Part of being avid ATV riders and living in the suburbs is that owning a trailer is an absolute must. While there are a very few places we can ride locally, most of the ATV parks near us are at least a two hour drive away. It’s no secret that maintaining our ATVs is important to us, but we haven’t gotten much into how we maintain our trailer yet and today seems like as good a time as any. When it comes to trailer maintenance, packing your own wheel bearings is a great way to save time and money. While it’s not something that needs to be done often, if you’re like us and drag your trailer everywhere you go, it is good practice to repack your wheel bearings at least once a year. Of course, if you have a boat trailer or are pulling your ATVs through water that rises over the hubs of the trailer (even though I know we’d all much prefer to ride through the water), you may want to repack your bearings more often.
Fortunately, this is one of those tasks that requires very simple tools:
As usual, we’ll walk through the steps we take and show you what does and does not work for us. Of course, you probably don’t have the same trailer we do and the tools you use probably won’t be the exact same. So as always, use your discretion and if you get stuck, let us know in either the comments or via email.
When I set about repacking the wheel bearings in our trailer, the first thing I did was put the trailer on jack stands and remove the wheel.
SAFETY WARNING: Never raise anything and set to work without using jack stands.
With the wheel removed, I started working on removing the bearing cap. To remove the bearing cap, I used a chisel and drove it between the lip of the cap and the hub.
After a few minutes of working the chisel around, the cap popped right off. Before you start, keep in mind that wheel bearing caps come in all different shapes and sizes. It’s a good idea to make sure you can get a replacement just in case it’s damaged during removal. And just throwing my opinion out there: The wheel bearing hub caps that have a grease fitting on the outside to lube the wheel bearing are a joke. You’ll use half a tube of grease in the hub and still not get the inner bearing packed right. For something that’s so easy to do in the first place, why take a shortcut and risk not getting it done right? Ok, now off my soapbox and on to the next step… Next I removed the cotter pin. You will need pliers to straighten out the legs and remove the pin. Then I removed the spindle nut retainer. After the retainer, I removed the spindle nut, washer, and outer bearing. Then I cheated - I put the spindle nut back on and pulled the hub out until I could feel it catch the rear bearing and gave it a little jerk.
Most of the time, replacing the spindle nut and pulling the hub will pop the rear seal out of the hub without damaging it. Using this method is a great alternative to a seal puller, which requires that you replace the seal every time you use it. Since this seal is just a dust and moisture seal it can be reused as long as the metal case is not damaged and the rubber parts are still pliable. When everything is removed, it’s time to clean out all the old grease. I normally clean off the spindle and check it for any cracks or discoloration. Then clean out the hub doing the same. This can be done quickly by just wiping away the old grease with your hands and a grease rag. For the bearings it is a little different - You will need some type of cleaner with a brush to get the old grease out. So let me say this: if you do not have access to a parts washer of some kind you can just wipe the bearing off and pack it until the old grease is all pushed out and the new is in but if it is at all possible, you really want to clean them.
I have access to a SmartWasher, which uses microbes that literally eat the petroleum-based products off the parts. Because it uses environmentally safe water-based cleaner, there is no smell and no need for gloves (in fact, it makes your hands softer). When I first heard of the SmartWasher a few years ago, I was skeptical and I never would have thought it would work as well as it does but now it’s my preferred washing method. After you clean the bearing, you will need to blow them out so that they are completely dry. [alert-announce] SAFTEY WARNING: NEVER, AND I REPEAT -- NEVER, SPIN A BEARING WITH AN AIR GUN. Instead, blow through the bearing as seen in the photo below. [/alert-announce] After the bearings were dry, I packed them. Because of my background, I have a very handy tool to pack bearings. It is very affordable. I have had mine for several years and it has paid for itself more than a few times. You can find a similar one on Amazon here. This is a great tool if you are going to do a few wheel bearings a year.
Follow the instructions on how to fill the packer and then place the bearing in the tool with the tapper faced down. Then put on the cap and push down until new grease comes out of the top of the bearing. Of course, if for whatever reason you don’t have or don’t want the tool, then you can always pack your bearings by hand. It takes a little more time (although not much) and a little more cleanup, but it is very easy to manually pack a wheel bearing. To start, you’ll want to get a big glob of grease and put it in the palm of your hand. Then you’ll want to use the bearing to slice the grease, making sure that the large end of the bearing is facing down. Do this until the grease is coming out of the top of the bearing. Then rotate the bearing and repeat the process until you can see grease coming out all the way around the bearing. Regardless of which method you use to pack your bearings, you will also want to make sure to add grease around the outside. I usually just use my finger to smear it around the outside.
Once both of my bearings were packed, I greased up the races of the bearings in the hub. Then I put in the inner bearing back into the hub and replaced the seal. I put the hub back on the spindle, inserted the outer bearing, washer, and nut. After I torqued the nut down, I replaced the spindle retainer nut and the cotter pin. To replace the cotter pin, I used a hammer to tap the pin legs through the spindle retainer and then used the pliers to bend the legs back out. Before replacing the wheel bearing cap, I added some new grease to the inside. Then I just tapped it back on with a hammer. The only thing left to do was replace the wheel. And of course, do it all over again on the other side. We really want to know your opinion. How often do you repack your wheel bearings? Do you own a packing tool, or do you prefer to pack your bearings by hand? And is there anyone else out there that has to drive two or more hours to the nearest ATV park? There’s gotta be someone out there who feels our pain…
Filed in: Maintenance and Repairs
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Packing wheel bearings is one of our favorite things to do.
OK, we're lying. It's a dirty, messy, tedious job, but a very important job all the same. The basic premise of a wheel bearing is a hub that rotates on a spindle. Your wheels attach to the hub and the spindle attaches to the axlehousing. Between the hub and the spindle are bearings, usually two sets-an inner and outer wheel bearing. These bearings are comprised of little rollers that are held in a cage. These rollers roll along between the cage that rests on the spindle and the race that is pressed into the hub.
To keep these little rollers happy you have to bathe them in grease. The grease keeps everything rolling and cool, and it acts as a microscopic cushion between the bearing rollers and the race. If you go through water and contaminate the grease, get dirt in the grease, or don't change the grease regularly, it will eventually deteriorate until it doesn't do its job anymore. Then the bearings will heat up and eventually melt, weld, and burn up inside your hub, resulting in a very expensive fix.
This can result in terrible handling in the best-case scenario. In the worst-case scenario, the hub could lock up, the wheel could fall off, and your 4x4 might just cruise off the edge of a high mountain cliff with you in it-with no wheel or brake to stop you.
So either get dirty or risk death and destruction. Grease is cheap, bearings can last a long time with proper service, and packing wheel bearings is easy, so we decided a basic refresher course on packing bearings on a front axle was due. We did this to a Dodge Dana 60 front axle with dualie hubs, but the basics are the same no matter what front axle you have. Just take the time and keep your bearings happy. If your axle doesn't have rebuildable bearings, but rather unit bearings, we'll show you how to replace them in an upcoming Back to Basics.
Lubrication for wheel bearings protects them from wear and facilitates the sliding of contact surfaces, which contributes to easy rotation of the wheel, reducing the load on the engine and chassis of the car.
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best choice
Excellent general purpose heat resistant grease. It is made on the basis of mineral oil thickened with lithium complex soap. Operating temperature range from -30 to +160 °C.
EFELE MG-213 has mechanical stability, increased bearing capacity, and is resistant to water washout. The grease is characterized by high anti-corrosion and anti-wear properties, has a long service life. nine0002
In addition to wheel bearings, this material is also relevant in other parts of the chassis of cars and special equipment. In industry, it is used to maintain woodworking, polymer and metallurgical equipment, bearings of drying ovens, fans and electric motors.
EFELE MG-213 is the best wheel bearing grease. With very high performance, its cost is lower than that of popular analogues. For more information about this material, see the video review.
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Plastic mineral grease based on lithium soap. Operating temperature range from -25 to +120 °C. nine0004
Molykote Multilub prevents corrosion, galling, scuffing and seizing. It is not washed out by water, has a long service life, high bearing capacity.
This grease is used not only in wheel bearings, but also in friction units of fans and electric motors, conveyor systems and metalworking machines. Suitable for gears, splines and sheathed flexible shafts.
Molykote Multilub loses to EFELE MG-213 in terms of cost, operating temperature range and availability. nine0004
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Green colored grease based on mineral oil and lithium complex. Operating temperature range from -30 to +150 °C. nine0004
Fuchs Renolit LX EP 2 provides surface protection against corrosion and wear, and is resistant to mechanical degradation and oxidation. Possesses the increased bearing ability and long service life.
The grease is intended for maintenance of friction units of the undercarriage of cars and special equipment, suitable for industrial equipment.
Fuchs Renolit LX EP 2 has stable performance, but loses to the leaders in terms of thermal and water resistance.
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Mineral grease based on lithium complex soap. Operating temperature range from -25 to +150 °C. nine0004
Mobilgrease XHP 222 is water resistant, protects bearings from corrosion and wear, prevents scuffing, and will not degrade or oxidize at high temperatures.
This material can be used both in the chassis of automotive and special equipment, and in industrial equipment, marine and agricultural equipment.
In terms of its characteristics, Mobilgrease XHP 222 is inferior to Molykote grease, and at a price much superior to the Russian EFELE MG-213. nine0004
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Multi-purpose mineral grease based on a lithium complex. Operating temperature range from -15 to +150 °C. nine0004
Shell Gadus S3 V220C 2, in addition to wheel bearings and other elements of the running gear of vehicles, is used in loaded assemblies of foundry, vibration, mining, crushing equipment and roller conveyors.
The grease is resistant to increased vibration loads, water and high temperatures. It holds well on surfaces, protects them from wear and corrosion, and also has a long service life.
Shell Gadus S3 V220C 2 has the lowest frost resistance among all the lubricants presented, which sharply limits its scope. nine0004
A quality wheel bearing grease must meet a number of requirements:
Ideally, the grease should maintain its performance at temperatures from -40°C (possibly lower) to +140°C.
Currently, lithium and molybdenum greases are most often used for wheel bearings. Let's consider these groups in more detail. nine0004
The most common and widely used not only for servicing wheel bearings, but also for other vehicle components. Materials based on mineral, synthetic and semi-synthetic base oils thickened with lithium soap or lithium complex.
Lithium greases have a high resource and a fairly affordable price. They operate at loads up to 2800 N, protect components from corrosion, are not washed out by water, and have sufficiently high antiwear and extreme pressure properties.
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Other properties of these greases depend on the characteristics of the base oil. For example, silicone lithium greases have a low coefficient of friction and high dielectric properties, and are resistant to aggressive chemicals. Materials based on essential synthetic oils withstand very high speeds (over 1300000 mm * rpm), and also have noise-canceling abilities.
Greases based on polyalphaolefin (PAO) oils have very low pour points, are characterized by low coking capacity, high thermal stability, and oxidation resistance. nine0004
In complex lithium greases, the base oil is thickened with soaps of lithium salts of acetic, adipic, azelaic and other acids. They feature a wider operating temperature range, greater resistance to water, high mechanical stability and reduced oil separation.
Lubricants with molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) as an anti-friction additive. Just like lithium, they can be mineral, synthetic and semi-synthetic.
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Molybdenum disulfide particles form an additional lubricating layer on the surfaces of parts, which protects them from abrasive wear, scuffing and corrosion.
In case of evaporation of the base oil, M o S 2 takes over the lubricating function, and the lubrication starts to work as an emergency lubrication.
Molybdenum greases have a high load carrying capacity and can operate under very high loads. As a rule, they are laid down for the entire service life of the wheel bearing. nine0004
The downside of molybdenum materials is that with prolonged exposure to water, abrasive particles are formed in them, which adversely affect the condition of the bearings. Therefore, in case of violation of their tightness, the lubricant needs to be replaced.
Not all lubricants are suitable for servicing wheel bearings.
For example, grease, with a sharp increase in temperature, ceases to protect parts from wear. Graphite lubricants contain abrasive ingredients that can damage metal surfaces. Sodium and calcium greases are excellent at reducing friction, but do not protect components from corrosion. Silicone lubricants quickly lose their properties under rather severe operating conditions of wheel bearings. nine0004
SHRUS-4 is technically suitable for use in wheel bearings, however, experts recommend using it in more “rough mechanisms. Zinc and iron greases, although designed for rolling bearings, are more suitable for industrial equipment than for hubs.
Preservative lubricants generally satisfy the operating conditions of the hub assembly, but do not work well under high loads.
It is also not recommended to mix several types of lubricants in a bearing - it is not known what results this can lead to. nine0004
Many automakers regulate the lubricant resource for hub bearings by 35-45 thousand kilometers.
However, taking into account the conditions and intensity of operation of the car, this period can be adjusted downwards.
When choosing a lubricant, you should focus on the type of bearing, the grade of steel from which it is made, the workload of the assembly, its speed of rotation, the frequency of vehicle operation, and other factors.
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Practice shows that heat-resistant lubricants are best suited for wheel bearings, which are applied to the units in the optimal amount. Too little lubricant can cause the bearing to seize, and too much can squeeze the lubricant out of the assembly.
How to lubricate a wheel bearing?
Lubrication of a wheel bearing is not the most difficult operation, which, with a certain set of tools, is quite affordable for every car owner. nine0004
Pre-prepare grease, rags, oil seals, hub nuts, a hammer, a set of wrenches, a puller (you can use a flat screwdriver), flushing fluid (gasoline, acetone) or a special cleaner.
- Before disassembling the assembly, park the vehicle on a level surface, apply the handbrake and remove the desired wheel.
- Loosen the hub nut using a socket and a long wrench, remove the brake caliper and disc. nine0032
- Disconnect the hub itself from the steering knuckle. After that, completely unscrew the nut that secures the hub.
- Use a hammer to knock the part out of the axle shaft. The bearing is pressed into the cage using a puller or a flat screwdriver. If the ring in the holder is “sour” and stuck to the seat, dismantle it using a special tool such as EFELE UNI-M.
- After removing the bearing, remove the old grease, clean the race and seat. This will require gasoline, diesel fuel or a special cleaner. nine0032
- Wipe the surfaces dry with a clean rag, then lubricate the bearing, race, and seat.
- Reassemble the assembly by following the above steps in reverse order.
Maintenance of a car with drum brakes is carried out without removing the hub, the procedure remains the same.
Wheel bearings Yamaha Grizzly 450.
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The reason for this is the constant operation in difficult conditions, namely in water, mud, swamps. You can replace wheel bearings at home, having a set of tools, a mount and a vise. We give instructions for replacing the front wheel bearings using the 2012 Yamaha Grizzly 450 ATV as an example. nine0004
To simplify the search for the necessary parts, we will provide a diagram and part numbers:
- Numbers 18.45 on the diagram - wheel bearing, you need 2 pieces per hub (Art. 93306-006Y2-00)
- Numbers 19.46 on the diagram - Steering knuckle oil seal on hub side, 1 pc per knuckle
(Art. No. 93106-38046-00)
- Numbers 20, 47 in the diagram - Steering knuckle oil seal on drive side, 1 pc per knuckle
(Art. 93106) -38047-00)
- Numbers 21, 48 in the diagram - a spacer between the bearings, does not need to be replaced. (Art. 90387-30008-00)
ATV suspension parts manufacturer All Balls has a wheel bearing replacement kit that includes everything you need (2 bearings, 2 oil seals).
It also has a third oil seal, but it is designed for other equipment, as the kit is also suitable for other models of Japanese ATVs. (Art. 25-1108).
Let's describe the disassembly process step by step:
- Hang the wheel on which the bearings will be replaced. nine0032
- Unscrew 4 wheel nuts and remove the wheels (head 17).
- Loosen the hub nut with a hammer and a screwdriver (chisel).
- Unscrew the hub nut (head 22). A large lever is needed, since the nut is tightened quite tightly.
- Unscrew the brake caliper, 2 x 12 bolts and remove it to the side.
- Remove the hub together with the brake disc.
- Unscrew the steering tip nut (wrench 17) and carefully knock the tip out of the knuckle. nine0032
- Unscrew the upper ball nut (wrench 19) and carefully pull the ball out of the knuckle using a pry bar. The ball remains in the lever!
- Unscrew the lower ball nut (wrench 19) and carefully pull the ball out of the knuckle using a pry bar.
Ball remains in the fist!
- Remove the steering knuckle from the drive.
- Remove the rest of the seals with a flat screwdriver.
- We knock out the rest of the bearings with the help of sockets and a hammer, or we press it out in a vice. nine0032
After the knuckle has been completely freed from the old oil seals and bearings, it is necessary to wipe its inside well so that no dirt remains. Before assembly, be sure to lubricate the surface with grease (lithol, etc.).
Assembly process:
- Using a hammer, lightly upset the bearing in the knuckle, set it straight.
- In a vise, we gradually press it in with the help of heads from a tool, or a spacer on an emery is made from an old bearing. nine0032
- After pressing in the first bearing, align the spacer and press in the second bearing.
- Using a hammer and a wooden spacer, carefully drive in the new seals on both sides.
- We return to the ATV and lubricate the drive shaft, insert the shaft into the steering knuckle.
