Bigfoot Inner bearings?

[booboodog]

Just looking for some opinions - I've had the machine about a year and it runs fine, but as I greased the inner bearings last weekend I noticed that on some of the bearings the grease pushed out the other side of the bearing along the shaft but on others in came out a hole below the zirk. Does this say something about the bearing condition?

Thanks

[akpride]

Did you do the wiggle test? I.E. grab the axle and wiggle it? If so did you have slop? That is the best way to tell. I think the grease thing ids just a matter of seals. Let us know. By the way I just did all the outer bearings on my bigfoot and the Video Rockdoctor put on this site is awsome a real must watch!

[booboodog]

I don't feel any excessive wiggle. I just want to be sure I'm accomplishing something. It looks like new grease coming out below the zirk.

[Mike]

It doesn't mean anything as far as the bearings condition. The ones that have grease pushing out along the shaft (out of the bearing) are the ideal situations. The ones with grease coming out near the zerk may mean that grease is not getting to the bearing.

Check out this picture:



This is from the http://www.6x6world.com/forums/gener...placement.html article but it applies universally to most of our machines. That small hole in the groove of the outer bearing race is where you want the grease to enter the bearing. If you look in the background at the flange you can see the inside of the zerk.

The grease has to travel through the zerk into the groove in the flange, then into the groove of the bearing and finally into the small hole. If the grease is dried up inside the grooves, contaminated, etc. it can block the path to the hole and find the path of least resistance before entering the bearing. Also, if the bearing is crooked in the flange, the grease may not make it to the bearing.

It's a constant battle to get grease to all of your bearings. There are many more things working against you than for you. A lot of us have had at least one flange that is doing similar to yours. The thing is, there may still be enough grease getting to the bearing especially if the hole in the outer bearing race is lined up with the zerk.

It's really your call as to what to do. As long as the bearings are rotating freely and have minimal play in them then you are fine however if you feel that the bearings that have grease coming out near the zerk when you grease them aren't getting the grease, then you may at least want to readjust them to extend their life.

Just take the outer flange loose and physically see where the grease is going. Clean everything, reseal it, and try again. It's not that bad since you don't have to actually remove the bearings, just the outer flanges. Check out that article that I linked to. It should help you if you choose to go this route.

[booboodog]

That make sense. I'll add that to my project list. Thanks for some good info!