wheel bearings and grease
Thread Starter
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 11,226
Likes: 3,049
From: St.Louis Mo.
i'm installing new wheel bearings every time i put a tire on, so it doesn't matter for that short period of time they are going to be in my wheels. pack them ,run them and then throw them away, at least until harley starts using some quality bearings. it's not like we are going to run these things 100,000 miles. but i'm gonna pack every bearing from here on out.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 934
Likes: 54
From: SE Wisconsin
Another warning on simply adding more grease as if the bearing company does not know what they are doing...
I work in the machine repair industry, many bearings replaced in critical areas.
One thing is for sure, there is an optimum amount of grease engineered into an application, and more is not always better.
When replacing expensive CNC spindle bearings (ya that's kind of important too) we always follow the recommendations to the letter, and never have had a bearing lubrication failure. When it calls for 2ccs of grease, that is it. We use a hypodermic needle to meter it, it looks like a ridiculously small amount. But I know somebody a lot smarter than me figured it out, and ran a lot of tests to get there.
Think twice about it, and mixing greases that a whole new set of problems.
I work in the machine repair industry, many bearings replaced in critical areas.
One thing is for sure, there is an optimum amount of grease engineered into an application, and more is not always better.
When replacing expensive CNC spindle bearings (ya that's kind of important too) we always follow the recommendations to the letter, and never have had a bearing lubrication failure. When it calls for 2ccs of grease, that is it. We use a hypodermic needle to meter it, it looks like a ridiculously small amount. But I know somebody a lot smarter than me figured it out, and ran a lot of tests to get there.
Think twice about it, and mixing greases that a whole new set of problems.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 89
Likes: 29
From: Meridianville, AL
After a bit of calculation using one of the websites provided, I figured the bearing (reasonably?) ought to be repacked once a year.
The only way to be certain there is no incompatibility with the grease would be to use the HD bearing grease...
Does removing them from the wheel with a proper bearing removal tool do any significant damage to the ***** or races?
The only way to be certain there is no incompatibility with the grease would be to use the HD bearing grease...
Does removing them from the wheel with a proper bearing removal tool do any significant damage to the ***** or races?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,928
Likes: 69
From: Near Myrtle Beach, SC
When seating new a bearing, pressure is evenly distributed on the edges of the outer race by a washer or disk of appropriate diameter. There is no pressure at all applied to the bore of the bearing and thus it is not displaced.
Quality bearings are manufactured to fairly tight tolerances. Untended lateral forces can compromise those tolerances and cause premature wear or even failure.
It is not recommended to re-use bearings that have been pulled. But, some people do it anyway. Your call.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 166
Likes: 5
From: Nj
Another warning on simply adding more grease as if the bearing company does not know what they are doing...
I work in the machine repair industry, many bearings replaced in critical areas.
One thing is for sure, there is an optimum amount of grease engineered into an application, and more is not always better.
When replacing expensive CNC spindle bearings (ya that's kind of important too) we always follow the recommendations to the letter, and never have had a bearing lubrication failure. When it calls for 2ccs of grease, that is it. We use a hypodermic needle to meter it, it looks like a ridiculously small amount. But I know somebody a lot smarter than me figured it out, and ran a lot of tests to get there.
Think twice about it, and mixing greases that a whole new set of problems.
I work in the machine repair industry, many bearings replaced in critical areas.
One thing is for sure, there is an optimum amount of grease engineered into an application, and more is not always better.
When replacing expensive CNC spindle bearings (ya that's kind of important too) we always follow the recommendations to the letter, and never have had a bearing lubrication failure. When it calls for 2ccs of grease, that is it. We use a hypodermic needle to meter it, it looks like a ridiculously small amount. But I know somebody a lot smarter than me figured it out, and ran a lot of tests to get there.
Think twice about it, and mixing greases that a whole new set of problems.
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Thread Starter
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 11,226
Likes: 3,049
From: St.Louis Mo.
i'll take my chances on putting more grease in them, seen way to many go bad that were dry. friend of mine lost a front one last year on the way to sturgis. came apart and was dry as a bone. not many miles on it either. not saying anyones right or wrong, but i seen alot of bad bearings at work that lacked lube. these bearing companies are just like any other company out there,they want to sell you bearings. if they lasted forever they would be out of business. harley is a big company and after 111 years they still don't have it right.
Last edited by hardheaded; Jul 15, 2014 at 05:03 PM.