Hi all, I'm currently rebuilding my 1943 WD20 wheels and wondering how much grease should go inside the wheel hub? Should this be packed full? I've installed new modern bearings if that makes any difference to the amount of grease needed in the hub.
I think the idea is to pack the hub full (probably about a pound of grease) then every now and then, give a few strokes with a grease gun to the nipple in the hub, which will send fresh grease to the bearings. I've never liked this idea as it's easy to overdo it and grease the brake shoes.....Plus it's very messy. For the Timkin taper type, I prefer to clean, repack and adjust, say once a year for the miles I would do.
On ordinary ball races, I usually replace those with sealed bearings. Ron
I don't know the BSA hub, but Nortons have separate brake drums and if you follow the service recommendations then there is grease everywhere. My feeling is that the bearings should be packed and then best to drop the wheel out every couple of thousand miles and wipe a smear of grease around again. A hub full of grease is doing nothing, apart from migrating where it shouldn't.
Never overpack the bearings with grease.
If you use a water proof grease and put the correct felt seals in with the cups keeping the felt away from the bearings, I expect they will last for life. Never use the grease nipples on the hubs.
