Hot Deuce Hub

[IronDeuce]

Hey All,

Took the big girl for her first ride down the interstate (slow lane, 45 all the way) and when I parked I figured it would be a good time to check the hubs to see how they felt. 5 cool ones, one very warm (not quite hot) one

I found the TM on repacking bearings, but was curious about...
1. Any tips for a newbie/first time
2. Is it possible to take a rear hub assembly off without removing the wheels?
3. What is everyone's poison - what do you recommend as a quality lube to pack them with?

Anything I'm missing? Should I call it a day and order a new bearing?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

[KsM715]

You can pull the hub with the wheels attached to it. Either way it going to be physical work and probably easier in the long run to pull the wheels.

 

[TIGERFANS2]

actually I find it easier to pull the hub with both wheels on

2'X4' (or so) piece of 3/4" plywood and several pieces of 1/2" schedule 40 to place under it, rolls 'em right away IF you have a smooth surface to work on (like maybe a 4'X8" piece of plywood if nothing else is available)

on a smooth, fairly level concrete surface this old goat does it alone

 

[Truckoholic]

Yeah, pulling the wheels off is pretty much a must, because you are going to have an extremely hard time getting the hub assembly and bearings and nuts all back on there with the wheels attached. If you were just taking the axle out to make a visual inspection of things, you could get away with it okay.

I used a blue axle bearing grease on three of my rear hub bearings, and red high temp grease from a tube on the other one. Was curious to see the difference. The one with the red grease is cooler to the touch than the others. None of them are any warmer than normal, but the one with the red grease is definitely cooler.

Just inspect your bearings and races real good for any nicks and gouges. They are probably fine and either warm because they are low on lube, or because someone tightened them too tight before. Another reason for taking the wheels off, is that it allows you to get a pipe wrench on the axle nut if it is stubborn like mine was and does not want to come off once you get it loosened. Unless you happen to have a socket that size of course.

 

[John S-B]

Pulling the wheel is the right way to do it. You can get one of those Harbor Freight appliance dollies to get it off. If you have a smooth concrete pad to take it off on, you just have to raise the axle enough to just take the weight of the tires. Use bottle jacks to get the right height, but put jack stands or wood cribbing in case they fail. (Always use a safety when using hydraulic jacks) The dollies should make it fairly easy to pull the wheels, it will just take some fine tuning on the height. If you have to do it in gravel or on asphalt, put a sheet of plywood down to roll the dolly on. Check the lube order for the right specs on the grease, any that meet the specs should do.

 

[ryan77]

When i first looked at the title i thought you put a hot tub in the back of a deuce!!

 

[KsM715]

actually I find it easier to pull the hub with both wheels on

2'X4' (or so) piece of 3/4" plywood and several pieces of 1/2" schedule 40 to place under it, rolls 'em right away IF you have a smooth surface to work on (like maybe a 4'X8" piece of plywood if nothing else is available)

on a smooth, fairly level concrete surface this old goat does it alone

I'm just thinking along the lines of repacking the bearing and inspecting the hub. It would be easier to have the hub separate from wheels for that.

Just my , YMMV

 

[martinwcox]

I just replaced seals and bearings in one on my rears.

I took each wheel off then the hub.

Just as well as the bearings were bad and I needed to drive out the cups from the hub. No way I could have done that with the wheels still mounted to the hub.

I used Lucas Extreme Bearing Grease, it's a blue-green color.

After re-assembly and test drive the hub was very hot. Turned out I had over tightend the inner axle nut. Basically, torque to 50 ft/lbs, back off 1/2 turn, insert cork in keyway, put the lock washer on, you will almost certainly need to turn the nut to line up the tabs for the lock washer, tighten it, place the lock washer and then torque the outer axle nut to 150 ft/lbs. Make sure th inner nut does not move as you do this.

I did the fronts had had no issues once I got the process down.

 

[Deuce007]

When i first looked at the title i thought you put a hot tub in the back of a deuce!!