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how often re-grease wheel bearings?

my rvs

I always repack wheel bearings at the annual condition inspection. I know that is sooner than necessary, but then I don't have to remember when I did them last.
 
As per subject. How often do you guys clean and re-grease your wheel bearings?

Phil, I'm not trying to ignore your question, but I clean/pack the bearings when they need it. That means sometimes they get it at condition inspection, sometimes they don't, and sometimes it is when I am flipping tires between condition inspections. The wheels come off the plane at least once a year for inspection or tire flipping and the bearings get inspected each time (rotate by hand to check for roughness) but cleaned and greased only as needed. After you fly your plane a while you will get a feel for how often this is necessary.

After 13 years and 1100 hrs, I'm still on the original bearings.
 
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Ok, so you just visually inspect the bearings for dirt and grime? I admit, in over 2 years of flying I have yet to take mine apart and look at them :eek:
 
I have modified my Rocket axles and wheels to use an amphib bearing kit, and have a zerk on the axle. I can regrease in seconds, and do it more often since its easy to do. With a little bit of work a RV axle could be modified to do the same.
 
Ok, so you just visually inspect the bearings for dirt and grime? I admit, in over 2 years of flying I have yet to take mine apart and look at them :eek:

There probably isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to your question, but I suggest you take a look at your wheel bearings. If they are not showing any sign of wear, grease is still clean and hasn't started drying out, and you don't want to clean/repack every year, service the bearings and then service based on condition instead of time. But at least look at them each year. Some will say it doesn't take much more time to clean and regrease......so, whatever is your preference.

I've never found dirt and grit in my bearings but this could be dependent on where a particular plane is operated.
 
At risk of sounding like a childrens book; I follow Sam, Sam I follow I am....
(Sam is on my short list of "experts" that if I see respond to a post, I read it. Mel, Dan, Iron, Walt, etc... I read em....)

I pack them when the wheels are off if they need it. Out with the old grease, in with the new. I believe the bulk of any contaminant will depart with the old grease. I do completely clean and inspect them every few years.
 
There probably isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to your question, but I suggest you take a look at your wheel bearings. If they are not showing any sign of wear, grease is still clean and hasn't started drying out, and you don't want to clean/repack every year, service the bearings and then service based on condition instead of time. But at least look at them each year. Some will say it doesn't take much more time to clean and regrease......so, whatever is your preference.

I've never found dirt and grit in my bearings but this could be dependent on where a particular plane is operated.

At risk of sounding like a childrens book; I follow Sam, Sam I follow I am....
(Sam is on my short list of "experts" that if I see respond to a post, I read it. Mel, Dan, Iron, Walt, etc... I read em....)

I pack them when the wheels are off if they need it. Out with the old grease, in with the new. I believe the bulk of any contaminant will depart with the old grease. I do completely clean and inspect them every few years.

Ditto.

I do likewise. I repack by hand every time I change tires. As needed when ever the wheel is off. I stay away from solvent as much a possible and only use it IF it needs it.
 
Both......

Every 100 hrs or annual(conditional) - which ever comes first.... Don't forget to put extra on top of the bearing so that it squeezes out when you put the washers back on. That way there is little to no air space in there.
Best,
Brian
 
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So for you guys that seem to enjoy packing bearings...how often do you do the same for any other mechanized vehicles you own.

<crickets chirping>
 
So for you guys that seem to enjoy packing bearings...how often do you do the same for any other mechanized vehicles you own.

<crickets chirping>

Gotta agree with you in concept-----but most autos these days use sealed bearings.

Anyone out there read Mike Busch's article in the latest EAA mag, about minimum maintaince???? His ideas would fit right into this thread quite well.

Getting back to the original topic, the big question I have is how to determine when a wheel bearing needs service. What I did was to check for side play, and roughness while spinning the wheel-----if it is fine, then I let the greasing go.
 
I think it cost me about $50 to get the amphib kit from Grove and make it work with a zerk on the axle.

While I'm at it...I re-engineered how the wheelpants are attached on my Rocket. I can have a wheelpant off in about 30 seconds, and at the same time the brackets are much more stout than stock.

It frustrates me that most homebuilders accept things as they are, and not try to improve servicability.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K5zurgQXOYYp3kSV-v5rLjsJKmiwbNgIO6imX_4U-Ac?feat=directlink
 
I think it cost me about $50 to get the amphib kit from Grove and make it work with a zerk on the axle.

While I'm at it...I re-engineered how the wheelpants are attached on my Rocket. I can have a wheelpant off in about 30 seconds, and at the same time the brackets are much more stout than stock.

It frustrates me that most homebuilders accept things as they are, and not try to improve servicability.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K5zurgQXOYYp3kSV-v5rLjsJKmiwbNgIO6imX_4U-Ac?feat=directlink

I'll bite. I've not been particularly happy with the stock Van's wheelpant hardware since the day I installed the wheelpants to stay a couple of months ago, but I haven't gotten past the daydreaming stage as far as an improved design- too many other things on the list. I dislike the lack of rigidity in the stock mount, but I really dislike the amount of time it takes to get to a tire. Having already had one flat, I've had practice. Bob, are those camlock receptacles I see in that photo? Got any more pix? Would love to see hi-res versions if you don't mind. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and all that...

As for bearings, I have replaced and repacked more tapered roller bearings on all sorts of equipment so many times that I could do it in my sleep. I have also driven a Volkswagen squareback most of the way across rural Montana with an obvious bad (tapered roller) wheel bearing at freeway speeds in the middle of the night, astounded that it made the trip. Those suckers are more robust than most people realize. Though said VW wound up needing a new spindle, brake rotor and probably a bunch of other parts as the result of that outing...
 
Greasing Wheel Bearings

I have an old Cessna 100 series Service Manual that says grease wheel bearings at first 100 hours and then every 500 hours thereafter.

Works for me, I probably only taxi 20 miles in 100 hours of flying.
 
I inspect/grease my wheel bearings when I replace tires or brakes, I will never (or almost never) take off the wheels off just to service the bearings.
 
Bob, are those camlock receptacles I see in that photo? Got any more pix? Would love to see hi-res versions if you don't mind. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and all that...

Yep they are camlocs. Since the support loads are entirely carrried by the back half, I used camlocs on the front so it can come off quickly.

Here are some old pics that don't show the intersection fairings which are now a part of the wheelpants.

https://picasaweb.google.com/108725548195997306977/WheelpantPics?authkey=Gv1sRgCLil3-T8krfg2AE
 
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Yep they are camlocs. Since the support loads are entirely carrried by the back half, I used camlocs on the front so it can come off quickly.

Here are some old pics that don't show the intersection fairings which are now a part of the wheelpants.

https://picasaweb.google.com/108725548195997306977/WheelpantPics?authkey=Gv1sRgCLil3-T8krfg2AE

That's a really cool solution, thanks for sharing. I have some ideas on how to adopt that inner bracket concept to the one-piece axles on my -7. Will make for a fun project.
 
0,06%

Hello,

For those that are repacking (re-greasing) their bearings at every anual inspection (lets say every 50 hrs): My last car did approx. 350.000 km with the same bearings without any service, at all.

OK, they were probably of better quality and of different type than the bearings on the RV, but @ approx. 100 landings/year, times average 1 km of taxi per landing, times 2 for take-off and landing, the RV is doing approx. 0,06% of the distance per year that my car did, at a lot higher speeds, a lot higher loads and at lot harsher conditions than the RV.

I check the wheels for play and resistance (free running) every time the wheels come off the floor (at least ones a year). Unless I find anything out of the ordinary, or excessive grease on the wheels, I do not plan to regrease the next 10 years or so........

Regards, Tonny.
 
Inspections

This is what I did as the D.M. sole mechanic for 4 airplanes, each flying about 3 or 4 hundred hours a year.
Disassemble, clean, detailed visual and tactile inspection, service and assemble. This is done at annual, in the winter when the airplanes are parked. At 100 hour, jack airplane, pull the brake pads if needed, inspect for looseness, roughness. Then using a screwdriver on end on the axle, the other on my ear, I would spin the tire and listen. If the cub had been doing some off airport work and the bearings became contaminated, I could hear it. My point being, with a little experience in listening, a good inspection can be done in very little time. It is not a substitute for a detailed inspection, but can quickly help a mechanic determine if further investigation is warranted.
As far as comparing them to auto bearings, tough to do. Landing loads are something a car is not likely to experience.
 
As far as comparing them to auto bearings, tough to do. Landing loads are something a car is not likely to experience.

Indeed - an aircraft wheel accelerates from a dead stop to about 60kts in an extremely short time interval (fraction of a second?). And it does so often when the bearing grease is quite cold, having been sitting in a stationary wheel at altitude.
 
You may take this and run with it

Many years ago, while working for a Kenworth dealer, I was taught to clean bearings with solvent, getting all the old grease out, then washing these bearings with very hot, soapy water, blowing them out with air. DO NOT SPIN THEM. And then packing with a good quality grease.. The RV 4 I built and flew in 1992 has over 1600 hrs and still has the same bearings and they still look like new.... Dave
 
Indeed - an aircraft wheel accelerates from a dead stop to about 60kts in an extremely short time interval (fraction of a second?). And it does so often when the bearing grease is quite cold, having been sitting in a stationary wheel at altitude.

Also, the rpm of the airplane wheel at 60kts is much greater than an automobile wheel given the much smaller diameter.
 
Wheel Bearings

It only takes 20 minutes to clean and repack the wheel bearings even by hand. The process of cleaning the bearings allows thorough inspection. Simple, quick and cost effective. These OEM type tapered bearings will last longer than you want the plane if kept clean with good grease.

I do like Allan's sealed bearing modification.
A better purpose design, my opionion.
 
.....We never need to re-pack ours!!!!!!!
After the bearing modification you are good for 100K miles on the ground. Allan..:D:D
 
Damp beach airstrip

.....We never need to re-pack ours!!!!!!!
After the bearing modification you are good for 100K miles on the ground. Allan..:D:D

One question I have is landing on a beach airstrip, we have one up here I would like to fly to someday once I am flying. With the stock bearings I can remove the wheel clean and repack the bearings. What about the sealed bearing modification, do you just remove the wheel and wash to remove salt deposits, are the bearings truly sealed, not chance contamination on the inside?

Cheers
 
Long storage hurts too..

I check and repack the bearings at every annual inspection.

You should inspect them before first flight too especially if the plane has been sitting on its wheels during the last few months or years of construction. I found that the outboard bearings on both wheels were corroded and pitted enough to need replacing before they had ever seen a take off or landing roll.

Jim Sharkey
RV-6
 
One question I have is landing on a beach airstrip, we have one up here I would like to fly to someday once I am flying. With the stock bearings I can remove the wheel clean and repack the bearings. What about the sealed bearing modification, do you just remove the wheel and wash to remove salt deposits, are the bearings truly sealed, not chance contamination on the inside?

Cheers

Yes! they are completely sealed and require no service or maintenance Thanks, Allan..:D
 
Wheel bearings

I taught Auto Mechanics for 25 years and my Dad had his own auto repair business in the San Francisco bay area so I grew up under a car. I put about 25 hours a year on my RV-4 so packing the bearings with each condition inspection is overkill. What kills wheel bearings is the grease drying out and water. I repack my every 3 years and they really don't need it but I do it anyway because I go through brakes pretty fast as my strip is short and I am on the brakes more than with a trike. Use lots of grease and your not going to wear out the bearings as they spend very little time turning compared to a car.
 
amazing the duration of this post.....here is more.......

once a year before summer flying season begins i go thru the bottom end. brakes, tires, bearings, and tubes if needed. that covers me for the year except for a few airing up sessions. rotor discs replace once. thats 13 years and 4,000+ hours. bearings are still rolling fine. :)
img0940cp.jpg
 
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