grease in end bearings ?

[bill v]

when i installed the bearings for the elevators I noticed the end of the threaded part of the bearing has a hole in it that appears to be full of grease. My question is do I eventualy have to take the bearings out to somehow get new grease in this. (years in the future or never) or do i spray the bearing from the outside with some kind of lubricate some time in the distant future.

[Rick_A]

I spray the bearing from the outside a couple of times a year. I used LPS-2 for a while but recently switched to Tri-Flow (found at bicycle shops).

[777drvr]

I think the hole you mentioned is an aid to ensure adequate thread engagement . If you can push a piece of safety wire or cotter pin through the hole to the other side , you don't have enough threads in the rod end .

Regarding lubrication , I was told motor oil applied to the outside works fine .

Marc

[bird]

I gotta give a two thumbs up for triflow, in my opinion it is the best lubricant for bearings and such. I discovered this stuff a coupla years ago and started using it on my r/c helicopters and all I can say is wow! Extra smooth, no more bearing failures, some turn at about 30000 rpm. This stuff seems to just absorb into the metal, it is great stuff.

bird

[roadrunner20]

Originally Posted by Rick_A

I spray the bearing from the outside a couple of times a year. I used LPS-2 for a while but recently switched to Tri-Flow (found at bicycle shops).

I use the Tri-Flow.
My only complaint is I have the squeeze bottle with the straw.
Not easy when having to squirt the rod end bearings under the wing.
I've not seen a spray version such as you'd see on a WD-40 or LPS-2 setup.
They might be available but not at my bike shop.

[GAHco]

Originally Posted by bill v

when i installed the bearings for the elevators I noticed the end of the threaded part of the bearing has a hole in it that appears to be full of grease. My question is do I eventualy have to take the bearings out to somehow get new grease in this. (years in the future or never) or do i spray the bearing from the outside with some kind of lubricate some time in the distant future.

If the threaded male shank is hollow, these rod ends were designed to accept lubrication from a zerk fitting installed in a casting or forging that has a common cavity so the rod end could receive the lube under light pressure.
This design kept from having the weak point of drilling and tapping the outer part of the rod end head for grease.

You may also notice that the male threads on these are usually larger than the cross hole in the head, this compensates for the loss of strength due to the long hole going up the shank. And yes you can lubricate them externally also.