All-Purpose or Wheel Bearing Grease?

[erkbrn]

What types of grease do you all use for your wheel bearings? Seems like previous owner of my T used all-purpose for everything (including wheel bearings). Are there any notable benefits to using grease made specifically for wheel bearings?

[Alan Long]

I use Castrol HTB (high temperature Bearing) grease on my car trailer, Model T’s and the Mustang. Can’t go wrong
as they all use Timken Tapered bearings. The trick is not to overfill the hub but just a smear to prevent rust build up.
I pack my Bearings the old fashioned way (in the palm of my left hand) I also put some into the hubcaps as spare grease that can be used elsewhere on the vehicle.
Alan in Western Australia

[Original Smith]

I still like the old fashioned fiberous type. Sta-Lube still makes it.

[Norman Kling]

For wheel bearings you need something which will stick to the bearings and keep them lubed as you drive along, and will also not be washed away if water happens to enter the hub. For other parts, you can use it, however, a lighter grease will penetrate easier when applied with a grease cup or grease gun.
Norm

[TWrenn]

Get a tub of that red grease at your favorite auto store. Everybody has it. Can't remember the name but you'll recognize it. Also comes in a cartridge for those grease cups with zerks that you should have for the universal joint and drive shaft bushing at least.

[DanTreace]

Any good quality brand of red grease does the job for the Ford

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Note the labeling, if this grease works for foreign cars, then it is just fine for The Universal Car!

[2nighthawks]

Norman Kling - The grease requirements you mentioned are basically the reasons for which I buy grease from marine or boating supply stores. Marine supply stores sell grease that is designed for use on boat trailer wheel bearings, and I just figure that whatever "waterproof" qualities are present in grease designed to lubricate and protect boat trailer wheel bearings that are submerged in salt water should be about the best you could do to lubricate and protect unsealed Model T Ford wheel bearings and other chassis lube points that are subject to weather and water splash and such,.....harold

[Mark Nunn]

Norman Kling - The grease requirements you mentioned are basically the reasons for which I buy grease from marine or boating supply stores. Marine supply stores sell grease that is designed for use on boat trailer wheel bearings, and I just figure that whatever "waterproof" qualities are present in grease designed to lubricate and protect boat trailer wheel bearings that are submerged in salt water should be about the best you could do to lubricate and protect unsealed Model T Ford wheel bearings and other chassis lube points that are subject to weather and water splash and such,.....harold

Harold, I would never again use the marine grease for anything and here's why. I bought a 9-year-old camper a couple of years ago and promptly used marine grease to repack the bearings. The axles have EZ-lube hubs where you use a grease gun to push new grease in and old out. On the first outing I lost a dust cap and grease splattered everywhere. The other 3 hubs had old rubber seals that allowed the new thin grease to seep out and splattered those wheels too. I bought the camper from my parents so I know this never happened until I used a different grease.

On the next outing I almost lost a wheel. The bearings were literally ground up and the hub was destroyed. The grease was gone too. After replacing the axle I grabbed my "marine" grease gun and thin liquid "grease" poured out of the back of the gun. Did the grease separate? I don't know and don't care.

[Bud Delong]

I too also pack my model T wheel bearings the old fashioned way. I take the grease cup's off and give each one 7 pumps with the grease gun using soft red grease. I jack the front end up and check how they feel. When turned back on the grease cups force the old grease out and the new in !Bud.

[2nighthawks]

Mark - Thank you for the post,....very surprising and I'm thinking that some more research is in order. I know that for many years, a lot of very heavy boats have been hauled long distances on two and even three axle trailers, but never heard of boat trailer wheel bearings failing because of the type grease used; it's usually a case of "overloading" and/or too much speed for too long of a time and distance. I have heard/read that there is sometimes, some "incompatibility" between different brands/types of lubricants, and one has to wonder if that might be what happened in your case. I've never heard of any type of marine wheel bearing grease that has (on it's own) CAUSED any problem with boat trailer wheel bearings, but it sure would be interesting to know exactly what caused the problems that you experienced! Thanx again for the response,.....harold

[DanTreace]

Harold

Respectfully, your experience with white Marine Grease for bearings may be good, but my experience is the white stuff is prone to 'cake' drying. Likely due to the large amount of sodium soap used for thickeners. The thickeners are placed in Marine Grease for extra moisture resistance.

Had used it on rear Hyatts only once. After 2 years of touring, pulled the Hyatts for re-grease and dang, that white grease was cake-hardened, and was firmly caked to the roller ribbons. Was tough to clear out. Re-greased with trusty all purpose Red grease.

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Here is link to Timken recommended grease, they sell their own brand, but check the specs. they list and you'll find it matches good grades of Red Grease.

https://www.timken.com/pdf/10824_CV14%2 ... Grease.pdf

[otrcman]

'fraid I'm going to have to go along with "not white grease" crowd. I thought the white stuff would be just the ticket for an assembly that I restored and put into a zip lock bag until it was ready to be put into use. A couple years later I took the assembly off the shelf to put it into service and it wouldn't turn. Grease was dried out and caked. My good friend and neighbor Henry Portz had the same experience with the actuating cranks on his Cord headlights.

Dick

[Allan]

Is the fact that lubricant specialists make a high temp wheel bearing grease some kind of conspiracy between themselves and bearing manufacturers?
Seems to me that if this is NOT the case, the grease to use is wheel bearing grease!

Allan from down under.

[KWTownsend]

I'm with Larry.
Sta-lube Fibrious grease. It is tan colored.
: ^ )

[2nighthawks]

Hmmm,.....I think I'm sorry I ever brought this up! Mark thinks the marine grease he tried may have "separated" and became thinner, and Dan tried what he called "white marine grease" and said that in two years or so, it became hard and "caked".

Well, I can honestly say that I didn't just try the marine grease once and make a decision about it (yay or nay) as I have been buying it from West Marine for many years, and I have never experienced any sort of thinning, thickening, liquifying, hardening, caking or any other change in consistency due age, weather, driving conditions,, etc, on boat trailers, travel trailers, or automobiles. Also, I didn't really say "white" grease, or any color for that matter, and altho' I'm not sure ANY color really matters, but the West Marine boat trailer wheel bearing grease is now, and always has been over the many years I've use it, been a kind of light blue, and again, I'm not sure that color really matters, altho' in fact, I know that "lubriplate" often called "white grease" as it looks very much like the color of the "white grease" Dan shows in his post above. Only place I've ever had much experience with white lubriplate was on M1 and M14 rifles in the Marine Corps.

Anyway, I've used West Marine "light blue" boat trailer wheel bearing grease for many years, and it sure works well for me for wheel bearings and other chassis lube points, and I can't remember what term West Marine uses, but they also recommend their wheel bearing grease as also a "general purpose" grease. This grease has not changed in color, appearance or consistency that I can see, in all the years I've used it, and I'm gonna' keep using it as always! I'm pretty sure that West Marine, with over two hundred marine supply stores nation wide, would not be selling a grease that produced the kind of poor results that you fella's are talking about,.... so that's ma' story, an' I'm stickn' to it! ....harold

[2nighthawks]

Hey,...those pioneers used to grease those wagon wheel hubs with animal fat, and they made it all the way from Independence, Missouri to Oregon!!!