tell if it is getting in.
The bearings are the ones that come from Matco (Timken sealed) with the Highlander kit. If the seal wasn't integrated into the inner race I'd feel OK trying to pry it out. Timken website not much help.

Thoughts? Suggestions?
I think that you will find you can pop those seals off of the bearing. You will be able to pack it full of grease without interference of the seal.
Max Rentz
Newark, Ohio
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Familyflyer
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by Familyflyer »

Add a small amount of grease to the palm of you hand. Push the end of the bearing open side into the grease many times until grease oozes out the actual bearing. Rotate an 1/8 or so and repeat. You should get grease to ooze out all of the bearings. Once that happens you are done. It take many strokes to do but it works well. You will have to keep adding grease to your palm as you will be amazed how much the bearing takes.

The bearing shown above is not nearly greased enough.
Troy Branch

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Bay State Flatlander
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by Bay State Flatlander »

Thanks for the responses.
I have been doing the hand packing method Troy describes but am not sure the grease is making up the length of the bearings with it being sealed at one end. Just wanted to see if I was missing something obvious.
The most logical thing would be to "pop" the seal like Bluemax suggests but it doesn't seem to be a cap. It looks like it is over molded onto the inner race.
I'm building Highlander Kit 331, anyone know if this bearing is the same issued with the SuperSTOL? I am using the MHE6b1.25 wheel that came with the Highlander kit. The bearing is the Timkem LM6700LA
jak
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by jak »

The seals do not come, off the packer shown above is he best way to pack, although there are several packers on the market that work well also, hand packing has worked for years and always will but you can do all four with a packer in half the time you can pack one by hand. Jak
Pick up a rifle and you instantly change from a subject to a citizen.
bluemax
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Re: Packing Wheel Bearings

Post by bluemax »

Well. . . I was already to say that Jak was wrong, but figured I better research it before I did. I ordered Timpken tapered roller bearings for my Tiger Cub, and I know that they came with seals that snapped on and off. I went back and looked at my build photos. I did indeed have Timpken tapered roller bearings, but they did not come with a seal. So I reordered the same bearing with a seal. Only the photos show that these bearings are stamped with " Azusa". I would have bet money that they were Timpken. The attached photo shows the detached seal. Sorry Jak. . . .
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Max Rentz
Newark, Ohio
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