Grease those bearings!

[deanmor]

Hi all,

 

One of the things I don't do regularly is clean my bike. Not because I'm lazy, but because I know that water, dirt and bearings don't do well together. Too much cleaning destroys your bearings, particularly so when you use a de-greaser. Instead I do a complete strip down, clean and rebuild every 6 months or so. Most of my riding is in the dry winter months, so the majority of dirt on my bike is dust.

 

I flew RC Helicopters for a few years, and the bearings in these take an absolute hammering, especially when doing hardcore aerobatics. Hence this amazing little device: http://www.heliproz.com/prodinfo.asp?number=169165 . What it does is force grease into a bearing via the seal (you don't need to remove the seal at all). I've done my pedal, pivot, freebody and wheel bearings with this device. Takes about 30seconds to completely grease a bearing, and when you do it for the first time, it is amazing the amount of dirt that is forced out of the bearing.

 

Here's the link again: http://www.heliproz.com/prodinfo.asp?number=169165

 

Regards

 

Dean

[Palaeodom]

Any product description or utube demo video?

[deanmor]

Couldn't find a YouTube vid. Did find these though:

 

http://peteshobbies.com/prcp/Greaser/PRCPbuy_greaser.htm

 

and this

 

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=78836

 

and this

 

http://rc.runryder.com/helicopter/rrTV-Photo/ToolsandFieldEquipment/Lube/

[Skylark]

Would love to see a video of this!

I have no clue how you force grease into a bearing with its seals on and force the old grease out at the same time??

It can apparently do any sized bearing up to a inner race size of 25mm - which is rather big , the tool just needs to be covering the lip of the inner race seal.

That would mean it could do virtually any Road or MTB bearing on the entire bike

Edited May 1, 2011 by SkyLark

[deanmor]

Would love to see a video of this!

I have no clue how you force grease into a bearing with its seals on and force the old grease out at the same time??

It can apparently do any sized bearing up to a inner race size of 25mm - which is rather big , the tool just needs to be covering the lip of the inner race seal.

That would mean it could do virtually any Road or MTB bearing on the entire bike

 

It essentially forces the grease in through one side, and out the other. I see you're in Durban. Me too. PM me and I can possibly show you how it works.

 

Regards

 

Dean

[Skylark]

Hi Dean , so you need a void behind the bearing housing to receive the old grease as its pushed out , the old grease will obviously also accumulate behind the bearing until you remove the bearing and clean out the void?

[deanmor]

Hi Dean , so you need a void behind the bearing housing to receive the old grease as its pushed out , the old grease will obviously also accumulate behind the bearing until you remove the bearing and clean out the void?

 

No. The grease is forced UP from the bottom, so you see the old grease come out of the bearing.

[Skylark]

No. The grease is forced UP from the bottom, so you see the old grease come out of the bearing.

 

But if the bearings still in situation in a housing , the old grease has to exit out of the bottom seals lip while you pump new grease into the top seal.

Can't have grease entering and exiting through the same seal lip or is there some weird and wonderful design that allows that?

[Stretch]

interesting...i have just replaced all my bearings on my rear suspension cos they were all mostly buggered. 8 bearings in total (2 different sizes) - total cost R360 odd - so this theoretically could save a bit in the long run....

[the nerd]

My eggbeater SL's came with a device that does the same thing. A little black grease port thing.. forces grease past the seal and into the bearing.

 

http://i1035.photobucket.com/albums/a439/BuFFy-ZA/Greaser.jpg

[mountain_lion]

From the photos I found at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kevin.maxfield/greaser.htm it seems like you cannot use the tool in-situ. You have to remove the bearing to re-grease.

This should answer SkyLark's question.

 

I can see how this tool will work for non-sealed bearings, but for sealed bearings I am not convinced.

With enough pressure, the seal one side could let grease in, but on the other side where the old grease needs to exit, surely the grease will pop the seal off??

Or am I missing something?

[deanmor]

But if the bearings still in situation in a housing , the old grease has to exit out of the bottom seals lip while you pump new grease into the top seal.

Can't have grease entering and exiting through the same seal lip or is there some weird and wonderful design that allows that?

 

Nope. The bearing has to be removed from any housing before using the Greaser.

[deanmor]

From the photos I found at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kevin.maxfield/greaser.htm it seems like you cannot use the tool in-situ. You have to remove the bearing to re-grease.

This should answer SkyLark's question.

 

I can see how this tool will work for non-sealed bearings, but for sealed bearings I am not convinced.

With enough pressure, the seal one side could let grease in, but on the other side where the old grease needs to exit, surely the grease will pop the seal off??

Or am I missing something?

 

Sealed bearings are not pressure seals, they are interference-fit shields.. When you push the grease in, it is forced out the other side of the bearing, past the seal. If the seal does pop off, you can just pop it back in. I've done both plastic- and metal sealed bearings, and it works equally well on both.

[deanmor]

interesting...i have just replaced all my bearings on my rear suspension cos they were all mostly buggered. 8 bearings in total (2 different sizes) - total cost R360 odd - so this theoretically could save a bit in the long run....

If you send your bike for servicing, this will save you money in that bearing replacement will not be as frequent. If you do your own servicing (as I do), it is the time saving.

Plus knowing that when your bearings are immersed in water/mud, the moisture is not going to lead to their imminent demise.

 

What's also nice about the device, is that when new grease is forced in, the old grease, including moisture and debris is mostly forced out.

[mountain_lion]

Sealed bearings are not pressure seals, they are interference-fit shields.. When you push the grease in, it is forced out the other side of the bearing, past the seal. If the seal does pop off, you can just pop it back in. I've done both plastic- and metal sealed bearings, and it works equally well on both.

 

So it will be even better to remove the seals before you start.

[Cassie]

Hmmmm...Mr JB??? Can one not "make" an good old boere version of the same thing?

 

All you need is a strong syringe + something to fit the bearing under repair into....

 

any ideas?