Pack bearings - by hand or by tool?

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat (five minutes)

versus

Goosh (5-seconds)

Here is a little ditty that isn't opinion but fact

Grease used-to-be a lot different. Bright oil mixed into a Hectorite Clay Base.

Pack the bearings like normal

Then gob a glob of grease into the center area of the hub between the two bearings.

As the oil was used up within the bearing cage new oil osmosis'ed it's way through all the globbed grease and flowed it's way into the bearing. They used to brag the grease was long stranded or long fibered.

But given a lot of time what was left was almost dried clay.

Modern grease does not act like that at all.

So any grease outside of the bearing cage is a waste.

The modern "grease" ads brag about the grease "staying put" No joke. Grease outside the bearing cage is a waste.

I dealt with the hectorite clay based grease with the arrival of the first Delco alternators. These early alternators had unique bearing sealing shields that retained a reservoir of grease. Bearing lube life was phenomenal.

My bus has the same front wheel bearing lube as big-rigs. Stemco oil filled chambers. I got a bright idea and substituted turbine oil instead of what they recommended. Seems to work good.