Idler bearings

[yamarider13]

I also repack my bearings every 5000 miles unless one sounds bad then I will just repack that one. Every season sounds like overkill to me unless you put a ton of miles on. I have pre Yamacat sleds so I can't speak if the quality of the bearings on those sleds aren't as good.

 

[DVW]

I also repack my bearings every 5000 miles unless one sounds bad then I will just repack that one. Every season sounds like overkill to me unless you put a ton of miles on. I have pre Yamacat sleds so I can't speak if the quality of the bearings on those sleds aren't as good.

I agree. Every season seems to frequent. That’s why I go 5000 miles unless one does not pass inspection. My definition of not passing inspection is not only feeling crotchety but also dry. A dry bearing is hard to feel when I spin the wheel with my hand. The slight viscous feel is very subtle. That is why I have a new wheel assembly that I can play with as a point of reference.

 

[maim]

got at least 3500 miles on last season and they all needed to be re packed except the rear wheels. under 2000 i check them and if anything other than the 4" marginal snow wheels are bad, i just re pack them all.

 

[cannondale27]

got at least 3500 miles on last season and they all needed to be re packed except the rear wheels. under 2000 i check them and if anything other than the 4" marginal snow wheels are bad, i just re pack them all.

X2 any water sitting in them over summer is not good. Do them in spring.

 

[allyammies]

A six pack and could be done in about 2 hours not that big of a deal to me.

 

[DVW]

When you role up the miles and repack yearly you get a sense on how the bearings are doing. Repacked bearings with 100% fill seem to fare a bit better than new partial fill bearings. The worst case for bearings is pulling a fish house off the lake late spring and having to cross 6 inch deep open water next to shore. Try to picture water intrusion past the seal as warm bearings hit ice water. Our single bearing wobble wheels create a impossible task for the cheap seals. Double bearing Tri-hubs (think inner and outer wheel bearing) make it easier for the seals to do their job.

 

[Trucker]

I run mine until they are bad. Then I replace them with NSK brg's. they are expensive due to they are top of the line brg's. I don't pull the seals off cause once you do the brg is junk. Also if you are packing the brg a 100%. You are destroying the brg. I cringe every time I read people repacking a sealed brg. I will guarantee they are using too much grease. Just run the stock ones, then replace them when they are bad or going bad with a NSK.

 

[Turtle]

I run mine until they are bad. Then I replace them with NSK brg's. they are expensive due to they are top of the line brg's. I don't pull the seals off cause once you do the brg is junk. Also if you are packing the brg a 100%. You are destroying the brg. I cringe every time I read people repacking a sealed brg. I will guarantee they are using too much grease. Just run the stock ones, then replace them when they are bad or going bad with a NSK.

I agree on the 100% grease packing. I work for an electric motor manufacturer and we have run hundreds of test on the proper grease fill for a bearing. Too much grease and you don't leave enough room for the grease to get out of the way of the rolling elements. The seals can push out, or the bearing overheats and fails early. We typically fill to 60%.

 

[cannondale27]

Guys if the other seal is left in which is how most do it. Its highly doubtful its 100% packed. That said I never had a issue. In a electric motor the danger is the grease leaving the bearing and contaminating the motor. On a sled a little might ooze out but isnt going to hurt anything and have never had a seal pop out. So I must be filling to 60%. Lucky me!

 

[DVW]

I run mine until they are bad. Then I replace them with NSK brg's. they are expensive due to they are top of the line brg's. I don't pull the seals off cause once you do the brg is junk. Also if you are packing the brg a 100%. You are destroying the brg. I cringe every time I read people repacking a sealed brg. I will guarantee they are using too much grease. Just run the stock ones, then replace them when they are bad or going bad with a NSK.

My bearing repack recommendation is based on my personal experience with snowmobiles and also some professional experience. On my last snowmobile all my repacked bearings lasted 20,000 miles. When I did replaced them it was because of a seal failure not a heat related failure. For the last 5 years I have rolled up 5000 miles per year. I chose to repack yearly because I did not want to go another 5000 miles without service. Typically when I remove the bearing most of my bearings feel slightly viscous when I spin the wheel with my hand. When I pop the seals I find grease darkened and caked with what I assumed to be dirt. The grease does not smell burnt. When I start spraying the caked grease with my spray can cleaner the bearing will feel gritty. I stop cleaning when the bearing feels smooth. I then blow dry the bearing and pack both sides. In the past I noted that my second year repacked bearings felt better than my first year unpacked bearings. I am about to repack the bearings on my new snowmobile.
I have assumed that new bearings contain little grease because of parasite loses in high speed applications. In addition hot liquified grease leaking past the inner seal surface could be a issue for some applications. So after all these years I did a little internet study. The following is a SKF ball bearing site.

http://www.skf.com/group/products/b...les/lubrication/grease-lubrication/index.html

SKF considers our application to be slow speed application and as such they recommend 100% fill for our application. Obviously a standard partial fill bearing has worked just fine but a full fill repack could be better. This has been my experience.